Notification Area Icons - Reset

How to Reset the Notification Area Icons Cache in Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8​

   Information

The notification area is a part of the taskbar that provides a temporary source for notifications and status. It can also be used to display icons for system and program features that are not on the desktop.

This will show you how reset the Notification Area Icons cache to fix any corrupted icons and remove any old icons of uninstalled programs from the Notification area Icons hide or show settings for your account in Windows 7/8 and Vista.

EXAMPLE: Windows 7 and Windows 8 "Notification Area Icons" Before and After Reset




EXAMPLE: Vista "Customize Notification Icons" Before and After Reset





Here's How:

1. Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below.

Reset_Notification_Area_Icons_Cache.bat

Download


​

   Note

This .bat (batch) file will confirm with you to kill the explorer.exe process, delete the registry keys IconStreams and PastIconsStream, restart the explorer.exe process, and confirm with you to restart the computer.

2. Save the .bat file to your desktop.

3. Double click/tap on the .bat file to run it, click/tap on Run (if prompted by UAC), and follow the onscreen instructions in the command prompt.
NOTE: If you like, you can stop getting the Run prompt by unblocking the .bat file.

4. This is what you will see if the registry keys IconStreams and PastIconsStream have already been deleted.

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5. This is what you will see if the registry keys IconStreams and PastIconsStream have not already been deleted.

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6. After the computer restarts, the IconStreams and PastIconsStream binary values in the registry will automatically be recreated the next time you make any change to the notification area icons in Windows 7/8 and Vista.


That's it,
Shawn Brink

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Hide or Show System Icons and Notifications in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Turn System Icons On or Off in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Enable or Disable Windows 7 Notification System Icons
• How to Add or Remove the Notification Area from the Taskbar in Windows 7
• How to Change the Action Center Message Settings in Windows 7
• How to Change How Long Windows 7 Notifications Stay Open
• How to Enable or Disable Windows 7 Balloon Notifications
• How to Create a "Notification Area Icons" Shortcut in Windows 7 and Windows 8
• How to Customize the Notification Area Icons in Windows 7
• How to Change How Long a Notification Dialog Box Will Stay Open in Vista
• How to Hide or Show a Notification Icon in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable the Notification Area System Icons in Vista
• How to Show or Hide All Notification Area System Tray Icons in Vista
• How to Enable or Disable Changing "Notification Area Icons" Settings in Windows 7
• How to Reset and Clear All Pinned Items on the Taskbar in Windows 7
• How to Reset and Clear All Taskbar Toolbars in Vista and Windows 7
• Enable or Disable Automatic Promotion of Notification Area Icons to Taskbar in Windows 7 and 8

 

[LeSpot]

Nice job

I have always contended that computers were tools for humans, not man for the machine. To emphasize that I've always tried to make all the instructions I give to anyone who asks tight, concise and not overly wordy. In other words, if I ask what time it is, I don't have time for you to build me a watch. You seem to subscribe to the same principle. Thanks!

 

[Brink]

Hello LeSpot, and welcome to Seven Forums. I take that as a great compliment. I always try to write my tutorials to be as easy as possible to use and understand for all levels of experience.

Thank you,
Shawn

 

[KotaXor]

Can make a .bat file out of the .reg?

 

[need4steer]

Thanks a lot for another great tutorial.

 

[Brink]

I have updated this tutorial for everyone to be able to reset the notification area icons with a simple to use .bat (batch) file now in both Windows 7 and Vista.

 

[need4steer]

Thanks a lot for your great effort.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome Need4steer, and thank you.

 

[sandyfeet]

i used the notication area icon cleaner. now my network icon has an (x) on it , like i dont have a connection. but i do have a connection ???

UPDATE:
sorry to bother you .. i did another restart.. it fixed itself . thanks for the bit. of info i'll save it for later. i usaully use ccleaner to rid of those left overs..

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Sandyfeet, and welcome to Seven Forums. It's no bother at all. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

 

[HRM]

i used the notication area icon cleaner. now my network icon has an (x) on it , like i dont have a connection. but i do have a connection ???

I thought you might find it amusing that I used this for the exact situation above. I had an "X" in my net icon. This reset it an I find myself much less annoyed.

To me it seemed like a Net framework 4 WU from last week got all my icons messed up. Reverting to a day earlier would make it work aside from the Xed out network icon, but the next boot would make me lose them again. This got me back to where I was before and loaded all the icons I was missing.

Thanks

 

[Brink]

You're welcome HRM. Thank you for posting back with your results.

 

[kiwichick]

Thanks for this tutorial Brink, Thankfully there are people like you around to show us all the things Microsoft makes seem so difficult. Why can't they just add a simple "remove icon from list" option? Or, if that actually isn't possible, an option to do exactly what your .bat file does?

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome kiwichick. Hopefully Windows 8 will have more of these type of options in it.

 

[sle3pingz]

Brink i try you solution , but lookslike not successwhen i try it's IconStreams and PastIconsStream not been deleted,5. This is what you will see if the registry keys IconStreams and PastIconsStream have not already been deleted.

it will be problem or harm to my windows? or other hardware? if that no.5 occurred , iconstreams and past iconstream not already been deleted?
sorry if i ask something like this, i new with this thing, and afraid my windows or hardware will harm or problem or troubleshooting...

i mean , this Reset_Notification_Area_Icons_Cache.bat is dangerous or not for my windows, registry, or hardware, because when i try the result is failed , and appear the 5. This is what you will see if the registry keys IconStreams and PastIconsStream have not already been deleted. , similiar like with the cmd picture.. http://www.sevenforums.com/attachme...fication-area-icons-reset-already_deleted.jpg

sorry if a silly question

 

[Brink]

Hello sle3pingz, and welcome to Seven Forums.

No, it will not harm anything. The BAT file only clears the old icons by deleting IconStreams and PastIconsStream, but they are recreated automatically after restarting the computer with only the current notificaton icons included now.

 

[sle3pingz]

Then No Problem right appear like no.5 picture, lookslike not success. .

 

[Brink]

If you mean the screenshot under step 4 instead, then no it's not a problem. It just means that you have already deleted the IconStreams and PastIconsStream files. Once you restart the computer, Windows 7 will recreate the IconStreams and PastIconsStream files automatically.

 

[silverAva]

Hi, I followed the tutorial, It did work But my Windows Live messenger stopped working, after few tries It let me log in but I couldnt see anyone online & wasnt able to send msgs, so I uninstalled Messenger & re-installed it but it didnt work, had to restore my laptop setting to earlier date :/ now again my notification area icons is filled with cache icons.

Help!

*I do have CCleaner, when I click on Tray notification Cache, I get msg 'System Tray cache will be reset, you need to restart the explorer.exe process' ok I know its a dumb question but how do you restart explorer.exe process?

 

[Brink]

Hello Ava,

The tutorial would have no affect on Windows Live Messenger, so please go ahead and create a new thread about that separate issue in the Software forum area to get more specific help there for it.

You could log off and log on, or restart the computer to also restart explorer. If you like, you could use the tutorial below to make restarting explorer easy to do when needed to. However, the tutorial on the first page does the same thing though.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/179436-explorer-add-restart-explorer-desktop-context-menu.html
Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[Mual]

Thanks, just now I having problem, and now is solve