Lost bits

[JanB]

on the bottom toolbar on my laptop.

it-s a Lenovo, if that-s of any help.

I normally have thinks like Language *to change from English to Portuguese keyboard(, battery, to see how long I have and somehow or other, over night, they-ve disappeared.

Any idea on where to find them_ It-s not even showing the task thing or the fact that I-m connected to the internet.

You can see from the / and- that I-m stuck on English keyboard, not Portuguese.

Thanks for your help.

[Workingman]

First try restarting Win Explorer.

Right click on the taskbar and choose Task Manager. In the opening page scroll down for More Options. Scroll down to Windows Explorer, right click and pick End Task. Now go to File on the toolbar and select Run new task. in the box type in explorer.exe and hit run / OK or whatever. Make sure Run with admin privileges if it is ticked.

This is the main one, there are others.

[JanB]

Thanks WM - it all came back on it's own

I was playing about with it before we wnt out this morning. Turned it on, nothing and then it all came back. Must be the satellite, as I'm all over the place at the moment.

[Workingman]

Nothing to do with the satellite, it's you playing around. Stoppit, just stoppit.

[Suff]

Noooooo, don't stop as such, just look up some simple articles on how to customise it...

[JanB]

Suff, I'm thick as wotsits with computers.

One thing I don't do, is let the cat walk over the keyboard, as she keeps on trying.

You'll have to have a holiday over here and educate me.

WM tried and failed

[Workingman]

WM tried and failed

How very dare you?!

No comment on the 'thick as wotsits' part. I succeeded, you just wanted to go weeding, or Pingo, or the bar. What is it with the weeding? Your whole plot is weeds. The next 'grass' you'll see is one of Steve's roll ups.

Anyway, I didn't mind the bar bit....

[Suff]

Love to Jan but it is not on Mrs S' schedule for the next decade.. Might just see me out.

Learning about using a computer is very much about wanting to understand how it works.

If you want it to be like a hoover or a hob, you're out of luck and need to leave it alone to run. It is more like the Janome digital sewing machine Mrs S has, all the basic stuff works fine but it has miles more depth if you are interested to learn. Including power hoops for computerised embroidery.

If, however, you are interested, even a little bit, about what sits under the lid; then there is much to teach and even very simple things can be very rewarding.

I live with this every day. We had one classic moment whrlere Mrs S had been asking me how to do stuff to organise where she saved files. I told her to use Windows explorer (now file explorer). Her response was the same as always when she asks me how to do something. "I don't want to do it that way, I want to do it this way".

If you are thinking, "If you don't want to know the answer why ask", you are on the same page as me.

For years Mrs S would phone me up wherever I was in the world and say "this computer has lost my file".

One time I arrived home to another rendition of what the computer had lost. I replied that she should look for it. Then she said, I can't find it and you will find it in 30 seconds.

I lost the plot completely and told her directly that the only reason she couldn't find the files and I could was because she Refused to learn how to use the tool Microsoft provides for managing your files.

Pretty damning for a teacher.

She relented, allowed me to teach her how to use Windows explorer (w95) and has never lost a file since.

Anyone who can manage old currency can manage a computer. The only reason they can't is because the have no interest in learning what the basics are about.

Granted there are differences between the stuff WM and I talk about, which is very low level stuff and changing settings on your Taskbar which is basic.

[JanB]

It went again earlier but is now back again.

Thanks Suff xx

[Workingman]

Right Jan, listen up.

Did you do my first tip? Yes, because you must have turned off your lappy since then.

Mk2. Delete the icon cache, it could be corrupted. Go to Win Explorer, then Options, in the View tab tick the Show hidden files box and OK your way out.

Now go to Users, find "you" whatever you are called, then AppData. Double click Local and in there find “IconCache” or IconCache.db, right click and delete them. Close everything and restart the lappy.

Icons back?

Now do a full AV / Malware check.

I have more.....