📋 Release Summary
v1.1.0 delivers a ground-up overhaul of the Taskbar Overlay system, transforming it from a simple network speed indicator into a full-featured, real-time hardware dashboard that lives seamlessly on your Windows taskbar.
This release introduces live CPU, RAM, GPU, and Temperature monitoring directly on the taskbar overlay, with intelligent multi-GPU detection via DXGI that identifies every graphics adapter installed in the system by its real hardware name.
✨ What's New
🖥️ Real-Time Hardware Monitoring on Taskbar
Four new independent hardware monitoring modules on the taskbar overlay:
| Module |
Description |
| CPU Usage |
Real-time processor utilization percentage via Windows PDH |
| RAM Usage |
Live memory consumption with 3 configurable display formats (%, MB, GB) |
| GPU Usage |
Per-GPU engine utilization via WMI with multi-adapter filtering |
| Temperature |
Combined CPU°/GPU° temperature display (e.g., 72/65°) |
Each module can be independently toggled on/off from Settings → Taskbar Overlay Customization.
🔍 Multi-GPU Auto-Detection & Selection
- Automatically detects all installed GPUs by their real hardware name using DXGI
- Choose between
Auto (All GPUs Combined) or monitor a specific GPU individually
- Example:
Intel(R) UHD Graphics 630, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080
- Perfect for systems with integrated + dedicated GPUs
📊 Flexible RAM Display Formats
| Mode |
Example Output |
Best For |
| Percentage |
65% |
Quick glance |
| Megabytes |
12045/16384 MB |
Precise tracking |
| Gigabytes |
12/16 GB |
Balanced clarity (default) |
Changing format instantly updates the overlay — no delay.
🖱️ Smart Drag & Drop Positioning
- Drag the overlay to any position on the taskbar
- Position persists across restarts, taskbar resizes, resolution & DPI changes
- 🔄 Reset Position action in right-click context menu
💎 UI/UX Improvements
- Text Shadows on all overlay labels — 100% readable over any taskbar background
- Smart Auto-Resizing — overlay perfectly hugs its content, zero dead space
- Enhanced Hover Popup — now shows 10 live metrics across 5 rows:
| Row |
Left |
Right |
| 1 |
↓ Download Speed |
↑ Upload Speed |
| 2 |
📥 Total Download |
📤 Total Upload |
| 3 |
💻 CPU Load |
🧠 RAM Load |
| 4 |
🎮 GPU Load |
💾 RAM Detail |
| 5 |
🌡 CPU Temp |
🌡 GPU Temp |
Overlay Layout Preview
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ ↑ 1.2 MB/s │ C 45% │ G 32% │ T 72/65° │
│ ↓ 5.8 MB/s │ R 12/16 GB │ │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
🐛 Bug Fixes
| Issue |
Fix |
| Context menu rendering off-screen |
Now positions correctly above the overlay widget |
| Taskbar icon collision on full taskbars |
Dynamic shrink-to-fit layout + drag offset system |
| GPU load over-reporting |
Correctly filters by selected adapter instead of summing all |
| RAM label text jitter |
Auto-resizes after every update for stable display |
🔄 Upgrade Path
| From |
To |
Action |
| v1.0.0 |
v1.1.0 |
Download and replace — auto-installer handles the upgrade |
| Fresh Install |
v1.1.0 |
Download, extract, run as Administrator |
The self-installer will automatically deploy to C:\Program Files\NetGuard\ and create a desktop shortcut.
📊 v1.0.0 vs v1.1.0
| Feature |
v1.0.0 |
v1.1.0 |
| Network Traffic Monitor |
✅ |
✅ |
| Windows Firewall Manager |
✅ |
✅ |
| Hardware Monitor (Gauges Tab) |
✅ |
✅ |
| Usage History & CSV Export |
✅ |
✅ |
| Taskbar Overlay — Network Speed |
✅ |
✅ |
| Taskbar Overlay — CPU Monitor |
❌ |
✅ |
| Taskbar Overlay — RAM Monitor |
❌ |
✅ |
| Taskbar Overlay — GPU Monitor |
❌ |
✅ |
| Taskbar Overlay — Temperature |
❌ |
✅ |
| Multi-GPU Detection (DXGI) |
❌ |
✅ |
| RAM Display Formats (%, MB, GB) |
❌ |
✅ |
| Drag & Drop Overlay Positioning |
❌ |
✅ |
| Text Shadow Legibility |
❌ |
✅ |
| Enhanced 10-Metric Hover Popup |
❌ |
✅ |
| Dark & Light Theme |
✅ |
✅ |
| Auto-Updater & Self-Installer |
✅ |
✅ |
| System Tray with Activity Dot |
✅ |
✅ |
| 6 Firewall Rule Profiles |
✅ |
✅ |
📋 System Requirements
| Requirement |
Minimum |
Recommended |
| OS |
Windows 7 SP1 |
Windows 10/11 |
| Architecture |
x86 (32-bit) |
x86 or x64 |
| RAM |
64 MB |
128 MB |
| Disk Space |
15 MB |
25 MB |
| Permissions |
Administrator |
Administrator |
| Dependencies |
None (static build) |
None |
The 32-bit build runs natively on both 32-bit and 64-bit Windows systems.
📊 Version History
| Version |
Date |
Highlights |
| v1.1.0 |
May 2026 |
Taskbar Overlay 2.0: Hardware monitoring, Multi-GPU, Drag & Drop, RAM formats |
| v1.0.0 |
April 2026 |
Initial release: Network Monitor, Firewall Manager, Hardware Monitor, Usage History |
