Member Avatar for Techno22

After 4 years this very useful feature has disappeared.
Would love to get it back.
My audio system is Realtek High Definition Audio.
That is what came with the system.
Indicator bar disappeared after doing some Windows updates.

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Dani AI

Generated

Summary and targeted fixes (tries before a full System Restore)

reported the Realtek volume OSD/tray icon disappearing after Windows updates. correctly suggested checking the Notification Area settings and mentioned System Restore — that works, but it’s disruptive. The steps below are ordered from least to most invasive and include safe checks that commonly restore the volume indicator without undoing unrelated changes.

First, refresh the notification area (fast, safe)

Quick commands (run from an elevated Command Prompt to restart Explorer)

taskkill /f /im explorer.exe
start explorer.exe

Check audio services, startup items and drivers

  • Confirm Windows Audio and Windows Audio Endpoint Builder are running and set to Automatic (Services.msc); restarting those services can restore audio-related UI behavior.
  • Use System Configuration (msconfig) to ensure the vendor audio manager (Realtek HD Audio Manager) is allowed to start — that app often provides its own on-screen volume OSD.
  • If a driver update removed the vendor utility, reinstall or roll back the audio driver using Device Manager or the PC maker’s driver page (OEM drivers are preferred). Microsoft’s audio troubleshooting guidance covers these steps. (learn.microsoft.com)

If those don’t help

  • Run sfc /scannow to repair protected system files, then reboot. If corruption is found, SFC can fix files that affect shell/notification behavior. As a last resort, System Restore or a driver rollback/install will recover the previous working state. Back up data first. (support.microsoft.com)

If needed, mention the Medion model and driver version; that makes advising a specific Realtek download or exact startup entry faster.

Recommended Answers

All 5 Replies

Member Avatar for dimsums

Try this :
Right click in the task bar near the time display and you will get a pop up menu.
Click on properties.
Under system icons to always show, check volume.
Click Apply.

Member Avatar for WebDave

Do a system restore and the indicator bar should come back. This happens after windows Updates. It always gives some additional work for you and your PC. ;)

Member Avatar for Techno22

Try this :
Right click in the task bar near the time display and you will get a pop up menu.
Click on properties.
Under system icons to always show, check volume.
Click Apply.

Thanks for your reply.
I find that volume is already checked.

Member Avatar for Techno22

Do a system restore and the indicator bar should come back. This happens after windows Updates. It always gives some additional work for you and your PC. ;)

I have been reluctant to do a system restore as it will
undo other changes that were made.
However, I may well end up having to do that.
Many thanks.

Member Avatar for Techno22

Did system restore.
Solved problem.
Many thanks to all who replied.

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