Windows XP Systray question: How do I make the systray icons line up in 2 rows instead of 1?

November 19, 2006 10:13 AM

Windows XP Systray question: How do I make the systray icons line up in 2 rows instead of 1?

My up-to-date windows XP SP2 system Dell Dimension 4600 spontaneously developed a behavior that I like [imagine that !!] But it is intermittent and I would like to make it constant. My Systray area has 16+ icons, and on reboot the icons usually line up in 2 rows. I like this because it takes up less space at the bottom of my screen, leaving more room for the taskbar. Sometimes when I double-click one of the Systray icons, and/or sometime when I minimize an app to the systray, the double row disappears, making the systray icons spread out all across the bottom row, making the taskbar area way small. I should mention that I am running TClockX [a fancy system clock] at the right of the Systray, and when I close TClockX the double row invariably reverts to a single row which stays single even when I reopen TClockX. FWIW, when I make the bottom area double height, the Systray icons line up in 3 rows, but then always returns to a single row when I shrink the bottom area back to the usual single height. I usually get the double row on reboot, but not invariably. Does anyone out there understand the mysteries of the Systray? Thanks for your wisdom, MeFites.

16+ icons, I know: here they are - minimized Outlook, Itunes, Bluetooth software, Hamachi, Network connection indicators for wireless, Network connection indicator for Bluetooth, Sound mixer, Remove hardware icon, Hotsync, Kensington mouseworks, VNC, Atomic Clock, Log Me In, sometimes Windows Security Alerts, sometimes Windows update alerts, ATI settings, sometimes Bluetooth hardware list. [Telling me to gain real estate by reducing the number of icons doesn't count as answering the question.]

posted by SamFrancisco to computers & internet (7 comments total)

Apologies for the excessive title length. This is a brand-N00b's first post.
posted by SamFrancisco at 10:15 AM on November 19, 2006

Right click on the task bar, check that "Lock the Taskbar" is NOT checked.

Left click and hold on the top edge of the task bar (somewhere in the middle where the system won't mistake it for a click on a the start menu, quick run, or systray) drag the taskbar's top boarder up until the height suits you. If you make it tall enough the systray will become two rows.

Some themes fonts are set such that the systray's height will go from 1 to 3 rows. Try different themes and/or MSStyles.
posted by tiamat at 10:21 AM on November 19, 2006

tiamat has it: just make the taskbar taller and leave it that way by locking the taskbar when you're finished with his instructions - you will also gain an extra row of space for minimizing applications.
posted by youngergirl44 at 10:46 AM on November 19, 2006

Tiamat and Youngergirl44: Thanks, I can lock the taskbar at double height [or more] as you describe, but what I want is trickier. I want a single row taskbar and a double row systray, which happens spontaneously sometimes.
posted by SamFrancisco at 11:02 AM on November 19, 2006

[moved more to inside]
posted by jessamyn at 11:19 AM on November 19, 2006

Well, you could find a MSStyle that has tall enough fonts that one row of the taskbar is actually high enough for two rows of the systray, but I doubt it would be any lower than doing it the way I suggested above.

As far as I know there's no way to force the systray to double up without changing the height (one way or another) of the entire taskbar.
posted by tiamat at 11:25 AM on November 19, 2006

This is impossible with the default systray unless you use a doublewidth taskbar as described above, as far as I am aware. The behaviour you see is a sideffect of TClockX.
posted by stavrosthewonderchicken at 4:09 PM on November 19, 2006