Do you miss the Win XP networking icons that show activity?

[TBoyd]

I recently upgraded from a NetGear WNR3500 to the WNDR3400v2. The 3500 port lights would flash during send/receive, but the 4300 does not! (Someone with this same router let me know if this is normal).

Since I no longer have any visual indication that data is actually being transferred, I searched & found this neat, FREE program that installs the old Win XP style icons:

Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7 - IT Samples

I've installed on my two Win7 Pro 64 bit machines & it works great!

I just wanted to share this with those that miss this feature after going to Win 7!

 

[A Guy]

When I posted it, it was panned, lol.

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/172695-network-activity-indicator-windows-7-a.html

Good to see someone who likes it

A Guy

 

[DavidE]

Another one for this is LanLights.
Lan Lights

I used for a while when I first switched from XP to 7, but haven't used for quite a while...
It never caused me any problems...

 

[logicearth]

I don't miss it. Because to me, it is pointless. I'm always connected to the internet, there is always data moving within the network. Its not valuable information to me. I am always connected. I only care when I'm not connected and the icon tells me that.

This is from someone who breaths networks. I build and manage large corporate networks.

I cannot find it at the moment, but there was an article describing how the network icon kept computers from going to sleep cause it would constantly ping network adapters so it could flash its tiny little useless icon. Edit, wasn't an article but a comment.

From Sean [MSFT]

The reason we removed the blinking in Windows Vista was for battery life -- in order to blink the lights accurately, the indicator would poll the network drivers once a second, which as a side effect, would prevent often prevent network devices from going into low power states. Coupled with the fact that with the advent of broadband, and apps that constantly used the network, the blinking was not really telling the user much anymore (it was designed for use with dialup networks)...

 

[TBoyd]

Thanks for your comments, gentlemen! I didn't expect too many replies. Thanks for the LanLights link. I didn't find that one in my searching. My new router purchase caused all this.

 

[OvenMaster]

When I posted it, it was panned, lol.

http://www.sevenforums.com/software/172695-network-activity-indicator-windows-7-a.html

Good to see someone who likes it

A Guy

Here's another someone who likes it and can't live without it. Many thanks.