Somewhat related to @ntfoxy's systrayutil at https://msfn.org/board/topic/183027-my-xp-programs/?do=findComment&comment=1205826
So far, the only way to prevent the systray from showing all icons is to right click start menu --> properties and go program by program... until the next system or shell crash forces you to redo the damn thing over again. Happens to me once or twice a month. The settings for hide/show icons are (sort of) saved in the traynotify key in the registry (https://www.techsupportforum.com/threads/registry-settings-for-systray-icons.492771/), but that is just a container, the settings are somewhere else (who knows where). It really p***es me off.
Surfing around I remembered an old W98 16bit app that can be found in the systraymngr link. Being 16bit, it won't install in a hardened setup. But you can install it on a virtual machine (or build it, if you know how to) and copy the files NTStart.exe, trayman.exe, tmhook.dll, tmhook.dll, trayman somewhere, and run a reg file with the text at the end of this message.
For one or two reboots, it works fine in xp-pro. Soon enough, though, it begins to fail, slowing the loading of core services, and firing up trayman.exe too late to get the selected apps' icons into the tray folder. This is unfortunate, because it really works, while it does. Any clue on what may be wrong (besides being 16bit, using XP, etc)?
Thanks!
REGEDIT4
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\2000 Ziff Davis Media, Inc.]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\2000 Ziff Davis Media, Inc.\TrayManager]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\2000 Ziff Davis Media, Inc.\TrayManager\2.0]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PC Magazine]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PC Magazine\TrayManager]
"Installed"="TRUE"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PC Magazine\TrayManager\Users]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\PC Magazine\TrayManager\Users\YOURUSER(list of apps generated when placing them into the folder within the tray)]
"App5"="unlockerassistant.exe 1"
"App12"="processlasso.exe 37655"
"App13"="firemin.exe 1"
"App14"="sideslide.exe 999"
"Restore"=dword:00000001
"App18"="findandrunrobot.exe 18134080"
"App19"="setpoint.exe 0"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\TrayMan]
"Type"=dword:00000110
"Start"=dword:00000002
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"=your path to ntstart.exe in hex
"DisplayName"="TrayMan"
"ObjectName"="LocalSystem"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\ControlSet001\Services\TrayMan\Security]
"Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,90,00,00,00,9c,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\
00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\
00,00,02,00,60,00,04,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,fd,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\
05,12,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\
20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,8d,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,0b,00,00,00,00,\
00,18,00,fd,01,02,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,23,02,00,00,01,01,\
00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TrayMan]
"Type"=dword:00000110
"Start"=dword:00000002
"ErrorControl"=dword:00000001
"ImagePath"=hex(2):43,3a,5c,44,65,73,6b,74,6f,70,5c,54,6f,6f,6c,62,61,72,73,5c,\
6e,74,73,74,61,72,74,2e,65,78,65,00
"DisplayName"="TrayMan"
"ObjectName"="LocalSystem"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\TrayMan\Security]
"Security"=hex:01,00,14,80,90,00,00,00,9c,00,00,00,14,00,00,00,30,00,00,00,02,\dd
00,1c,00,01,00,00,00,02,80,14,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,01,00,00,\
00,00,02,00,60,00,04,00,00,00,00,00,14,00,fd,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,\
05,12,00,00,00,00,00,18,00,ff,01,0f,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,\
20,02,00,00,00,00,14,00,8d,01,02,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,0b,00,00,00,00,\
00,18,00,fd,01,02,00,01,02,00,00,00,00,00,05,20,00,00,00,23,02,00,00,01,01,\
00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00,01,01,00,00,00,00,00,05,12,00,00,00
Quote