Solved Computer clock changed its look

G

Gwai

New Member
I have a Vista PC 64 bit with SP2. I've had it for a few years and for the whole time, the computer clock did not show the day of the week. I liked it like that. However, when I went back to my computer last night, it suddenly did show the day of the week and it's taking up so much room that it changes the size of the taskbar. I went into control panel > regional and language settings and removed the day of the week from anywhere I could find it, with no effect. If I have to, I will hide the clock, but I'd really rather keep it.

If anyone can help, I would greatly appreciate it!
 

My Computer

System One

It's not that the clock has changed, it's that the size of the taskbar has changed and being wider now shows information that was always there but hidden because it was only one line wide.

Click on the edge of the taskbar until the mouse turns into a double-sided arrow and drag it down until the taskbar is once again only one line wide. The clock and all else should return to normal. If you want, you can then right click on the taskbar and click "lock taskbar" to prevent this from happening again (and unlock it only when you want to make changes).

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inc. MP061 Inspiron E1705
    CPU
    2.00 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo 64 kilobyte primary memory
    Motherboard
    Board: Dell Inc. 0YD479 Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
    Memory
    2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) [Di
    Sound Card
    SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.2"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n SB2411SJGLLRMB, rev SB4OC74P, SMART Status: Healthy
    Case
    Chassis Serial Number: 5YK95C1
    Mouse
    Logitech HID-compliant Cordless Mouse
    Keyboard
    Standard PS/2 Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1958 Kbps download ; 754.8 Kbps upload
    Other Info
    Optiarc DVD+-RW AD-5540A ATA Device [CD-ROM drive] Dell AIO Printer A940 Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem 6TO4 Adapter Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter Microsoft ISATAP Adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface Router Linksys / WRT54G -01
Well, something else has changed too. The taskbar is neither one line tall nor two lines tall; it's one and a half. I can make it half a line tall or one and a half lines tall, but not one. I think that's because the clock takes up more room, but that's only my opinion, admittedly. However, other things have changed because of that. For instance, now my start menu button is schooched down mostly off my screen and my quicklaunch items are in two rows not one. (Thanks for helping.)
 

My Computer

System One

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS420
    Memory
    6 gig
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD3650 256 MB
    Sound Card
    Intergrated 7.1 Channel Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell SP2009W 20 inch Flat Panel w Webcam
    Hard Drives
    640 gb
    Cooling
    Fan
    Mouse
    Dell USB 4 button optical
    Keyboard
    Dell USB
    Other Info
    DSL provided by ATT
I honestly don't think the clock is the problem. You can prove that by removing it and I suspect you'll find the taskbar still has the same problem (just no more clock).

You can try to resize the taskbar alone (as opposed to all DPI as in the above article) and see if at some point you find a setting that allows you to return to a one line view. I'm not sure if this will work or how it changed, but it's worth a shot. You can always return it to the way it was if it doesn't help or makes things worse. Here's the procedure: Resize the Taskbar - Windows Vista - Start Menu - Taskbar - Toolbars.

If that doesn't help, do you know when this problem began? Try a System Restore to a point in time BEFORE the problem began. Here's the procedure: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/76905-system-restore-how.html. Be sure to check the box to show more than 5 days of restore points. If the first attempt fails, then try an earlier point or two. NOTE: You will have to re-install any software and updates you installed between now and the restore point, but you can use Windows Update for the updates.

I hope this helps.

Good luck!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inc. MP061 Inspiron E1705
    CPU
    2.00 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo 64 kilobyte primary memory
    Motherboard
    Board: Dell Inc. 0YD479 Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
    Memory
    2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) [Di
    Sound Card
    SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.2"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n SB2411SJGLLRMB, rev SB4OC74P, SMART Status: Healthy
    Case
    Chassis Serial Number: 5YK95C1
    Mouse
    Logitech HID-compliant Cordless Mouse
    Keyboard
    Standard PS/2 Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1958 Kbps download ; 754.8 Kbps upload
    Other Info
    Optiarc DVD+-RW AD-5540A ATA Device [CD-ROM drive] Dell AIO Printer A940 Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem 6TO4 Adapter Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter Microsoft ISATAP Adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface Router Linksys / WRT54G -01
And you are right, Lorien. Having hidden the clock, the bar still insisted on being sized oddly. The start menu button was hidden part way off the screen unless I pull the taskbar up to width 3. And yes, I can resize the taskbar, but that didn't solve the problem.

However, part way through this post, I started thinking about who or what could have caused this issue and that gave me an idea. Combining Lorien's comment about seeing more than I should be seeing (hadn't previously seen the date etc.) with practical thoughts about the cause I realized my two year old daughter must have gotten to my computer. That meant the problem was my monitor, which is the only thing she can affect. I had tried that before, but with the taskbar shrunk, it didn't seem to help. So I unhid the whole bar and then adjusted the monitor settings and now I have my computer back. Thanks to all, particularly Lorien who set me on the right path and kicked me off a tangent path!
 

My Computer

System One

Excellent news! Well done! I'm glad I don't have a 2-year-old who can do things like that to me - LOL! Then again, my cat does from time-to-time annoy me by turning on Caps Lock.

Don't forget to close out the thread by clicking the far right triangular icon at the top of your post and typing "solved" in the box and submitting it. The moderators will notice and put a green check next to the thread title. That way others seeking answers by searching the forums will know that this thread contains a solution to the issue identified in the title - and people seeking to help will not waste time checking out this thread since it has been resolved.

And welcome to Vista Forums! Now that you know where we are, bookmark the site and post anytime you have further questions or problems or if you just want to browse and learn (especially the Tutorial section offers some excellent advice on a wide variety of topics) or even if you want to try to help answer a question if you happen to see one where you know the answer and it hasn't already been posted. While it most likely won't be us the next time (though it might), there are many very skilled, experienced, knowledgeable, and friendly people here who, like us, volunteer their time to help others and one or maybe even several will respond to your post to assist you. While there are other forums on the web that do this sort of thing, you've now found what I think is the best (and I've posted in and/or checked out quite a few) so don't lose this link - you never know when it might come in handy again.

Good luck and best wishes.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inc. MP061 Inspiron E1705
    CPU
    2.00 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo 64 kilobyte primary memory
    Motherboard
    Board: Dell Inc. 0YD479 Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
    Memory
    2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
    Graphics card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) [Di
    Sound Card
    SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.2"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n SB2411SJGLLRMB, rev SB4OC74P, SMART Status: Healthy
    Case
    Chassis Serial Number: 5YK95C1
    Mouse
    Logitech HID-compliant Cordless Mouse
    Keyboard
    Standard PS/2 Keyboard
    Internet Speed
    1958 Kbps download ; 754.8 Kbps upload
    Other Info
    Optiarc DVD+-RW AD-5540A ATA Device [CD-ROM drive] Dell AIO Printer A940 Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem 6TO4 Adapter Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter Microsoft ISATAP Adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface Router Linksys / WRT54G -01
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