Filehippo

[cestode]

Hello everyone. I am a geriatric newbie struggling with PCs!
I used Filehippo to update software when I had XP. A hippo's head appeared in the notification area and its eyes opened on start up while it scanned for updates.

I have just updated to Windows 7. When I first install Filehippo, the icon appears in the notification area, However, when I switch off and reboot it is not there. I can, however, still run Filehippo manually from the desk top icon.
Any ideas how I can get the icon in the notification area to be visible and function even after rebooting?

Thanks

Cestode

 

[severedsolo]

Hi cestode, by default Windows 7 will hide all Icons that are not active at a time.

To get it working again try this:
Click the Notification area and then click "Customise"
Find the Filehippo Icon and set it to "Show Icon and Notifications"

 

[bigmck]

Hello everyone. I am a geriatric newbie struggling with PCs!
I used Filehippo to update software when I had XP. A hippo's head appeared in the notification area and its eyes opened on start up while it scanned for updates.

I have just updated to Windows 7. When I first install Filehippo, the icon appears in the notification area, However, when I switch off and reboot it is not there. I can, however, still run Filehippo manually from the desk top icon.
Any ideas how I can get the icon in the notification area to be visible and function even after rebooting?

Thanks

Cestode

What might be of more help to you is to "pin it to the Taskbar". It will always be handy for you. Drag the desktop icon to the Taskbar and click your mouse.

 

[cestode]

Many thanks for such a prompt reply severedsolo.
I have tried your suggestions via customise notification area.
The Filehippo section is marked as show icon and notifications but alas the icon is not shown.
But thanks for your suggestion
Best
Cestode

 

[cestode]

thanks to you too bigmck
I was a student in Houston at Rice for 2 years in the 1960s - a great time! As a brit I found the climate a bit tough though
Best
Cestode

 

[Solarstarshines]

just right click and customize to show you can basicly limit all the little buggy icons off the desk top and even stop notifactions which is easier then system start up and disabling all of them from starting when windows start

 

[Airbot]

Has always worked just fine for me. :huh:

Did you set it as severedsolo said, and then rebooted your computer?

Do you have the when windows starts option checked from it's settings?

 

[cestode]

Thanks solarstarshines and airbot. I have done all you suggested but to no avail.
When I first install Filehippo all works well. But when I reboot the PC, the notification icon disappears.
I think I'll have to revert to manual update checks
But thanks to all for great support
Cestode

 

[Airbot]

Not sure why it's not working right then. It does have an option there, in my screenshot above, that allows you let it close when it finds no updates. Not sure on if you are actually seeing the icon in the notification bar quickly and then it's disappearing, or you're not seeing it there at all after a reboot.

From your post above, it sounds as if you might be seeing it quickly then it's closing.

I would suggest uninstalling it, then re-download a new installer of it, and install it again. See if it works correctly then.

 

[cestode]

I have not checked the 'close if no updates are found' box, Airbot.
The icon definitely does not appear except when I do a new download of Filehippo It just disappears if I do a reboot of the PC.
Thanks
Cestode

 

[Airbot]

I don't have an answer for it then. Sorry.

 

[whs]

Try to put the program into the startup programs. Find the program.exe e.g. in Program Files on C and do a "send to" desktop. That creates a shortcut of the program on the desktop. Then press "Start" and type: shell:startup and press enter. That will put the startup folder on your desktop. Drag the shortcut from before into that folder and close the folder. Now the icon should appear all the time in the notification area.
If it appears only in the notification box, click on the little arrow under it and drag the icon onto the taskbar.

 

[cestode]

thanks whs
That sounds a bit complicated for me but I'll try tomorrow morning and post the result
Best
Cestode

 

[whs]

thanks whs
That sounds a bit complicated for me but I'll try tomorrow morning and post the result
Best
Cestode

It is actually very simple. All you need to do is to move a shortcut of the program.exe into the startup folder. I have given a bit more verse assuming you might not have done a similar operation before. And dragging the shortcut from the notification box to the taskbar (if required), should be simple too.

 

[Sympatico]

Personally I'd drop FileHippo, PSI Secunia is far better but even then I wouldn't have it running in the background, as much as it wants to. I'd set it up that it runs once a week as a scheduled task.

 

[whs]

Personally I'd drop FileHippo, PSI Secunia is far better but even then I wouldn't have it running in the background, as much as it wants to. I'd set it up that it runs once a week as a scheduled task.

That is not a bad idea. Just make sure you run Secunia either manually or as a scheduled task as Sympatico suggests. Else it can be somewhat a pain in the neck.

 

[A Guy]

Secunia PSI will look for insecure, and end of life programs. But if an older version is not insecure, it won't tell you a new version is available. Fillehippo Update Checker tells you when a new version (or Beta version if you so choose) is available for Apps you have installed. Not quite a comparison. I generally check File Hippo every day since only takes a second, but I have the Update Checker exe, not installed. A Guy

 

[cestode]

I did what you suggested whs and confirmed that the .exe file was in the shell startup folder. However it has not cured the problem. The notification icon only appears after a fresh install of Filehippo but disappears on reboot. Thanks for the alternative software suggestion Sympatico and your comments A Guy.
I think I'll stick with Filehippo and do manual checks.
I really appreciate all your support

 

[A Guy]

OK, didn't want to leave you hanging if you want to go further. I set mine to start with windows. At 1st I got the icon for the hippo and his eyes blinked. But then the notification icon turned to the green one on the left in this pic



Clicking on it did bring up the update page, but no hippo after a few seconds. Is it possible that yours is changing as well? I have no experience with it before, so can't say if this is a change.

Also, when windows has started, with the checker setup per all the advice above (set to start with windows) do you show this process in task manager (Ctrl + Shift + Esc)?



There are other update apps that I have tried, I like Filehippo, so I stuck to it, but it only shows updates for programs you have installed that Filehippo also carries. Here are some other update apps:

Free Sortware Update Monitors

A Guy

 

[cestode]

When I re-install Filehippo, A Guy, it behaves exactly as you describe. The hippo's eyes open in the notification area and turns into a green square if updates are available.
However, if I reboot, nothing happens - there is no hippo in the notification area.

I checked Task manager - update checker is not listed! And yet the update checker file is in the start up folder,as described by whs.
I remain confused!