How to fix missing volume icon in Windows 7

By default, Windows operating system 7 has various system icons showing internet status, Sound, battery charge and other useful information. But nevertheless, sometimes there are situations where these icons just disappear. Today we want to touch on this topic talking about the volume control icon. Let's take a detailed look at all the available methods to solve this problem, starting with the simplest and most trivial and ending with rare options that may also be useful to users.

How to fix the missing volume icon error in Windows 7

The occurrence of such a failure is usually due to minor system failures or accidental or intentional actions by the user.. There is no universal solution to the difficulty in question, so you just have to go through each existing method to find a suitable one. As always, get started with the quick and easy option.

Method 1: set notification area icons

First, it is recommended to check if the icon you want to display is enabled in the notification area settings. This and the following methods should preferably be done while logged in as administrator, so if you haven't changed your account yet, it is better to do it now.

Read more: How to get administrator rights in Windows 7

Thereafter, you can safely proceed with the task at hand:

1. Open the menu “Start”.by clicking on the dedicated button, and in the window go to “PanelA panel is a group of experts that meets to discuss and analyze a specific topic. These forums are common at conferences, seminars and public debates, where participants share their knowledge and perspectives. Panels can address a variety of areas, from science to politics, and its objective is to encourage the exchange of ideas and critical reflection among the attendees.... Control”..
2. Among all the parametersThe "parameters" are variables or criteria that are used to define, measure or evaluate a phenomenon or system. In various fields such as statistics, Computer Science and Scientific Research, Parameters are critical to establishing norms and standards that guide data analysis and interpretation. Their proper selection and handling are crucial to obtain accurate and relevant results in any study or project...., find “Notification area icons” and double click on this field with the left mouse button to open the corresponding window.
3. Notice the icon “Volume”.. Make sure your behavior is set as “Show icons and notifications.”.
4. Cheque … “Always show all icons and notifications on the taskbar”, reset the icon behavior and go to a separate menu by clicking “Enable or disable system icons”.
5. In the, make sure the behavior of the desired function is verified. “Switched on”..

After performing these actions, no need to restart the computer, everything should be activated automatically. But nevertheless, if it doesn't, should consider other methods.

Method 2: restart the browser

The standard file manager for the Windows family of operating systems is called Explorer. The behavior of other elements (folders, shortcuts, individual panels and icons) it also depends on the correctness of your work. Sometimes, this component fails, which has certain consequences. Try restarting it to see if the volume icon disappears. You will find detailed instructions on this subject in the following article.

Read also: Restart Explorer in Windows 7

If you constantly experience problems with the operation of Explorer (hangs for a while or freezes completely), It is also recommended to solve this problem by changing the operating system settings or correcting the errors..

Read more: Restore Explorer in Windows 7

Method 3: delete registry settings

The registry editor stores strings and other parameters that determine the values ​​of certain elements, including icons. Namely, through this menu, changing a single digit in any line can completely change the behavior of a function, including icon display. In most situations, if there is a problem with the registry editor, it is because the parameter values ​​are corrupted. Therefore, it will be necessary to delete them and restart the computer to restore them:

1. Run the standard utility “To run”pressing the key combination Win + Rand write there regeditand then press Entered.
2. When an account control notification appears, click the option “Yes”..
3. Go to the road HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionTrayNotifyto find the parameters you need.
4. In the directory that opens, look for the names “IconStreams” and “PastIconsStreams”.
5. Right click on the line to open a context menu. From there, select option “Delete”.. Do the same with the second line.

Once i'm done, Remember to restart your PC for all changes to take effect and the default settings are restored. Later, check if the icon appears in the notification area.

Method 4: restart windows audio service

The standard service responsible for the correct functioning of the audio in the operating system, although indirectly, is still related to the icon that concerns us today. If it locks up or stops on its own, the icon may also disappear. This can only be verified by restarting the service.

1. Go to . “Starts”. and go to “Control Panel”..
2. This is where you want the section “Management”..
3. In the item list, I searched “Services”. and select this app.
4. Find the name “Windows Audio”. Double click on it to open its properties.
5. Stop the service and restart it to get it working properly again.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you must make sure that the service starts in automatic mode. This is done in the same properties menu. If problems arise with Windows Audio in the future and the icon disappears again, you will have to use additional tools to debug its operation.

read more:
Running the audio service on Windows 7
Solve the problem of missing audio in Windows 7

Method 5: remove the registry keys that are blocking

Sometimes, special lock keys are added to the registry that prevent system icons from being displayed. They can be added by a system administrator or by malicious software. Of course, this rarely happens, but if the above methods did not give any result, we recommend that you use this too.

1. Access the registry editor using the method demonstrated above, or search this app via “Start”..
2. Go to the road HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionPoliciesExplorer.
3. If there are parameters in the directory “NoTrayItemsDisplay”, “HideClock”, “HideSCAPower”, “HideSCAVolume”, “NoAutoTrayNotify” O “HideSCANetwork” – remove them all to adjust the icon display. As you can see, some of these values ​​are associated with icons for other functions, which will help you correct problems with the display of other items in the notification area.

Method 6: install or update audio drivers

This method is exactly as indirect as the one we suggest to restart the service, but it is effective in some situations. Just go to Device Manager to automatically check for audio driver updates.

1. Call to “Starts”. and select the section “Control Panel”..
2. it will happen “Device administrator”.
3. Expand the category “Sound Devices, video and games”.
4. Click on the audio playback device with the PCM and, in the context menu, I searched “Update drivers”..
5. Run an automatic search for updated drivers. Make sure you have an active internet connection.

If this option to search for updated drivers does not return any results, it is worth trying to solve the problem yourself using the additional guides in the links below.

read more:
Installing sound devices in Windows 7
Download and install sound drivers for Realtek

Method 7: error checking and recovery

In extremely rare cases, none of the above methods work properly and the volume icon still does not appear in the notification area. In these cases, radical solutions are worth resorting to. But nevertheless, at first, it would be better to rely on basic error correction with the built-in tools. Read more about it below.

Read also: Checking for errors on your Windows computer

If the tools reveal no problem, all that is left is to restore Windows to its original state by reverting to one of the backups or the default settings. Our author explained it in detail in another article.

Read more: System recovery in Windows 7

At the end of this material, we want to mention that you must always remember all the actions you perform and interact with the system intelligently. It is very possible that you have installed some software, after which the volume icon has immediately disappeared. Of course, not everyone can know right away, but it is always better to use only official software and uninstall all suspicious apps, in addition to having checked your PC for viruses.

Read also: Fight against computer viruses

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