Vista - Continuing problems with Network, Power & Volume icons

Vista Ultimate SP1 (32-bit) on Dell Precision M6300 laptop.

These 3 icons are a continual source of problems on this machine. When the
machine boots, sometimes all 3 are missing, sometimes just the Power icon
appears and sometimes all 3 actually appear but the Network icon has a red X
on it even when there are no network connection issues. Just occasionally
(say 1 in 5 boots) will all 3 icons be visible and in their correct states.

I have tried the standard fix of applying or de-applying certain policies
but none of those policies was ever in force to begin with. It goes without
saying that when the icons are missing then they are grayed-out in the
properties of the Start Menu.

How do I get reliable behaviour from these icons? The machine is part of a
domain which may be relevant in relation to Group Policies but I cannot see
why they are there sometimes and then disappear after a reboot only to
reappear on the next boot.

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
_________________________________________________
Qu0llSixFour@xxxxxx
[Replace the "SixFour" with numbers to email me]

"solon fox" <solonfox@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5fb6350d-9bd6-4610-8f96-

[...]
All drivers are up to date, as is the BIOS.

Any other suggestions? This is driving me nuts.

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
_________________________________________________
Qu0llSixFour@xxxxxx
[Replace the "SixFour" with numbers to email me]

On May 30, 4:24*pm, "Qu0ll" <Qu0llSixF...@xxxxxx> wrote:Do you use a docking station? I'm wondering if the Dell QuickSet
utility might be acting up. If QuickSet is installed, it isn't easily
removed; but, Dell provides a QuickSet removal utility at the same
place that you checked their drivers.

I removed the QuickSet from my laptops for other reasons and it is a
shot in the dark to blame it for your problem, but I don't have the
problem. It seems pretty rare indeed.

-solon fox

"solon fox" <solonfox@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:7eac7ce0-b5cf-4748-83f1-c31570e8e011@xxxxxx

[...]
You might be on to something here. I am using a docking station and I have
noticed that QuickSet sometimes puts an icon on the task bar (NB. not the
system tray but the task bar) with no title and with no menu when I
right-click on it. So perhaps it is acting up as you say.

I will see if I can remove it and then see if that resolves the issues.
What do I lose by removing QuickSet anyway?

Thanks for your input.

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
_________________________________________________
Qu0llSixFour@xxxxxx
[Replace the "SixFour" with numbers to email me]

On May 30, 9:08*pm, "Qu0ll" <Qu0llSixF...@xxxxxx> wrote:QuickSet would be really cool, if only it worked properly...

In theory, it automatically detects network connections and changes
your default printer, proxy settings, network drives, etc depending on
whether you are docked, undocked, on your home network, work network
or other public network. Initially, it looked really promising, but
was just too flaky and I removed it because I got tired of trying to
tweak it.

I'm not saying that losing it will fix the problem, but it is
reminiscent of the quirky troubles I had with it. I know you mentioned
group policies and domains and such and those are things that could
certainly interfere with QuickSet's attempts to identify your location
and settings -- I think maybe there are just too many variables for
this fantasy app to keep up with. Plus, ever other day Microsoft
update is changing some obscure key that the utility depends on.

You probably won't miss it because you have to configure it and then
train it for it to be of any use at all.

-solon fox

On May 31, 12:00*am, solon fox <solon...@xxxxxx> wrote:One more suggestion, do a properties on the task bar, 'Notification
Area' and uncheck the box that says "Hide inactive icons." Leave it
unchecked at least until you are satisfied that the problem has been
resolved.

Also, sometimes people get confused looking at the network icons. When
docked, you may see a network icon with a red 'x' even when you know
you are connected. It might be that it is the wireless icon. To fix
this, hot undock (i.e. undock without shutting down), make sure that
the wireless is enabled through Control Panel->Network and Internet-connections'. Dock the laptop. Now, disable the wireless connection.
Hot undock, make sure the wireless is enabled through 'Manage network
connections'. Now, dock again. Wireless will be disabled. From now on,
each time you undock wireless will be automatically enabled and more
importantly, each time you dock the wireless will be automatically
disabled. That way, you won't be looking at one dead network icon -
the one with the red 'x' - and one live network icon when you are
docked. You should now only see the active network icon when docked,
assuming that you don't need the wireless network connection when
docked. Bluetooth will still be available.

-solon fox

"solon fox" <solonfox@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:6adea4e2-4a40-4a6c-a1e6-ad8da900a623@xxxxxx

[...]
I already have "Hide inactive icons" unchecked and I am not confusing the
network icon with the wireless one.

But solon fox, I am considering this matter resolved in that I have rebooted
about 5 times since my last post and all icons have appeared each time.
Therefore, it indeed looks like QuickSet was the problem.

I will contact Dell and see if they can suggest a solution.

Thanks sincerely for the suggestion to remove QuickSet!

--
And loving it,

-Qu0ll (Rare, not extinct)
_________________________________________________
Qu0llSixFour@xxxxxx
[Replace the "SixFour" with numbers to email me]