HP DV7 laptop - volume display bar has vanished

I have an HP Pavilion DV7 laptop running Windows 7 (64-bit). The laptop has touch buttons to control the audio volume, and until recently, it briefly displayed a volume indicator bar in the centre of the screen whenever I changed the volume setting via the touch buttons.

Now for some strange reason, although the touch buttons for adjusting the volume are still working, the bar is no longer being displayed. (I do have the HP Quick Launch Buttons application enabled in the startup menu.)

I'm not aware of having consciously done anything to change the Windows environment. However, I have automated Windows updating in place and an update was installed two or three days ago at the end of a session. When I next switched the computer on, it briefly displayed details of a whole lot of registry updates that were apparently being made, presumably as a result of that update. I'd never seen that sort of registry updating occurring automatically before, but anyway it then booted up normally and everything seemed OK. Maybe that has nothing to do with this volume bar disappearing, but the two events seem to have coincided as far as I can tell.

Anyway, does anyone know what the cause of this might be and what I should do to get it to be displayed again?

Any suggestions gratefully received. :)

It's possible one of the updates was a driver update (never a good idea to let WU install driver updates automatically). Open Windows Update and check the update history for those recent updates and check the details for each (right click - View details).

If none of them are a driver update or relate to the volume controls (doubt this will show), assuming you have System Restore enabled, run it using the last restore point before the updates were installed. If you do then open Windows Update again and manually check for the now removed updates and install them one at a time, and checking to see if it affects the volume bar.

I've realised what it was. I'd disabled the HP MediaSmart SmartMenu in the startup list, thinking that I didn't need it. But, as well as doing the things claimed for it, it evidently enables the volume bar to be displayed!

BruceUK said:

I've realised what it was. I'd disabled the HP MediaSmart SmartMenu in the startup list, thinking that I didn't need it. But, as well as doing the things claimed for it, it evidently enables the volume bar to be displayed!

"The things claimed for it"

Like being a drag on your system!

Ap