BleepingComputer.com: Task Manager Launches to System Tray

System: Vista Home Premium 6.0 SP1 on Toshiba Laptop Satellite

My non-critical, but very aggravating problem is:
Task Manager opens minimzed to the System Tray.

What I have tried:
My viruses scanner is uptodate and there are no viruses or trojan horses
Have run computer in safe mode to make sure minimize on use is not checked
I am running Tskmgr as Administrator
Pressing Ctrl-Atl-Del or Ctrl-Alt-Esc and choosing Task Manager doesn't help, it just opens another incident on the Systray

I can't right click on Task Manager on the systray and maximize it, so I can't (as Microsoft suggest) see if Minimize on use is checked. I don't ever choose anything to Minimize on Use so my best bet would be that it is not checked.

Task Manager is resizable. Try to click and drag the border to see if it will resize

This post has been edited by garmanma: 11 January 2009 - 06:03 PM

There is nothing to grab, it's minimized on the system tray.

Hi SoSoSewer2000,

If you right-click on your Startup folder in your Start menu, and click on Open, is there a Shortcut in there that points to C:\Windows\System32\taskmgr.exe ? If so, try right-clicking on it and see if you can get to properties.

Alternatively, try going to C:\Windows\System32\taskmgr.exe and right-click on it to open the Properties window.

I would like for you to see if there's a Shortcut tab. If so, can you see what the setting is next to Run? It should be Normal Window.

Zllio

Zllio:

There is nothing in my Startup folder and there is not a shortcut tab when I right click on C:\Windows\System32\taskmgr.exe.

I created a shortcut on my desktop and added it to Quick Launch and both of them have it running in Normal Window. I tried changing to run maximized and it still launches it minimized.

I pinned it to my Startmenu, but the properties have no shortcut tab.

Sososewer2000

Hi SoSoSewer2000,

It's possible malware is causing that, even though your antivirus isn't picking it up. I would recommend asking the people in the Am I Infected forum if they think this could be caused by malware and if so, how you should proceed.

Zllio

Thanks for your help, I'll ask the guys in the Am I Infected forum.