Where is UNVC Server running on Windows 7

[Gavin Webb]

I've just got someone to install the latest version of UNVC Server 64 bit on their Windows 7 machine. When they click to run it, no icon appears on the bottom right to enter my IP address in so I can connect, as it did when they were running XP.

If they reclick on the main UNVC icon (blue eye) it says "another instance of WinVNC is already running" the question is where and how can they type my IP address in.

I use Vista so don't know if Windows 7 does something different with the icons, but until I can connect to them I can't see either. Is there supposed to be an icon in the bottom right that when you click on it allows the person to enter the IP address, if not where do they need to click on?

Thanks in advance for any help
Gavin

[Gavin Webb]

Ok, I've worked out the problem now but for anyone having the same problem this is why. When installing UVNC onto Windows 7, it does not create an icon in the taskbar (right hand side bottom) although it is running. To view the icon so you can add a new client, you need to click on the arrow which is next to the icons on the taskbar then select customize.

After you can either set VNC Server to "show icon and notifications" (it will currently only be set to notifications only which is why you can't see the icon) or you can click on the check box at the bottom of the menu (always show icons and notifications on the taskbar)

After that the icon will appear when you run VNC server and you can right click on the eye in the taskbar to add a new client.

[B]

So instead of discouraging the ridiculous bloat of system tray icons by policy or program, in Windows 7 Microsoft just decided to hide them all by default?

Yeah, great. That will certainly keep things sluggish for eternity. (I'm only bitter because I just got through delousing a PIII XP system with about 20 system tray icons.... and now the drive seems to be dead. )

[Gavin Webb]

What's interesting is that Microsoft hasn't decided to hide them all, just some of them (UNVC being one of them), but you don't know which ones until you realise what they have done. When you try to work out the logic as to why, I suppose it's a bit like asking why does it always rain on a bank holiday (there is no anwser!!)

[B]

Apparently, from some Googling, the issue has been raised, and they refuse to change it. Somehow this is being framed as giving <b>more</b> control to users!

A basic rundown, including a "show all" option, described at
http://www.online-tech-tips.com/windows ... windows-7/

Even the techs at the now-kinda-crappy Arstechnica drank the kool-aid:

http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2 ... dows-7.ars

The taskbar's system tray has also been improved. A common complaint about the tray is that it fills with useless icons and annoying notifications. With 7, the tray is now owned entirely by the user. By default, new tray icons are hidden and invisible; the icons are only displayed if explicitly enabled.

Yeah, great, that's empowering users. BY DEFAULT NEW TRAY ICONS ARE HIDDEN AND INVISIBLE?? Continue to let every program run any damn thing it wants in the background, dragging system resources to a halt, but <b>now</b> don't even bother showing that to the users, <b>even when the program designers intended to provide it in the system tray</b>.

[supercoe]

Wow B, have you used Windows 7?

The reason they did it (I believe) was to clear up taskbar space for minimal screens like on netbooks. It's not invisible as in gone forever, all you have to do is click a little arrow icon and a box of all your tray icons comes up. Really it's not much different than the way XP would hide them... You can configure them individually with a nice interface to show/hide whatever you want.

And yes, the Kool-Aid was strawberry...

[B]

Yeah, and the autohiding on XP bothers me every bit as much. It's always "fun" expanding that tray to find out just how much crap is running on someone's machine. So yeah, I see this is just a continuation of that ill-advised path. (Ill-advised, in my opinion, because the only people who would bother to customize that show/hide interface are exactly the people who wouldn't let the system tray get out of control with crap in the first place. For normal people, it just means their crap quotient will grow without bounds, and they will be none the wiser.)

So call me an old tech curmudgeon.

Besides, I like grape.

[supercoe]

For normal people, it just means their crap quotient will grow without bounds, and they will be none the wiser.)

They get wise when their precious Facebook starts to get slow and they can't afford a new computer.

I love these people, they exist for me to make a living.




EDIT: I concur on grape.

[Gavin Webb]

I suppose the key question Microsoft needs to ask themself, is did they ask the customers what they wanted. Does any company know better than the customer what they want? Wheels are round and they work well, I can come up with a new super sexy wheel which is a triangle, but will people still really want to ride a bike!

I'm not sure why the computer industry when they bring out a new version, must try and change everything (well I do because if not why will you upgrade) but if something is working, why change it to make it more complicated. It bugs me that all the menus are in different places when you upgrade your software, it's like computer manufacturers saying each time you buy a new PC, that they've changed the keyboard layout to make it more effective! Ok, rant over, I will have a glass of wine and calm down now!

[supercoe]

I agree with you that everyone has their own world of how to best use a computer.
It bugs me to no end when things change without reason:
(Add/Remove Programs-->Programs and Features-->Uninstall a Program)

I don't think that asking customers is the right way to go...
Point 1: Mojave Experiment http://www.microsoft.com/windows/mojave-experiment/
Point 2: Work in tech support.

Like B stated the people that would understand how to show the tray icons are the same people that wouldn't have background running crap in the first place. Since the majority of Windows users don't understand the option even exists I think Microsoft made the right decision to just hide the icons by default. Less icons, less customer confusion.


But at the end of the day an OS is and OS, they all suck in one way or another.

[Gavin Webb]

Yes it's a bit more difficult to ask customers what they want in the computer industry, probably need to watch how they do things rather than asking

Oh well, we'll see what Windows 49 brings, maybe it will work with a dos prompt and all will be well again!

[B]

Like B stated the people that would understand how to show the tray icons are the same people that wouldn't have background running crap in the first place. Since the majority of Windows users don't understand the option even exists I think Microsoft made the right decision to just hide the icons by default. Less icons, less customer confusion.

See, I think it should have gone exactly the <b>opposite</b> -- EVERY system tray icon should have been <b>very</b> visible, right in every user's face, to the point where people <b>realized</b> how much more junk their latest printer driver, or Adobe update, had shoveled into their machine, RUNNING ALL THE DAMN TIME. It might have eventually discouraged every last software producer from deciding to run processes constantly even when the average user wouldn't need them more than twice a year. (And I mean, the programs that run <b>without</b> announcing themselves are bad enough; at least these bothered to display in the tray.)

Providing a rug to sweep themselves under was exactly the wrong way to go, for absolutely everyone involved... except for Intel and Dell et al. who bizarrely benefit from 3 Ghz machines continuing to run like two legged dogs. And for supercoe, I guess.

A losing battle, though, I suppose. Latest OSX and Windows both make it difficult to discern what's occupying memory and CPU from what isn't occupying memory and CPU.

(And if I recall correctly the Mojave thing was BS PR anyhow. It was a hands-off demo; the "subjects" never had the chance to actually even sit and use it.)

[mattsupport]

Just wondering our manager wants us to force just this icon to show all the time on Windows 7, i am looking through GP and i cant see anywhere that you can select just the icon. its either all of them o tell them to show it per machine. and we habvent got the time for that.

[supercoe]

According to this guy: http://deployment.xtremeconsulting.com/ ... bbit-hole/

The tray icon customization is saved here: HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\TrayNotify in the IconStreams value.