Windows XP huge bug?


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I found this "bug" when I installed my SB4100 cable modem. After it installed, it placed a very annoying 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon in my taskbar. I have tried everything I can think of to try to remove this icon, but have had no luck. I don't want to use my 'Hide Inactive Icon' feature.. Does anyone know how to fix this bug and remove the icon?

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I don't think this is a bug at all. That icon is supposed to be present all the time whenever there is a removable device connected to your system. In my case these are my ADSL modem and my Smartmedia card reader, both connected via USB.

There might be a way to disable it from somewhere but I haven't found it yet. So I just set it to always hide mode for now.

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This has been a 'feature' ever since windows millenium edition. It supposedly safely deletes temporary USB drivers, because MS thinks simply unplugging it will cause problems. I never use it, unplugging my USB devices causes no problems at all. However, I have never found a way to get rid of the icon. It's supposed to be on ALL ME/XP machines with USB devices. Why don't you just use 'always hide' in the taskbar properties?

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I wanted to remove the icon cause I want as much free taskbar space as I can get, I don't like having icons that aren't neccessary sitting in my system tray if you know what i mean. Using the 'always hide' feature sticks that stupid circle with the "<" in it to show where the hidden icons are.. I dunno, Windows is starting to annoy me

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go to the start menu and right click where no icons are ... then click properties. in the taskbar tab click customize. then go to the advanced tab... then find the safely remove icon. and click on it then select always hide from the pull down menu. hope this helps :D

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If you want more space on your taskbar, why don't you just increase the size of it? And what is wrong with the circle with the "<" in it? I'd rather have that then a bunch of icons hogging my taskbar space... And especially ugly icons that ruin the cool look of the taskbar. :-P

I don't know if you could really call this a "huge bug"... It doesn't really effect the performance of your computer, and again, can be hidden... so there is no real problem here... So my only suggestion is to deal with the "<" button, or deal with icons taking up taskbar space.

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An icon that you don't like isn't a HUGE bug, I'd class a systems failure a huge bug. I have a cable modem installed an a USB optical mouse meaning I have this icon besides the clock aswell.

When you open the dialog box for this icon it asks if you want to show it on the taskbar, unselect it.

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Hi Stupid

This is a feature of the operating system, it's not a bug...and certainly not a major one. Put a nic card in and stop whining because the only thing that's beginning to BUG is the length of this thread.

Sheesh, I wish this was all in life I had to complain about....3mm of screen space, maybe you should buy one of those dinky, simple to operate little macintosh computers. :)

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I have the icon too - I mean, what are the chances that I'd EVER want to "Safely Remove" my USB modem?! Oh well, Windows XP has more annoying "features" than this so I guess I'll just have to put up with it.

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dude, you all need to whipe ur vagina clean of the blood and move along, I mean really..

This icon that you all are bitching endlessly about has been integrated into Windows 2000 also. It may be pointless but what can u do about it other than what a few others have suggested doing??

If it's really that big of a deal simply go to Taskbar Properties then Customize the "Hide Inactive Icons" to where the icon will be permanently hidden!!

Later,

Bain

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Bain: Have you read any of the posts I've made? If so, certainly not the one about the 'Hide inactive icon' feature. Microsoft putting this 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon in the taskbar and not giving the option to remove it is a bug.

Overthetop: Why should I waste my money on a NIC card? I'll use one if you buy it for me. Geeze, it seems that everywhere I go, there are tons of idiots. Blah.

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Stupid,

As others have posted M$ did that on purpose because they feel that by yanking USB hardware out of your computer while running is not good, theirfore they keep this icon in front of your face at all times as a friendly reminder to use it and not yank USB hardware out for ****'s and giggles...

I hate idiots, blah...

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Originally posted by stupidicons  

Microsoft putting this 'Safely Remove Hardware' icon in the taskbar and not giving the option to remove it is a bug.

You have just proved it is not a bug in that sentence. They did not give an option to remove it. That means that they had a feature and they simply did not create an option for it, nothing more. A bug is something that is wrong with the actual code, not a whole feature missing, whether you see it as important or not.

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Right ok then as almost everyone has pointed out this is NOT a bug it is just a feature, and isnt annoying what so ever. I personally think MS has this icon there because if you simply unplug the device from the USB ports the drivers for it STAY on your machine. If you "Safely Remove Hardware" you are uninstalling those drivers so they are no longer on the system.

I personally think it does this is to reduce the risk of driver conflicts in the system, making it wholely more stable.

if anyone disagrees with me on this point, reply politely dont go off into a big you are wrong and i am right thing, OK.

Also, like everyone has said, a bug is something that causes something to malfunction or crash or something like that. That feature does not contain a bug as it works how it is supposed to do.

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Oh yeah BTW, there probably is an option to remove it but MS has probably "hidden" it. I was reading about MS Messenger, and there isnt a option to remove it, think again. There is a file (cant remember what its called so dont ask) where in the line of a particular program, there is a word "hide", that hides itself from the add/remove programs wizard, simply by deleting the word hide it becomes visible again. That is what MS probably has done to protect things IT doesnt want ppl to remove, well easily anyway.

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