XP:Display Network Activity in the System Tray

Contributed by MickeyMouse October 31, 2006  
Tagged: Windows

It always drives me crazy when I start having connection problems, but I have no easy, quick way of seeing if I am transmitting or receiving data. If you are lucky enough to see the LED on your network card that helps, but why not just put your network activity in your system tray? Here is how to do it

Green for downloading. Red for uploading. I am totally addicted at watching my network activity in the system tray.

Yes, there are a ton of cool programs that do this in a very sexy manner; however, this basic service is more than enough for me.

1. Click Start
2. Click Control Panel
3. Double-click Network Connections
4. Right-click on your internet connection. Dial-up, LAN, or whatever.
5. Select Properties from the context menu.
6. Click General Tab
7. Click Show icon in notification area when connected
8. Click OK and it instantly should show up in the system tray.