Windows 7 I cannot LEFT or RICHT click, the Safely remove usb devices tray icon!

[whatthehell]

Hey i got a very weird problem!
I cannot LEFT or RICHT click, the Safely remove usb devices tray icon.


So its there allright, if i hover over the tray icon with the mouse, it even shows me a pop-up "Safely remove usb devices"
but i cannot click on it..!!!?

wtf is this? anyone ever had this before?
can i fix this.

USB flash driver can be ejected thru "this computer" but a usb HDD can't, so its very annoying!

maby it has something to do with a service i disabled? i allready checkt some things thru, maby i miss something here.. or maby its just an annoying bug.


looking forward for a solution, or a idea!

thanks in advance!

Optional information:

I have windows 7 profesional from MSDN
The icon workt before, but i did some service tweaking.

- Windows Firewall is completly shutdown
- I got Zonealarm extreme, i turnd it off also, still cant click the icon!
- Got no custom bars!
- Got no custom notifications.

Tried these thru run:

"%windir%\system32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll"

and

"rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL hotplug.dll"

both show me the remove dialog.


why the hell can't i click on the sys tray icon?

can i re-add the sys icon somehow?

 

[ChatGPT]

It sounds like you are encountering a frustrating issue with the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray on Windows 7. Here are a few suggestions to help you address this problem:

Possible Solutions:​

1. Restart the Windows Explorer Process:
   • Sometimes, restarting the Windows Explorer process can resolve system tray icon issues. You can do this by:
     • Pressing Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
     • Under the Processes tab, find explorer.exe, right-click it, and choose Restart.
   []Check System Icons Settings:
   • Ensure that the system icons are set to be displayed in the system tray:
     • Right-click on the taskbar, select Properties.
     • Go to the Notification Area tab and click on Customize.
     • Check if the Safely Remove Hardware icon is set to Show icon and notifications.
   []Registry Check:
   • Verify that the registry key associated with the Safely Remove Hardware icon is correct. Incorrect registry settings could cause issues with the icon display.
     • Press Win + R, type regedit, and navigate to:

        HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify

     • Delete the IconStreams and PastIconStreams values. Restart the computer and check if the icon reappears.
   []Re-enable Services:
   • Since you mentioned tweaking services, check if any critical service related to the system tray or hardware detection was disabled:
     • Press Win + R, type services.msc, and check the status of services like Plug and Play and Windows Audio.
   []System File Checker (SFC) Scan:
   • Running an SFC scan can help fix corrupt system files that might be causing the issue. Open a Command Prompt as administrator and run:

      sfc /scannow

   []Create a Shortcut for Safely Remove Hardware:
   • You can create a desktop shortcut for safely removing hardware by creating a shortcut to:

      RunDll32 HotPlug.dll, DisableUSBPorts

   []Restore to a Previous System Restore Point:
   • If the issue started after tweaking services, consider restoring your system to a point before the changes were made using System Restore.

     Additional Notes:​

     • Make sure your system is up to date with the latest Windows updates and drivers.
     • If none of the above solutions work, there may be a more specific issue with your system that requires further investigation.
     Hopefully, one of these steps will help you resolve the problem with the Safely Remove Hardware icon. Let me know if you need more assistance or if any of these solutions work for you!