My XP taskbar was hidden

[emil_lam]

Previously, I could view my opened application icons e.g. explorer,
excel, etc from XP taskbar and I could switch between them by clicking
on their corresponding icons on taskbar. About a week ago, I found
language toolbar appeared at the left side of XP taskbar just beside
"Start" button. I tried disable the langauge toolbar but then the
whole XP taskbar disappeared (it hid at the bottom of the screen). I
couldn't drag it up to desktop. I couldn't make taskbar reappear even
when I enabled all toolbars (web address, windows media player, link,
language, desktop, quick start).

I could finally make taskbar reappear only changing "Taskbar
Properties" from Control Panel -> Display Category -> Taskbar & Start
Function

Now my taskbar settings are as below:

Lock the taskbar [OFF]
Auto-hide the taskbar [OFF]
Keep the taskbar on top of other windows [ON]
Group similar taskbar buttons [ON]
Show Quick Launch [ON]

Unfortunately, I could no longer access my opened applications (e.g.
excel, notepad, IE, Explorer) from this "recovered" taskbar. I clearly
see there are two overlapped taskbars - Quick Launch on the top. I
suspect the taskbar covered by Quick Launch taskbar is my original
taskbar but I couldn't access it even if I try to drag it out.

Could someone help me to recover my original taskbar?

Tks!

 

[knuttle]

Previously, I could view my opened application icons e.g. explorer,
excel, etc from XP taskbar and I could switch between them by clicking
on their corresponding icons on taskbar. About a week ago, I found
language toolbar appeared at the left side of XP taskbar just beside
"Start" button. I tried disable the langauge toolbar but then the
whole XP taskbar disappeared (it hid at the bottom of the screen). I
couldn't drag it up to desktop. I couldn't make taskbar reappear even
when I enabled all toolbars (web address, windows media player, link,
language, desktop, quick start).

I could finally make taskbar reappear only changing "Taskbar
Properties" from Control Panel -> Display Category -> Taskbar& Start
Function

Now my taskbar settings are as below:

Lock the taskbar [OFF]
Auto-hide the taskbar [OFF]
Keep the taskbar on top of other windows [ON]
Group similar taskbar buttons [ON]
Show Quick Launch [ON]

Unfortunately, I could no longer access my opened applications (e.g.
excel, notepad, IE, Explorer) from this "recovered" taskbar. I clearly
see there are two overlapped taskbars - Quick Launch on the top. I
suspect the taskbar covered by Quick Launch taskbar is my original
taskbar but I couldn't access it even if I try to drag it out.

Could someone help me to recover my original taskbar?

Tks!

I find that I inadvertently do things to my task bar that I don't want,
Therefore I always lock the task bar so it can not accidentally be changed.

With the task bar lock off find the little bar that is probable on the
left side of the task bar and drag it to open the Quick launch toolbar.

The re lock it.

 

[dadiOH]

Previously, I could view my opened application icons e.g. explorer,
excel, etc from XP taskbar and I could switch between them by clicking
on their corresponding icons on taskbar. About a week ago, I found
language toolbar appeared at the left side of XP taskbar just beside
"Start" button. I tried disable the langauge toolbar but then the
whole XP taskbar disappeared (it hid at the bottom of the screen). I
couldn't drag it up to desktop. I couldn't make taskbar reappear even
when I enabled all toolbars (web address, windows media player, link,
language, desktop, quick start).

I could finally make taskbar reappear only changing "Taskbar
Properties" from Control Panel -> Display Category -> Taskbar & Start
Function

Now my taskbar settings are as below:

Lock the taskbar [OFF]
Auto-hide the taskbar [OFF]
Keep the taskbar on top of other windows [ON]
Group similar taskbar buttons [ON]
Show Quick Launch [ON]

Unfortunately, I could no longer access my opened applications (e.g.
excel, notepad, IE, Explorer) from this "recovered" taskbar. I clearly
see there are two overlapped taskbars - Quick Launch on the top. I
suspect the taskbar covered by Quick Launch taskbar is my original
taskbar but I couldn't access it even if I try to drag it out.

Could someone help me to recover my original taskbar?

What you have *is* your original taskbar. Your problem is just that the
Quick Launch *toolbar* is too big. To make it smaller - thus providing
space for minimized apps to be listed - unlock the taskbar, put the cursor
on the little vertical line, left click and slide the QL closed as needed.
An alternate way to bring up minimized apps is ALT + TAB.

To each their own but I have never understood why people want their taskbar
to always be visible (and "on top") thereby depriving them of screen real
estate. If it is set to "on top" and "hidden" it will pop up whenever you
move the cursor to the bottom; to do anything with it you have to move the
cursor to it anyway.

Even better IMO is to move the whole taskbar to the left side, make it a
1-3" wide, hidden and always on top. Now you have tons of room for
minimized apps and enough space to show more than a couple of letters of
each. You can even make your own toolbars, catagorize them and dump QL.
More info in my dandies, see sig.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

To each their own but I have never understood why people want their taskbar
to always be visible (and "on top") thereby depriving them of screen real
estate. If it is set to "on top" and "hidden" it will pop up whenever you
move the cursor to the bottom; to do anything with it you have to move the
cursor to it anyway.

Even better IMO is to move the whole taskbar to the left side, make it a
1-3" wide, hidden and always on top. Now you have tons of room for
minimized apps and enough space to show more than a couple of letters of
each. You can even make your own toolbars, catagorize them and dump QL.
More info in my dandies, see sig.

I'm with you entirely. As I often say in the newsgroups and forums,
"with today's wide-screen monitors, I prefer the task bar on the left
or right side of the screen. I think that makes a better use of screen
real estate than having it at the bottom."

 

[Arthur Shapiro]

Even better IMO is to move the whole taskbar to the left side, make it a
1-3" wide, hidden and always on top. Now you have tons of ro

Thanks for an interesting idea. I've just tried it on the left edge of my
rightmost monitor, and your observations are spot on.

Any way to get the Start button at the bottom in this mode? It just seems
more intuitive that way.

Art

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Thanks for an interesting idea. I've just tried it on the left edge of my
rightmost monitor, and your observations are spot on.

Any way to get the Start button at the bottom in this mode? It just seems
more intuitive that way.

The answer is no. The start bar stays at the beginning of the Task
Bar; if the Task Bar is on the left or right side of the screen, it
stays at the top.

Many people who move the Task Bar to the left side want the Start
button at the bottom, because they are used to its being there.
However, it won't take you very long to get used to its new position,
and it won't bother you.