PCWorks: Re: Stubborn icons in the System Tray

>> ORIGINAL <clip> Does anyone know where in the
system I can remove the
"System Security Alerts " icon OR, is there any
program that removes
"stubborn" icons from the System Tray?  While
I'm at it, there is also an icon
there called "Safely Remove Hardware" and when
open, there are two icons
listed both eading "USB Mass Storage Device"
(which contrary to the name,
"Safely Remove Hardware," will never stay
emoved). Since nothing else ever
appears in that "Safely Remove Hardware" window,
I might use the above
mentioned System Tray "stubborn icon emover" (if
there is one) to also remove
that "Safely Remove Hardware" icon. I'd be
happy to keep just three icons in
that System Tray (AVG, ZoneAlarm, and the internet
connection; I don't count
the clock as an icon). --- Harold

FROM WALLY: Harold, evidently you are leaving your flash
drive lugged in all
the time. If you remove it when the icon says it is
"safe to remove hardware"
(when the flash drive is not being accessed), the icon will
go away. ---
Wally

 RESPONSE: Yes I am, Wally. Now why didn't I realize that
"USB Mass Storage
Device" is my flast drive? I always keep that drive
connected as that is where
I have both my zipped or setup files for the various
programs I use (and
sometimes have to re-inatall for whatever reason) and
equally important, that
is where I back up whatever new or edited work I do
(website, letters,
spreadsheets, etc). I even have my entire
"C:\Documents and Settings" folder
backed up if a complete reformat should be necessary.

 That $60 investment if I remember correctly, for a 1 Gig
drive (small enough
to wear around my neck as a pendant if I have to carry it
someplace) makes R/W
CD's obsolete for me. I've even seen 5 Gig flash drives on
the market. R/W
CD's worked fine with me when using Win 98 but immediately
gave me trouble
when upgrading to Win XP what with the need to use Sonic
along with R/W's. I
never got the hang of it. In Win 98 the R/W's worked like a
floppy; in XP
(with me at least), every file saved became "read
only". And my Attache
(that's with an accent over the e) made life a lot easier.
I even have a
second (I call it "Flash 2") one to back up the
one plugged in (that's Flash
1).

 So I keep a folder on the desktop called "for Flash
2" and everytime I put or
save something in "Flash 1" that's plugged into
the USB port, I save it also
in "for Flash 2" periodically moving it into the
actual "Flash 2" drive. I
suppose everyone has his/her own system for "doing
things". --- Harold

 FROM CLINT: Harold, I know I've said this before, but you
just can't "delete"
things you don't want on your PC, especially when they are
part OF Windows.

That "badge" icon is the Windows Security Center
(you do mean "center" and
not "system", ight?), and while I don't see
much use for it, the proper way to
turn it off is under XP's Services since it is a
"Service". Just disable it
from there, or better yet put in on "Manual"
then it will only start if you
ever need to open it. It's not any AV software nor a
firewall. It basically
just tells you what you already know, and that is if you
have any AV software
installed, and if the firewall is enabled. (That's going
from memory because
SpyBot screwed mine up, but since I don't need it I didn't
worry about it).

 Anytime you have a firewire or USB storage device
connected, you'll have that
other icon in the system tray. It also sometimes shows up
there with 3rd party
HD controllers. You don't want to remove that. Even if the
USB and firewire
devices are hot-pluggable, there are many times types of
"read and write
cacheing" going on (like with compact flash and
similar cards, thumb drive
devices for only two examples) and if you just physically
remove or disconnect
them it can damage the media if you don't "Safely
remove hardware" first. This
can ALSO take place even if in the Device Manager you have
the ox for the
device checked "Optimize for quick removal". ---
Clint

RESPONSE: Basically you are right about not deleting Windows
files just
because I think they are unecessary (and I thought it was my
computer). In
this case I went to Control Panel, Windows Firewall, General
tab, and there's
a link on the bottom: "What else should I know about
Windows Firewall?" That
brings me to Compaq's "Help and Support Center"
where it says, "...You do not
have to use Windows Firewall-you can install and run any
firewall that you
choose. Evaluate the features of other firewalls and then
decide which
firewall best meets your needs. If you choose to install and
run another
firewall, turn off Windows Firewall." Since I am using
ZoneAlarm, I clicked
the "Off (not recommended)" button. So life can
be full of contradictions,
what else is new, and I'll keep both the "Safely
Remove Hardware" and the
"Windows Security Alerts" icons in the System
Tray. --- Harold
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