Get the Task Bar do What you Want

The taskbar is governed by settings, just like any component of Windows XP. You can make some changes to those settings so that the taskbar will operate in a way that is right for

you.

To change the taskbar's settings, just follow these steps:

1. Right-click an empty area of the taskbar--> and click Properties. If you have trouble--> open Control Panel and double-click--> Taskbar and Start menu.

2. On the Taskbar tab--> you have several different settings that you can change by clicking the check boxes. 

A few important ones to note are

A.  Auto-hide the Taskbar: This option makes the taskbar disappear when you are not using it. To see it, just move your mouse to the bottom of the screen and it will appear.

B.  Show Quick Launch: Quick Launch is a small section of the taskbar that holds Internet Explorer and other popular programs. It was available on other

Windows operating systems, but does not appear by default in XP. You can

make it appear by clicking the check box.

C.  Hide Inactive Icons: The notification area holds a number of icons, which can get in the way and make the taskbar kind of junky. The Hide Inactive Icons

option, which is selected by default, hides the icons until you click the arrow on the taskbar to make them appear.

3.  Make any selections that you want and click OK. Remember that you can return to this page at any time and make additional changes.