Clear Past Icons from the Tray Notification Area

[dobermat]

Clear Past Icons from the Tray Notification Area on Windows XP.

 

I suggest to add this feature in the next release, so It allows you to clear the Past Items list in the customized notifications area of the systray.

 

The key in the registry is:

 

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\

TrayNotify]

 

To clear the notification history manually I have to delete the values called "IconStreams" and "PastIconsStream".

 

 

Instead of deleting this registry entry I'd like to see this feature added to CCleaner

 

please let me know

 

Best regards

 

dobermat

[TonyKlein]

Hi and welcome.

 

In fact that feature is already there.

 

Check Windows > Advanced > Tray Notifications Cache.

 

... will clear:

 

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify|IconStreams

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify|PastIconsStream

[MikeW]

Also worth metioning that after cleaning you have to stop explore.exe vial task manager, and then restart explore.exe.

 

PS. rebooting the PC does not achieve this

[TonyKlein]

PS. rebooting the PC does not achieve this

 

As far I'm aware, when you reboot (ie shut down and restart) your PC ALL processes, not excluding explorer.exe are most definitely terminated and subsequently restarted...

[MikeW]

As far I'm aware, when you reboot (ie shut down and restart) your PC ALL processes, not excluding explorer.exe are most definitely terminated and subsequently restarted...

 

 

I'll take your word for that Tony, but can assure you, that stopping and restarting explorer via task manager. is the only way to complete Ccleaners action. Its a queery thats come up several times.

[TwistedMetal]

To Clear Tray Notification...

 

You have to end process on explorer.exe and start it back up. Simply rebooting your PC will have no effect.

 

(Tested and proved by me)

[TonyKlein]

I believe you, but someone will have to explain to me how that could be the case.

 

After all, all processes ARE being terminated and relaunched when you reboot.

[TwistedMetal]

I don't exactly know. Even the Microsoft site doesn't say.

 

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=283084

[TonyKlein]

I tested, and you're absolutely right, of course. I guess it needs certain other system files to be running...

[Chungalin]

I guess that it's related to how Explorer.exe reads and stores its settings from/to System Registry.

 

Explorer reads its settings from Registry when starting. Any changes you do via its own configuration panels and dialogboxes is stored in its process' local memory, not directly into the Registry. When Explorer is closed (on system shutdown for instance) it saves its settings back to Registry.

 

Therefore, if you update registry keys/values related to Explorer while it's "alive" and you shut down your PC normally, it will overwrite your changes on system shutdown.

 

However, if you kill Explorer via Task Manager, you give Explorer no chance to write back its local copy of settings, and then when it restarts it will use any settings hacked into the Registry by you.

 

By the way, is there any way to tell Explorer not to store any history in these TrayNotify registry values? It seems that it has been storing that useless stuff even if "Hide inactive icons" was disabled by me from the very first day I installed Windows XP...