Solved Unable to move program in taskbar

[speedlever]

I've seen a very recent change in behavior in one of my programs in the taskbar. Firefox is no longer creating a window on itself but instead creates a new taskbar icon at the end of the list when I click it. Also, I cannot relocate the new icon by clicking and dragging until I pin it to the taskbar. I have two separate FF icons instead of one icon with multiple windows or shadows or whatever they're called. Hope that makes sense. When I click the original icon, an additional window or shadow icon is added to the 2nd one.

I've tried to pin the new icon to the taskbar and delete the old one, but when I close out FF, the icon disappears from the taskbar.

Windows7/64.

Any suggestions?

 

[andyparks]

Is the task bar locked..

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/1065-taskbar-lock-unlock.html

 

[speedlever]

What the....? I never lock the taskbar. Do some updates automagically do this?

Unlocked now. Thanks.

Edit: However, I still have the same issue as before with Firefox and it opening a 2nd icon as in the image above.

 

[speedlever]

My issue with Firefox continues. I cannot seem to figure out how to pin a single icon that opens windows on itself. This never used to be a problem with FF. The only program I can think of that did present this issue was Process Explorer and we figured out how to fix that here at the Sevenforums.

When I right click the primary FF icon in the taskbar, I see this:

''

When I right click the secondary FF icon in the taskbar, I see this.. and safe mode?

I've tried to pin the 2ndary icon and deleting the primary, but the 2ndary disappears when I close FF. And I can't move the 2ndary FF icon within the taskbar unless I pin it to the taskbar first.

Did FF make a change that would cause this with the recent upgrade to 6.x? Is my system just flaky?

 

[Bongo]

See if this thread will help http://www.sevenforums.com/general-discussion/184232-new-icon-appears-taskbar.html
Jerry

 

[speedlever]

Thanks Jerry. Unfortunately, it doesn't solve the issue, but does make me think this is a FF issue and not a new computer issue on my end.

I'll add to that discussion there.

 

[boohbah]

Speedlever, if you close firefox then unpin all ff icons from the taskbar then open firefox from the start search ,then pin it again then that should do it.

 

[speedlever]

I've done that multiple times without success. Maybe I haven't been holding my tongue just right.

I'll try it again just for grins.

...back shortly.

 

[speedlever]

I can pin the secondary icon to the taskbar and delete the primary, but when I run FF from the new icon, it opens in safe mode.

Here's what I see (and get) when I pin the new running icon to the taskbar and delete the old one.

Here's a screen shot after I:
1) shutdown all running instances of FF
2) unpinned all FF instances
3) searched progams and files for FF
4) right clicked the search results and pinned the normal (not the safe one) to the taskbar
5) left clicked the FF icon in the taskbar... which generated a running program icon at the end of the list
6) rt clicked the running icon and pinned it to the taskbar
7) unpinned the original FF icon which resulted from step 4
8) moved the new and running icon where I wanted it
9) Rt click to start another FF window and only have the safe mode as an option, as per the image below.

Edit: as an interesting aside, if I go back and search for FF again and pin the normal mode FF, it appends it to the end of the taskbar list, as expected. Now when I left click on this icon, it appends a new window to the earlier icon I moved beside the TBird icon. It still refuses to add a new window to this icon. And there's no option to close the window from this icon either.

 

[speedlever]

boohbah,

So are you not seeing the same issue I do following that process?

As long as I leave a running window open, I can open another normal FF window from the newly pinned icon, even though it says safe mode when I right click it... I still get a normal mode FF window. But once I shut down all open FF windows, any subsequent FF windows I open are in FF safe mode.

Right now, I see no way to kill the first icon and be able to save normal FF mode.

 

[gigagiggles]

Firefox is stuck in Safe Mode | Troubleshooting | Firefox Help The link suggests a setting that is stuck in safe mode, either in the shortcut or embedded elsewhere.

 

[boohbah]

how about trying creating a new shortcut. go to program files /mozilla firefox. on the firefox logo /exe right click /create shortcut. it will ask if you want to save it to desktop ,then pin that shortcut. after unpinning the rest.
shot in the dark but worth a try.

 

[metalmania31]

If worst comes to worst you could back up your user profile and bookmarks and reinstall firefox. But I'm still not quite understanding what it is you're having trouble with. Are you saying firefox won't stay pinned to the taskbar?

 

[speedlever]

No. Pinning FF to the taskbar was not the problem. Something apparently got screwed up when FF did an update and the new version would not open new windows on the original icon. Instead, it generated a totally new icon at the end of my taskbar list. In addition, it would only give me safe mode as an option.

However I was able to fix this by unpinning all instances of FF from my taskbar. I then ran CCleaner and used the tools function to uninstall FF. I then ran the cleaner. Then I ran another tool I have called CleanUp and rebooted the computer. I used Chrome to snag the latest version of FF from filehippo, reinstalled FF and it came up with all my add-ons and everything intact. It now opens new windows on top of the original icon (as expected) and now all seems well.

 

[metalmania31]

Cool, glad everything worked out.

 

[boohbah]

well done ,, if in doubt chuck it out!

 

[speedlever]

I think this is the first time the FF autoupdater has burped for me. I should have done the uninstall/reboot/reinstall routine right away. Oh well.

Too bad it didn't fix my other FF issue.. random isolated program hangs for 15-25 seconds or so... which started soon after the update to 6.0, iirc.