Startup is not minimized to system tray

[John Liebson]

Essential PIM Pro v. 1.82

Set to run at startup and minimize to system tray. Used to go to tray, now minimizes, but to task bar. What do I need to change?

[Max]

Please check Tools-> Options, it should have "Minimize to system tray enabled"

[John Liebson]

Please check Tools-> Options, it should have "Minimize to system tray enabled"

That is a quote of your reply.

This is a quote of part of my initial message: "Set to run at startup and minimize to system tray."

I rather thought that I had made it clear that I had checked "minimize to system tray"....

[Max]

Did you change any settings, or re-installed application? Most probably such a change in behaviour did not happen on its own.

[John Liebson]

Max, I've not changed any settings nor reinstalled the program. The change simply appeared one day.

Magic, no doubt....

[Cosmo]

Hi John,

I don't believe in Magic.
I suspect there is something else.
First of all: What is the OS you are using? Did you change any system settings? Did you install or deinstall any program in the last time?

You can try this: Go to Documents and Settings\{your username}\application data. You might eventually have to show hidden files and folders in the Explorer / folder settings. There you will find an EPIM-folder. Go inside and check, that you did not eventually store your database there (very unlikely, but never knows). If the database is sure on another place, delete the whole content (EPIM must be closed). This will delete all your settings fpr EPIM, but nothing more. Restart EPIM and see, if this helped.

[John Liebson]

Removed .ini file, restarted EPIM, reset options, restarted computer.

I then got two icons, one on the task bar, one in the tray.

Odd, that. Too late in the day to restart a second time to see what might happen, but two icons tells me something is still amiss.

[Cosmo]

Hi John,

what I see from your last post is, that some things got messy.

I still miss the answers for my 3 questions.

But at now there are 2 ways to track this issue further down:

1. create a new database, leave it empty. Restart the computer. What happens?
2. if no. 1 does noot change anything, deinstall EPIM, restart the computer, make sure that the programm folder is deleted, otherweise delete it by hand. Install again. Success?

[John Liebson]

WindowsXP Home, SP2.

Changes: Irrelevant, as I don't know when EPIM problem started.

Today:

Deleted EPIM, reinstalled, created new empty database, restarted computer. Result:

1. Icon in System Tray.
2. Shortly thereafter, EPIM appears on the screen, then minimizes to tray.
3. Shortly after that, second EPIM icon appears on task bar.

Result of removal/reinstall: The only change is that now EPIM has reverted to placing databases in \docs and settings, rather than in its program folder. The double-icon problem persists.

[Cosmo]

Hi John,

Result of removal/reinstall: The only change is that now EPIM has reverted to placing databases in \docs and settings, rather than in its program folder. The double-icon problem persists.

It is some version ago, that EPIM stored the test-database and eventually the custom-made one in the program folder. Note, that it is Windows, which remembers the last used place, so once a certain place is used, it will stay the preferred one, as the user doesn't use another one.

Changes: Irrelevant, as I don't know when EPIM problem started.

I think in the contrary this is the relevant question, because I suspect the culprit exactly there.

1. Icon in System Tray.
2. Shortly thereafter, EPIM appears on the screen, then minimizes to tray.

So far the normal behaviour.

3. Shortly after that, second EPIM icon appears on task bar.

Hm, try this one: See if the option to allow only one instance of EPIM is checked, check it, if not and restart the pc. Is there still the second icon in the task bar?

[John Liebson]

1. I had thought about the single-instance option a short while ago, just before reading Comos's latest message. I had selected it previously, but it was not selected just now, so I did so.

That made one change to the start-up procedure: Now, a second icon appears on the task bar for a moment, then disappears, but it is replaced a while later by a lasting icon. Checking the Task Manger, there is only one instance of EPIM running.

2. As for Cosmo's contention that any changes I might have made are the crucial issue involved, I will repeat, once again, that I have no idea when the EPIM problem started. It ought to be self-evident that, as I have no starting point, I have absolutely no way of knowing what change(s) might have caused the problem.

I probably have made several changes since the time that the problem arose. However, as I don't know what those changes might have been, nor do I have any way of relating any such changes to the EPIM, there is a zero possiblility of reversing the putative one change that caused the problem.

This, to me, is a non-starter, and should just be dropped. I greatly appreciate Cosmo's continued assistance. However, the issue of changes I may have made is not something that is a subject that can be pursued: One can not solve the equation.

[Cosmo]

1. I had thought about the single-instance option a short while ago, just before reading Comos's latest message. I had selected it previously, but it was not selected just now, so I did so.

That made one change to the start-up procedure: Now, a second icon appears on the task bar for a moment, then disappears, but it is replaced a while later by a lasting icon. Checking the Task Manger, there is only one instance of EPIM running.

This is as it should be.

I probably have made several changes since the time that the problem arose. However, as I don't know what those changes might have been, nor do I have any way of relating any such changes to the EPIM, there is a zero possiblility of reversing the putative one change that caused the problem.

So do I.

But I wonder, if the second icon you got before disabling the second instance is a second instance. Quickest way to check is a look in your startup-folder. If you should see a link for EPIM there, than you have the point. Delete ist, as I don't think that it was indended to autostart 2 instances.

EPIM stores it's autostart - if checked - in the user's registry settings. But you can see, if there are 2 of them (out of what reason ever). Go to Start -> run and input "msconfig" without the quotes, than press enter. (You must have administrative rights, but you cannot do this by switching to the admin account (assuming, that you normally use the limited user account), you would not see the autostarts for the other account there.). Check the autorun-tab there, if there are 2 calls for EPIM.

If you are unsure, how to use the msconfig-tool with the described conditions you can also do this (but do not change anything): open the registry editor (the same as msconfig, but input "regedit" without quotes in the run-dialog. Go to: HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. You should see one call (value) for EPIM in the right window, not more. Do the same for HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, there should be no entry for EPIM.

[John Liebson]

But I wonder, if the second icon you got before disabling the second instance is a second instance. Quickest way to check is a look in your startup-folder. If you should see a link for EPIM there, than you have the point. Delete ist, as I don't think that it was indended to autostart 2 instances.

EPIM stores it's autostart - if checked - in the user's registry settings. But you can see, if there are 2 of them (out of what reason ever). Go to Start -> run and input "msconfig" without the quotes, than press enter. (You must have administrative rights, but you cannot do this by switching to the admin account (assuming, that you normally use the limited user account), you would not see the autostarts for the other account there.). Check the autorun-tab there, if there are 2 calls for EPIM.

If you are unsure, how to use the msconfig-tool with the described conditions you can also do this (but do not change anything): open the registry editor (the same as msconfig, but input "regedit" without quotes in the run-dialog. Go to: HKEY_Current_User\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run. You should see one call (value) for EPIM in the right window, not more. Do the same for HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run, there should be no entry for EPIM.

All excellent suggestions, all checked, all returned expected results, namely only one entry, and that in the registry. I also ran RegSeeker, which returned only the Registry Run entry for EPIM.

I still say it is magic; unfortunately, it may be black magic....