How to install a "Network Activity Indicator"?

ship69 · 17 Feb 2017

Hello

How do I set up a Network Activity Indicator?

In previous versions of Windows there used to be the ability to get two little icons of computer screens at the bottom right of your screen (i.e. on the "task bar"?) that would flash a different colour when data was being uploaded or download to the network (or Internet).

Is it possible to re-install this? If so how...?

Background
I find it useful to see what's actually happening on my computer. I hate all this "dumbing down". (Avoidance of dumbing down is the reason why I don't own an Apple computer afterall!)

Many thanks

J

AndreyT · 17 Feb 2017

It was an XP-Vista-era feature. It was already gone in Windows 7.

People say that this Windows-7-oriented software works in Windows 8 and Windows 10 as well:
Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7 - IT Samples

Just tried it - and it seems to work well in "All Interfaces" mode. BTW, it requires no installation.

ship69 · 18 Feb 2017

AndreyT said:

It was an XP-Vista-era feature. It was already gone in Windows 7.

People say that this Windows-7-oriented software works in Windows 8 and Windows 10 as well:
Network Activity Indicator for Windows 7 - IT Samples

Just tried it - and it seems to work well in "All Interfaces" mode. BTW, it requires no installation.

I can't get it to appear at all. It goes through the motion of installing itself but nothing appears in the task bar!

TairikuOkami · 18 Feb 2017

Try NetTraffic instead.

tracit99 · 18 Feb 2017

ship69 said:

I can't get it to appear at all. It goes through the motion of installing itself but nothing appears in the task bar!

I have used this utility for years and I have never had any problem. After you run setup you should get a desktop shortcut called Network Indicator. Click or double click this shortcut to start Network Indicator. Check all the icons including the hidden ones. If it is with the hidden icons you can left click hold and drag it down to the visible icons on the taskbar. Then right click Network Activity icon and choose settings. Make sure to check Load at Windows Startup. Lastly I delete the desktop shortcut.

AndreyT · 20 Feb 2017

ship69 said:

I can't get it to appear at all. It goes through the motion of installing itself but nothing appears in the task bar!

Just ignore the "installable" version and download the "portable" one (i.e. "in ZIP file"). Unzip it and run the executable. Worked right away for me.

The only thing that seems strange is that when I select "Indicate selected interface traffic" mode it either doesn't blink at all or blinks very rarely and lazily. While in "Indicate all available interfaces" mode it blinks away happily, as expected. I have only one interface, so I expected it to work the same in either mode.

(Could be caused by the fact that the minimum blink duration is 250 ms in the former mode, and 50 ms in the latter mode.)