Windows Update-Icons Disappearing

I am running Windows 7, x64 RC 2 (7100) build, downloaded from Microsoft a month or two back.

Legitimate product key that I received from MS is used, and it is activated through MS as well.

Everything has been working great, this is a fresh install from 08/01/2009.

I noticed my MS Windows "Update" icon appear on the task bar, and decided to have a look, I already went ahead and selected for windows to check for updates but to ask for me to install/chose which ones.

Anyways, there was a huge list of updates for MS office 2003 (yes i know there are newer versions but I like 2003), so I went ahead and selected a few, most of them were security updates, and there was one update for microsoft silverlight.

I went ahead and installed them all, restarted, and all of my desktop icons , and task bar icons including shortcuts began disappearing, then I tried moving mouse over them and they would appear and or disappear again.

I have not messed with any hacks or tweaks to remove the logo from the "windows 7 evalutation ..." from the desktop , that doesn't really bother me so i dont mess with removing it. Besides, I don't like installing stuff that messes with my registry, let alone on an unstable build.

Moving forward, I went through the recently installed updates list, and figured one of the new updates must have triggered this new found problem.

Sure enough, it was the [Microsoft Office 2003 (Security Update)] that triggered this, I don't know why, how, or what exactly the problem was, but after I installed only that update, and restarted my issue disappeared.

I replicated the problem twice, and fixed it the same way.

Just thought this was odd, wondered if anyone else experienced similar issues with MS updates.

Tews said:

Looks like its time to replace Office 2003 .. you cant expect it to be compatible for ever ..

Right, but I have no problems installing and or running office 2003 or its components, the problem being the update.

Honestly, I don't care for office 2007 or whatever versions came after 03 up until now, the way they are formatted, with options, layout, tabs is extremely unorganized in my opinion.

When you are working on writing a paper, or putting together stat sheets, accounting homework or whatever, I like knowing were things are and how they work, the versions after 2003 to me, are in fact thwarting my efforts to complete a project, not assisting them.

Either way, I dunno what the next office version is to come out 2009? 2010? I might give that a go if i can test it out first and see if i like it and the way it is setup.

Anyways I just thought it was odd that a microsoft security update jacked up my GUI.

I am not clear on how you isolated or cured the cause. I cannot attempt to recreate the problem either, as I have a very complex install of multiple versions of Office.

However, I am relatively confident that the issue is either resolved in later builds of 7 or will be resolved in future versions of the particular update.

From time to time, I have seen Office packages, or even single controls, cause the most unusual effects across the OS, to include individual letters failing to appear in menus and icons system wide.

There might be a connection with the fact that Office 2003 was the first version to support XP style icons, meaning that some underlying file or setting is in conflict with your particualr install of 7 and Office.

Antman said:

I am not clear on how you isolated or cured the cause. I cannot attempt to recreate the problem either, as I have a very complex install of multiple versions of Office.

However, I am relatively confident that the issue is either resolved in later builds of 7 or will be resolved in future versions of the particular update.

From time to time, I have seen Office packages, or even single controls, cause the most unusual effects across the OS, to include individual letters failing to appear in menus and icons system wide.

There might be a connection with the fact that Office 2003 was the first version to support XP style icons, meaning that some underlying file or setting is in conflict with your particualr install of 7 and Office.

Indeed, I have gone ahead and installed the rtm since earlier, and I will see if I get any issues with it again. I am not certain what the specific cause was, but I replicated the problem by installing the security update for office 2003 again, after having resolved the issue, and witnessed the after affects of the update in disappearing icons again.

Just found it interesting that the update from MS sparked the issue, and wondered whether anyone else had issues similar.

Thanks for the insight, I have not tweaked 7 much yet,I use it mainly for work related tasks, and leave gaming and media usage to my other rig.