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Windows XP: An Icon Too Far?

The notification area – formerly known as the system tray – can quickly become crowded with tiny icons. Here, Dave Cook shows you how to keep them at bay.

One of the best things about Windows XP is that it’s highly configurable. There are literally hundreds of ways in which you can configure the operating system to your liking. This, of course, is how it should be. We should be in control of the computer, not the other way round.

We’ve shown you how to take better control of the Windows XP taskbar elsewhere on Practical PC. But did you know that you can tinker a little further by deciding which icons are displayed, hidden, or removed from the notification area?

Icon See It

The notification area is situated in the bottom right corner of the screen. You may know it better as the system tray, though Microsoft in its wisdom now calls it the notification area. The new name is actually a bit of a mystery, since many icons that get placed there don’t actually “notify” you of anything.

A number of applications use the notification area to provide program-starting icons. The fact is, though, that some programs are seldom launched and will continue to sit there without user intervention.

Depending on your setup, a relatively new installation of Windows XP will, like it or not, place two or three icons in the notification area. But as the number of applications installed on your computer grow, it’s likely that the number of program-starting icons will also expand.

Fortunately, Windows XP includes a new feature that hides icons you don’t use by adapting to the way you work. This has the effect of keeping the notification area and taskbar reasonably tidy.

To see all the hidden icons you click the arrow at the left end of the notification area, and then click the arrow again to hide them. It’s a neat idea, though if you wish you can easily disable or enable the feature. Simply right-click the Taskbar and select Properties, then select or deselect the Hide Inactive Icons checkbox in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box.

But Now Icon’t

If you wish to customise the notification area still further, click the Customize button to the right of the Hide Inactive Icons checkbox. This displays a list of icons currently in the notification area, as well as icons that have been displayed there in the past.

To change the status of an icon, go to the Behaviour section of the window and click the icon’s present properties. You’ll see three options. You can choose to hide the icon when active, always hide the icon, or always show the icon. Be aware that electing to always hide the icon won’t make it disappear entirely; it simply ensures the icon always resides in the “hidden” section of the notification area.

Finally

That’s all there is to it! Make your selection, and then click OK twice to exit and for the changes to take effect.