One of the things of Windows 7 that had left me a little perplexed when I installed it the first time was the network indicator, i.e. the icon that, on Windows XP and earlier, indicated if the computer was connected to the internet . On Windows XP an icon appeared for each connection. The figure of the two small flashing monitors gave the certainty that the PC was connected without problems while, if there was a red cross above the cable it was disconnected and if there was a yellow exclamation mark there were problems. In Windows 7 and Windows 10, however, the network indicator is unique for all connections with a summary of the state of the networks much more detailed but also less quick to understand.
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This flashing network indicator of Windows XP was, in my opinion, the easiest way to evaluate whether the network connection was still alive or not.
If you want to put that icon with the two flashing monotors on Windows 10 and Windows 7, you can download the small Network Activity Monitor tool.
It can be downloaded for free in a .zip package to extract to a folder.
The small program does not require installation and can be started immediately to bring up the typical network connection icon near the clock.
By right clicking on it, you can change the indicator settings from the " Settings " button and choose which network interface you want to monitor and which protocols among TCP, UDP, ICMP or all together. For example, you can ignore local network traffic and watch only internet connectivity, or only wireless traffic and so on and so on.
In addition to returning the classic icon to Windows 7, Network Indicator Activity can also show information on the total number of bytes sent and received .
By clicking with the right button you can see all connection data relating to traffic. From the right-click menu you can quickly access the firewall settings, the sharing center and the general network settings.
I am sure that the nostalgic of XP will appreciate and install this classic network indicator which takes up just 2 MB of memory and can be set to automatically start at Windows startup.
Network Activity Monitor is by the same developer as Netowork Lights, which allows you to use the keyboard LEDs to indicate network traffic.
