Pop-up icons for caps lock, scroll lock, volume, etc. disappeared after running an uninstallation file for a program that was never installed. why?

Question

I have windows 7. Everything is currently updated and to be frank this is quite embarrassing. I should've gotten this fixed back in 2013 when it happened. Hopefully the updates over the years haven't made it impossible to undo the damage.

So before I get into what I've noticed in the aftermath of this, I'll explain exactly what I did that caused it:

Back in 2012-2013 I was using the program Game Maker (the exact version I was using can be found archived here). I had uninstalled it on this computer and I still had it installed on another computer. Since that version was phased out from the engine's website, and I was using the free version I just copied the directory from one computer to the other. I know that sort of thing doesn't cause problems since technically an install is just there to set up special directories and file associations. It wasn't necessary for that program.

However, because the program's icon and the uninstalation file's icon were the very similar, I accidentally clicked uninstall. It did uninstall the program but it also caused some problems.

Since then my computer has stopped showing the pop-ups that would occur when I press certain keys like caps lock, scroll lock and the volume adjustment. I can still see the volume in this bottom right like on most computers. However, I believe the on screen popups have been deleted from my computer somehow due the uninstall messing with my computer.

Is there some way to reinstall the feature or some kind of batch script to recode that portion of the OS. I don't really know if that feature can be turned on/off. I'm assuming not, which is why I believe that it's an issue with some file on my computer getting corrupted.

If anyone knows why this occurred (I'm genuinely curious), or how to fix it that would be great. I'd love to have those icons back on my computer and it's annoying that I have no means to detect when my caps lock gets hiT BY ACCIDENT.

Below is an image I found of the original volume icon. It would appear in the center of the screen regardless of what program I had open. This was similar to how the num lock, scroll lock, and caps lock looked.

This was built into my computer. It was there from day one. It is windows 7. It was bought in late 2010 and is a Gateway NV59C computer. I don't know if that is correct. The labels are still on the hand-rest thing so I assume that might be relevant. I just assumed this was a windows 7 feature. Any clue what I might need to look in? I'd imagine the software is probably still on my computer somewhere. It's just that the stupid uninstall messed up some variable somewhere telling it to run.

Answer 1

This isn't a full answer. However, after researching a little bit, I've found the following link that definitely clears up exactly what broke:

http://community.acer.com/t5/Swift-Spin-S-and-R-Series/How-to-DISABLE-Caps-lock-and-Num-lock-screen-notifications-on-my/td-p/419415

I then went to the directory given in that forum:

"C:\Program Files(x86)\LaunchManager"

I took the following screenshot:

Going into details mode nothing was edited since the PC was (I assume) pre-installed as everything has pre-2012 dates as last modified. So this definitely was not altered. It is definitely the software that needs to be fixed. When I run the "LManager.exe" program, everything works again. However, it does not running on between startups. Notifications for sound and keyboard keys are back. So I suspect that the uninstallation corrupted something in either the environment variables or the registry regarding whatever in Windows made that program run during startup.

Hopefully someone can find how to turn this back on. This is technically an answer, but I do want to get the computer back into the original state it had for this where it would start it up. I wouldn't be surprised if other things also got messed up at the same time. Hence, finding where this was disabled is very important to me.

Answer 2

Basic Windows 7 does not have these popups, so they are definitely from some pre-installed software. If this is, as you suspect, Launch Manager, then I believe that it can be found over the Internet.

As Launch Manager still exists on your computer, I suspect that the problem can be solved by registering some DLL, or more simply by running again its installation (which you don't have).

You may, as a first try, run regSvr32 with the DLLs in the installation folder of Launch Manager. No harm will come from doing that. For example, run in Command Prompt (cmd) that is Run as administrator:

regsvr32 LMLang.dll

For finding the installation of your version of Launch Manager, let us know its version number, as there is a very good chance of finding it for download. A quick search found several versions of it, but the best link may be Launch Manager 7.0.12. This is the latest version, released on 11/28/2014, later than yours, but this website also includes all previous versions. Installing a newer version than the one you have could be a bonus.

I have to warn that a scan by VirusTotal flagged the download as containing adware. However, the Wikipedia article for UpdateStar does not contain any warnings about that website.

As a precaution, backup first the installation folder of Launch Manager that you found. Create also a system restore point, so you can go back to your actual version.

Answer 3

Possible Cause

These on-screen displays (OSD) are likely provided by Acer's Launch Manager. If this programme does not run automatically when Windows starts, you won't get any OSD yet the keys you press will function normally (to test that, level up/down the brightness; OSD won't show but the screen will light up/down).

Suggested Solutions

• To check if Launch Manager auto-starts up, press the Win key + R and type msconfig then OK. Go to the Startup tab and look for Launch Manager (or its exe name, perhaps LaunchManager.exe, lmaanger.exe, launchm.exe). However, make sure that there is a tick mark next to it then confirm your changes.

• If you are sure that Launch Manager is installed but it is not listed in msconfig and tab Startup, you can put its shortcut in the Startup folder in Start > All Programs > Startup. Right click that folder and choose Open and paste the shortcut inside the windows that popped-up.

• Also if you are sure that Launch Manager is installed and you prefer to enlist it in msconfig and tab Startup, press the Win key + R and type regedit then OK. Browse to the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run and right-click an empty space on the right pane, choose new > String Value and name it LaunchManager. Double-click this and paste the path to Launch Manager's .exe in the Value Data field. Do now the first suggested solution in this list.

• If Launch Manager does not exist in the msconfig Startup tab or the problem persists, consider re-installing the programme. Try to download form this hot-link I found for your Gateway NV59c's Launch Manager or go to Gateway's support website and look in the Search by Product Model section for your NV59c. Below the page there click Application and download Launch Manager. Then install it on your device.