1

Topic: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Sometimes my Totalmix and Fireface Settings icons disappear from the system tray.  The Fireface (800) still works fine, and if I call up the settings panel or Totalmix via shortcuts to the exes, they work fine too.  Only the system tray icons are missing.

Clicking on "Customize" in the system tray shows both apps listed as "Show icons and notifications" but trying to change the setting produces the message  "This notification icon is not currently active".  This happens even while both apps are actually running! - so it's not the apps themselves that are not running, but just that the system tray seems to be unaware of them.

Checked msconfig and the two RME apps are listed first under Startup, and both checked.  Bizarrely the title of both is "Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Operating System", whereas every other startup item has a meaningful name (e.g. Google Update).  But maybe that's the way it's supposed to be.  Location for both startup entries is HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.

Have tried reinstalling the drivers and software (win_fire_3069) - twice.

Fireface 800 - driver date 17.01.12, version 3.067, hardware revision 2.77
Windows 7 x64

Any ideas?

Mike

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Maybe some other app blocks these from running in the tray. In the past, there was a buggy app for Realtek built-in audio that caused this behavior. Check MSconfig to see if RTHDCPL.exe is listed there. If so, uncheck it, or update to a newer Realtek driver.

Regards,
Jeff Petersen
Synthax Inc.

3

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Thanks for the suggestion - yes, I already found another post about the Realtek problem and checked that.  I've also disabled the onboard sound card (generic Microsoft driver).  Anyone any other ideas?

Mike

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Not being really helpful, just having the same thing happening
here as well. Icons (rarely and randomly) gone, but FF800 up and running fine
in Cubase 6.5 on a Vista 32 machine.
No other sounddriver installed.

Not exactly a tragedy, but still wondering what that might be.

5

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

This usually happens to me when I first boot up my system - the RME icons do not appear in my Notification Area. However, if I Log Out and then Log back In again, all the icons show up as they should. It's my suspicion that some process is so busy during the initial boot-up that it interrupts the routines that display these icons, where a second log-in makes use of on cached information.

Frank Lockwood
https://LockwoodARS.com
Fireface 800, Firmware 2.77
Drivers: Win10, 3.125; Mac, 3.36

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

I had this happen on Vista 64 with a Fireface 400, but not with the UC. Workaround solution was to just restart both manually (they can be found in \Windows\System32) and I guess the relogin solution does just the same. Never found out why they vanished out of the blue after some minutes, but since it doesn't happen on W7 64 bit any more (maybe due to fresh installation?) I didn't really care either.

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

fl wrote:

This usually happens to me when I first boot up my system - the RME icons do not appear in my Notification Area. However, if I Log Out and then Log back In again, all the icons show up as they should. It's my suspicion that some process is so busy during the initial boot-up that it interrupts the routines that display these icons, where a second log-in makes use of on cached information.

Same here (UFX user), and happens with FW and USB connections. But recover after logout/login cycle.

Some other icons also behave in the same way, so I don't think it's RME's driver's problem. Probably Windows itself. There may be an answer/fix for that, but I really don't care to find that out.

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Since I use Win 7 the simple Windows Explorer randomly crashes (for whatever reasons) and has to be restarted. After that the RME icons disappear. Rebooting brings them back. Those Explorer crashs have not been solved in the latest service pack, seems a little ridiculous to me... never happend in XP.

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

The fact that taskbar icons (not only RME) tend to disappear after Windows Explorer crashes is not new... It is the same here, even on XP systems. You could also place shortcuts to the applications on the desktop, which will put them back as well and save you from rebooting.

You may need to find the cause of the Explorer crashes.

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

Regards
Daniel Fuchs
RME

10 (edited by Manuel 2013-03-26 07:11:47)

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

I have the same problem. From what I have read on several threads, It is each application's own responsibility to ensure that its system tray icons are visible.

To my mind it would make more sense for the OS to handle the system try icons, but unfortunately that's not the way Windows works at the moment, so this needs to be coded into Fireface Mixer and Fireface Settings.

I run several apps, many of them freeware, that are able to put an icon in the system tray and the icon re-appears after every Explorer crash, so it can be done.

Fireface UCX II, BabyFace Pro, Fireface UFX, Fireface 400

11 (edited by Manuel 2013-03-26 08:07:06)

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Restarting Explorer is a useful thing to be able to do in many situations, so I have written a simple AutoHotkey script that allows me to kill all instances of explorer.exe and restarts it with a single click. I have updated the script to also restart Fireface.exe and FirefaceMix.exe, so that the icons re-appear in the system tray afterwards.

You can download the source code and a compiled .exe from the link below:

RestartExplorer.rar

Fireface UCX II, BabyFace Pro, Fireface UFX, Fireface 400

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

If you create a shortcut  of the programs on the desktop, then you should be able to right click the icon and select "Pin to Taskbar" or/and "Pin to Start Menu" in Windows 7 so they always show on the Taskbar right side area. I know the same thing happened to me in Windows 7 but had to add them to the right side of the Taskbar so they would show. Don't remember exactly what I did now, but doing above should put the icon on the right side or even on the other side of the Taskbar somehow. They always show now when starting up or using Windows 7. You can add what you want to show in Windows 7 on the Taskbar, just have to find out how to do it.

13 (edited by Manuel 2013-03-27 12:18:13)

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

Mmmm so basically that's just like having a shortcut. To be honest now that I think about it what's the point of having the Fireface icons on the system tray anyway? The audio interface will work whether the icons are there or not, even if fireface.exe and firefacemix.exe aren't running. So my new solution is to simply hide the system tray icons altogether and use shortcuts exclusively. This way everything is consistent. And here is how I do it:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/98636804/Forums/RME/2013-03-27-190249%20TLB%20example.png

It's called True Launch Bar in it seriously makes everything else look toyish. It'd be quite hard to pin all that to the task bar... I know it looks overwhelming but it's not because you usually add shortcuts gradually as you require them, therefore there is a very gentle learning curve.

I think the point of this thread really was that, if the software puts an icon on the system tray, then it should always be there. Whether or not the icon serves a useful purpose (i.e. to indicate that a program is running even though there's no icon on the task bar) is another matter.

Fireface UCX II, BabyFace Pro, Fireface UFX, Fireface 400

14 (edited by spacealf 2013-03-27 20:12:24)

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

But since when I have my DAW taking up the entire screen and I have to change the USB Settings for different songs or change the input to monitor my inputs in TotalMixFX which I have down when I listen to music and up if I am recording music, I do not have to minimize my DAW to do that if the icons are on the TaskBar and I do not have to mess with my DAW to do that and minimize that.

It's easier and it is simple because Windows 7 is weird enough, why add to any more confusion with that OS.
:roll (and that is the way I look when recording music somewhat)

And I think that I only had to do that with the RME Fireface Settings program because TotalMixFX is not on the desktop, but only on the tray.

And a Search for TotalMixFX or RME Fireface Settings brings the program right up on the Star Menu to do that with and I can do the same "Pin to Taskbar" without even getting up Explorer or doing anything else with either program (both programs).

:-)

Re: Totalmix and Settings disappeared from system tray

UFX+ here. Keeps happening & disappearing from the task bar, nor are the panels installed in an expected location (like Program Files /RME or somewhere obvious). A bit of a pain. Here's what I do:

The apps are located at Windows /System 32 as TotalMixFX.exe (the console) and rme_pcie.exe (the VIP settings app).
Right-click both and pin to Start Menu. When they disappear form the TaskBar, use the Start Menu to relaunch.

Dell T7910, Win10 x64, 64GB, 1080Ti. Resolve Studio, Adobe Premier, Nuendo, Pro Tools HD, Live.