How do we get rid of persistent icons after the application has been removed from the system?I have installed NokiaFreeUnlock which placed an icon in th enotification area. The application was then removed but the icon remains in the notification area.I have edited the Reg for all instances of Nokia* but it's still there?

Desertraptor said: How do we get rid of persistent icons after the application has been removed from the system?I have installed NokiaFreeUnlock which placed an icon in th enotification area. The application was then removed but the icon remains in the notification area.I have edited the Reg for all instances of Nokia* but it's still there? Hmm.. If you've truly uninstalled the app, then that icon should no longer be there. It may NOT have been properly uninstalled - in which case, you might want to do any or all of the following:1.) Right-click the app and see if it can be killed off with an Exit or Close option. 1a.) If it doesn't, bring up Task Manager and see if you can find it in the Processes tab. Once you've found it, right-click the file and click on Open File Location - make note of the location then go back to task Manger and kill the app. You may need to click the Show Processes from All Users button...2.) Go through the C:\Program Files\ folder tree in Explorer or go back to the Explorer window you opened with the task manager and deletethe whole folderonce the program's been shut down.2a.) You may have to restart in Safe Mode to do this if you can't find the app on the Task Manager. 3.) Click the Start button and type MSCONFIG.EXE and press Enter. Find the offending entry on the startup tab and disable it.If that still doesn't get rid of it... You may want to run something like Spybot S&D with the latest updates. It may be a rogue app we're dealing with here.

Thanks for the replyI tried installing a registry cleaner but that didnt work either and guess what. Both applications I installed have left behind icons in the notification area that I can not remove after uninstalling them.I have done all you suggested prior to even posting here including a full registry sweep with regedit for ofending keywords.

Try this procedure. It works in Vista. How To Clear Past Icons from the Notification Area. If you click Start > rt click > properties > taskbar tab > (bottom) customize, you will see a lot of old/unistalled/unsued icons, in the past items. So, how to clear these (clutter) past items from the notification area ? First, set the Explorer (Tools/Folder Options/View) to show Hidden Files and Folders. Now open Regedit. Delete the 'iconstreams' and 'past icons stream' values from the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ CurrentVersion\ TrayNotify Close Regedit. Now open the Task Manager (crtl,shift,esc), select explorer.exe ,click the processes tab, and then click end process. Next, in task manager, click file, click new task, type in explorer, and then click OK. Your clutter will have cleared up !Added by Forum Moderator: Warning: While this solution solves the issue or problem, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk. For more information about modifying the registry, see Microsoft support article 256986.

Thanks for the ideas but even after the last inc a reboot I still have unwanted icons of deleted/uninstalled apps.See imagehttp://farm4.static.flickr.com/3368/3276858761_0477697421.jpg

I'm sorry, but it is unlcear to me whether you tried the full procedure I outlined to get rid of the unwanted notification icons. I know it looks a little fussy, but it's important to follow all the steps exactly. This has always workedin Vista, and while certainly possible, it would be surprising if Win 7 were very much different in this regard.

I tried to do all you said. It still has these persistent icons.I guess since they are not made for Win7 their uninstal leave traces.

Desertraptor said: I tried to do all you said. It still has these persistent icons.I guess since they are not made for Win7 their uninstal leave traces.It's also possible you may have a root kit... :-(

Desertraptor said:I tried to do all you said. It still has these persistent icons.I guess since they are not made for Win7 their uninstal leave traces. "I tried" sounds like you did not actually get those 2 keys removed, perhaps a screen shot of the registry with those keys removed would put this theory to rest. I can confirm the procedure RoswellC posted does work in windows 7.

I removed these entries in the regsee linkhttp://social.technet.microsoft.com/Passport.rdr?loc=%2fForums%2fen-US%2fw7itprogeneral%2fthread%2fffe42577-3bfc-4f6c-8f03-0e85dd2e15de%2f&wa=wsignin1.0I cons still persist.I have scanned the reg for obvious words relating to these apps and deleted any reference left. Still these icons wont go.

RoswellC: your procedure worked on my w7 32 bit. thanks.

Roswells method is well published on the web, and does work for windows 7.My own copy of the procedure is just a touch diffrent, but the essentials are the same.Maybe I had a typo the first time I did it, but I did find I had to complete the whole procedure twice to get the result . Open the Start Menu.2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.3. Click Continue for UAC prompt.4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify5. In the right pane, highlight both IconStreams and PastIconsStream.6. Right click on these two and click Delete.7. Click Yes for the confirmation prompt. 8. Close regedit.9. Restart explorer.exe in the Task Manager.10. Logoff and logon, or restart the computer to apply the changes.NOTE: This will rebuild the two items you deleted in step 5 and 6, and reset the list to have only the currently used icons listed.WARNING: You must do steps 9 and 10 for this to work.

You are welcome barth2k, and thanks for your input davehc1. I do not claim originality for the fix, I adapted it from an exchange between a couple of bright folks on a Vista forum a year or so ago. Regrettably, I did not copy down the names. Thanks to Ronnie Vernon for catching the typo, by the way. I have since confirmed that the procedure works on my Win 7 installation as well. I encourage Desertraptor to give it at least one more try, making sure to follow each step exactly. As veef points out, you have to be sure that the IconStreams and PastIconStream keys are deleted from the Registry. No worries, they will regenerate, but minus the old baggage. You cannot chase down the offending icons merely by searching the Registry for their labels. It is also necessary to restart the explorer as shown at the close of the procedure. In brief, no shortcuts!

Ok my bad it seems I missed one vital step that being to kill explorer and restart after deleting those keys.Please no one doubt the above procedure. It works when you READ it properly.Thanks RoswellC

Glad it worked, Desertraptor, and those pesky, disused icons in the notification area trouble you no more. As I noted earlier, the procedure is fussy, and somewhat counterintuitive. I did not get it to work right the first time either. It would seem that there ought to be a more straightforward way of tackling this problem. which seems unique to Vista and Win 7. I have been using MS operating systems since DOS 2.1 and do not recall having had to deal with persistent, unwanted icons of this type in any previous Windows releases.

Thanks for the help RoswellCI know where to come for future issues.But dos 2 :o You mates with Bill ;)

Yeah, I remember when a nerdy kid named Bill sold IBM an operating system he didnt even own. No wonder he was a success. All I ever got was good looks.

Yeah I was silly enough to payout to become an MCSE. But was wise enough to let it all go a few years ago. Don't much care for IT work these days