Windows missing system tray icons #27246

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uneeke1 Posts 2 Registration date Friday May 1, 2015 Status Member Last seen May 4, 2015 - May 1, 2015 at 11:23 AM
Ambucias Posts 47356 Registration date Monday February 1, 2010 Status Moderator Last seen February 15, 2023 - May 4, 2015 at 04:17 PM
Hello,

I have tried Microsoft Fix and all the fixes manual and automatic and they ALL work! Then one of my co-workers got the idea to try turning the clock back...

On March 31 the icon(s) are there, On April 1, they are gone. Has anyone heard of an April Fools virus or malware that does this? I have run MalwareBytes and the systems are clean.

This is a weird one for sure.


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3 responses

uneeke1 Posts 2 Registration date Friday May 1, 2015 Status Member Last seen May 4, 2015
May 4, 2015 at 08:37 AM
Hello again:

These systems are from a high volume customer and I didn't want to alarm them until I had some kind of reason for the icon disappearing. I need to not only have a cure but an explanation of why and how it happened.

I scanned the system with every malware program I could find and a couple of anti-virus programs too. All came up clean. Also scanned every system in house with the same results.

A co-worker who was also working on the missing icon(s) problem got the idea to turn the clock back and when he got back beyond 3-31-2015 the icons reappeared in the Taskbar as usual. When set to 4-1-2015 they disappeared again.

My previous hasty post was two-fold. To ask if anyone had heard of a April Fool's Day malware and to give you something to try to see if your system exhibited the same symptoms.

All the cures posted on line get rid of the two registry entries IconStreams and PastIconsStream which is the fix. I then tried setting the clock back a year and ahead a year with reboots in between and the icon(s) never disappeared again.

I hope this response was more clear and I can now approach the customer with a reason and a fix.
1
Ambucias Posts 47356 Registration date Monday February 1, 2010 Status Moderator Last seen February 15, 2023 11,169
May 4, 2015 at 04:17 PM
1
Ambucias Posts 47356 Registration date Monday February 1, 2010 Status Moderator Last seen February 15, 2023 11,169
May 1, 2015 at 05:31 PM
Hi

If the fix worked, why would you turn the clock back?

Please explain what you want. Just find out about a malware?

If you wish to know if there is a malware in your system, I must make a diagnostic and to do so, I require a log.

1. Open this link and download ZHPDiag2 :

https://www.zebulon.fr/telechargements/securite/systeme/zhpdiag.html

(Don't be alarmed is the site is in French, it sometimes happens, the tool will take your system language and allow the download if you get a warning message, ignore it.)

2. Save the file on your Desktop.

3. Double click on ZHPDiag.exe and follow the installation instructions.

(For Vista and Win 7 users, click right to ensure you execute with admin right)

The tool creates three icons ZHPDiag, MRB, and ZHPFix (If necessary,we will use ZHPFix after log analysis).

4. Double click on the short cut ZHPDiag on your Destktop.

5. If you need to change the language, click on the little house, (bottom right) and change to English

6. Click on Full.

Wait for the tool to finished (maybe a long time)

7. Close ZHPDiag.

8. To transmit the report, click on this link :

https://authentification.site

9. Search the directory where you installed ZHPDiag (usually C:\desktop\zhpdiag.txt).
Ambucias
Moderator and Virus/Security Contributor
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