weird WinXP problem with tray

Ok so i like to know when my computer is connecting to the internet. I have a firewall but I still like the little animated flashing computer thingee in the tray.

Had malware a few weeks ago... one of the Goldun things.

Haxfix killed it.

Now I don't see the icon for the internet connection. I see my firewalls activity and I can obviously hit the internet (here I am) but???

Anyone else heard of this?

Do you have said network connection set to display icon in task when connected?

It'll be under the Properties of your connection in the Network Connections portion of "My Network Places".

Oh Genexi2... yes... that is why I am confused... when I unplug the ethernet cable I get the little icon with the red X in it showing disconnection.

I plug the cable back in and the icon disappears...

I figure something is hiding it so I can't see activity, though for the most part I can't figure out why.

Control Panel -> Network Connections -> Local Area Connection -> Properties -> Check "Show icon in notification area when connected"

lets assume I already did that. Lets please go a little further and remind everyone that I started using computers BD (Before DOS)and while I had no great love of CP/M it at least made sense... ;)

No thie icon is turned on. If I switch to the ON BOARD lan connector I see it working well... when I switch back to the 3Com card... it go bye bye...

This is weird!

I went back to properties and unchecked and rechecked and unchecked and rechecked again... Now it is on.

XP Pro glitch??? Hmmm...

Maybe it was set to permanently hide under "customise system tray icons"- when you right-click the tray in an empty spot? removing the icon and replacing it may have reset that setting.

I think that is it. But could this have been caused by Malware or Spyware?

Seems a pointless thing for Malware/spyware to attack- more than likely what I mentioned, it happened to me before :)

You have a good point... I can't help thinking though... there are people out there that would not know the difference or what was ahppening to them and IF something was trying to maliciously usurp their CPU... Oh well... Cygnus, XL and Gen... thanks for your input. :)

More likely you simply haven't interacted with it for a while, and XP in its infinite wisdom decided you didn't need it anymore.