The taskbar provides quick access to frequently
needed information and active applications. You can change the
taskbar's behavior and properties in many ways. This section explores
key techniques you can use to do this.
Understanding the Taskbar
The taskbar is one of the least appreciated areas
of the Windows desktop. Users and administrators tend to pay very
little attention to its configuration, yet we use it day in and day
out, relying on it for quick access to just about everything we do with
the Windows operating system. If you find that users are having
frequent problems accessing Windows features or running applications,
you can help them by tailoring the taskbar to their needs. The Windows
taskbar can contain several toolbars that can assist the user in
different ways, several of which are shown in Figure 1.
Sometimes, you can provide tremendous productivity
increases simply by adding a frequently used item to the taskbar. For
example, most people spend a lot of time finding and reading documents.
They browse the Web or the corporate intranet to find the latest
information. They open documents in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint,
or other applications, finding documents individually and starting
applications to read those documents as well. By adding an Address bar
to the taskbar, users can access documents directly and launch the
appropriate application automatically. They just need to type the
document path and click Go. As time passes, the history feature of the
Address bar tracks more and more of the user's previously accessed
documents, making it easier to find the needed information.
Changing the Taskbar Size and Position
By default, the taskbar appears at the bottom of
the screen and is sized so that one row of options is visible. As long
as the taskbar position isn't locked, you can dock it to any edge of
the Windows desktop and resize it as necessary. To move the taskbar,
simply click
it and drag it to a different edge of the desktop. You won't see the
taskbar move as you drag, but when you release the mouse button, the
taskbar appears in the new location. To resize the taskbar, move the
mouse pointer over the taskbar edge and then drag it up or down.
Auto Hiding, Locking, and Controlling Taskbar Visibility
When you want to control the visibility of the
taskbar, you have several options. You can enable the Auto Hide feature
to hide the taskbar from view when it is not in use. You can lock the
taskbar so that it can't be resized or repositioned. You can also make
the taskbar appear on top of other windows when you point to it. Once
the taskbar is positioned and sized the way a user wants it, you should
enable all three of these options. In this way, the taskbar has a fixed
location so users don't have to hunt for it, and the taskbar isn't
hidden behind other windows so it is visible when it is pointed to.
To enable these options, follow these steps:
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Right-click the taskbar and then select Properties.
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Select the Taskbar tab in the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.
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Select Lock The Taskbar, Auto-Hide The Taskbar, and Keep The Taskbar On Top Of Other Windows.
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Click OK.
| Tip |
Locking the taskbar is one of the most useful
taskbar options. If you lock the taskbar once it is optimized, users
will have fewer problems caused by accidentally altering taskbar
options. Locking the taskbar doesn't prevent users from changing the
taskbar on purpose. If users really want to change the taskbar, all
they need to do is right-click the taskbar, select Properties, and then
clear Lock The Taskbar.
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Grouping Similar Taskbar Items
The option of grouping taskbar items is designed
to remove some of the clutter from the taskbar by grouping related
items into a menu. Grouping similar items also makes it possible to use
the flip and 3D flip views . You can enable or disable grouping of similar items on the taskbar by completing these steps:
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Right-click the taskbar and then select Properties.
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Select the Taskbar tab in the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box if it isn't already selected.
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Select Group Similar Taskbar Buttons.
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Click OK.
Controlling Programs in the Notification Area
The
notification area or system tray is the area on the far right side of
the taskbar that shows the system clock and applications that were
loaded automatically by the operating system at startup and are running
in the background. When you point to icons in the notification area, a
ScreenTip provides information on the running application. To control
an application in this area, right-click the application icon to
display a menu of available options. Each application has a different
menu of options, most of which provide quick access to routine tasks.
You can optimize the notification area for users in
several ways. One way is to add or remove startup programs. Another is
to set properties of the notification area that control whether system
icons, such as the clock, volume, and network, are displayed and
whether application icons are displayed or hidden.
Adding or Removing Startup Programs
Administrator-installed or user-installed
applications that run in the background can be managed through the
Startup folder. Startup programs that are to be made available only to
the currently logged on user are placed in the Startup folder that is
located within the profile data for that user (%UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft
\Windows\Start Menu), and startup programs that are to be available to
any user that logs on to the computer are placed in the Startup folder
for all users (%SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu).
To add or remove startup programs for all users, follow these steps:
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Right-click Start and then select Explore All Users. This opens Windows Explorer with the %SystemDrive%\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu folder selected.
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In the left pane, click the Programs folder under Start Menu and then click Startup.
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You can now add or remove startup programs for
all users. To add startup programs, create a shortcut to the program
that you want to run. To remove a startup program, delete its shortcut
from the Startup folder.
To add or remove startup programs for a specific user, follow these steps:
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Log on as the user whose startup applications you
want to manage. Right-click Start and then select Explore. This opens
Windows Explorer with the %User Profile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu folder selected.
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In the left pane, click the Programs folder under Start Menu and then click Startup.
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You can now add or remove startup programs for
this user. To add startup programs, create a shortcut to the program
that you want to run. To remove a startup program, delete its shortcut
from the Startup folder.
| Note |
Technically,
you don't need to log on as the user to manage that user's startup
applications—it's just easier if you do. If you can't log on as the
user, access the Users folder on the system drive and work your way
down through the user's profile data folders. These are listed by
account name.
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Controlling Icon Display in the Notification Area
The notification area displays both application
and system icons. Icons for applications appear in the notification
area for several reasons. Some programs, such as Windows Update, are
managed by Windows itself and appear periodically when there are
pending notifications. For example, Windows Update runs periodically to
check for updates to the operating system. When an update is detected,
the user can be notified and given the opportunity to apply the update.
Other types of programs are configured to run in the background at
startup, such as an antivirus program. You can typically enable or
disable the display of icons through setup options in the related
applications, but Windows Vista provides a common interface for
controlling icon display in the notification area. You can specify
whether and how icons are displayed on a per application basis.
To control the display of application icons in the notification area, follow these steps:
-
Right-click in the notification area of the
taskbar and then select Properties. This displays the Taskbar And Start
Menu Properties dialog box with the Notification Area tab selected, as
shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Configure application and system icons for the notification area using the options provided.
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If you want all icons to be displayed, clear the Hide Inactive Icons check box and then click OK. Skip the remaining steps.
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If you want to customize the appearance of icons,
select the Hide Inactive Icons check box and then click Customize. This
displays the Customize Icons dialog box, shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3: Specify the notification behavior for background applications in the Customize Icons dialog box.
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You can now optimize the notification behavior
for current items displayed in the notification area as well as items
that were displayed in the past but aren't currently active. The Name
column shows the name of the application. The Behavior column shows the
currently selected notification behavior. Each entry in the Behavior
column can be clicked to display a selection menu with the following
options:
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When you are finished updating the notification entries, click OK twice.
| Note |
You can directly access the Customize
Notifications dialog box when the Hide Inactive Icons option is
selected in the Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box.
Right-click the notification area and then select Customize
Notifications.
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System icons are displayed by default in the
notification area. On desktops, the clock, network, and volume icons
are displayed by default. On laptops, the clock, network, volume,
and power icons are displayed by default. To control the display of
system icons in the notification area, follow these steps:
-
Right-click in the notification area of the
taskbar and then select Properties. This displays the Taskbar And Start
Menu Properties dialog box with the Notification Area tab selected, as
shown previously in Figure 2.
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If you don't want an icon to be displayed, clear the related icon under System Icons.
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Click OK.
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