Why do icons disappear from the taskbar?

The taskbar is one of the most important parts of the desktop GUI or graphic user interface.  This particular part of the desktop is often used to launch a certain Webpage or application.  It also displays several icons that pertain to certain computer processes, opened Webpages or folders, and various applications.  Icons that may be displayed on the taskbar may include the clock application, volume adjuster, external devices connected, Bluetooth connectivity, and/or Wi-Fi setup buttons among many others.  Oftentimes these icons will disappear from the taskbar prompting some users to complain about why this happens.  Most people that use Windows Vista operating systems are affected by this particular concern.  But there are also similar complaints from people who have computers that are installed with Windows 7 OS and other versions.

The problem with disappearing icons on the taskbar may only be occasional and may also be caused by slow loading of some system files or applications.  When the experts are asked about this concern, many of them would suggest checking if the anti-virus program installed in one’s computer is working properly or has been installed or removed recently.  When there are problems with the anti-virus software, these may affect the loading of icons on the taskbar. This also applies to anti-virus software that was uninstalled properly.  In this particular case, remaining files in the computer could affect the computer’s efficiency in displaying the icons properly.

Aside from problems related to the anti-virus software, running programs or applications may also cause the icons to disappear from the taskbar.  Some icons will go missing while an application is still loading on one’s computer.  When there is a problem encountered by the application during the loading process, the display of icons on the taskbar may be affected.  In cases wherein the disappearance of icons is frequent rather than occasional, the cause may be system or file corruption.  When there are corrupted registry files, for example, some parts of the GUI, or graphic user interface, may not load properly, or in the case of taskbar icons, they may not load at all.