Taskbar Tips
- The Taskbar is at the very bottom of the Windows 95 / 98 Desktop [see Desktop Basics]. The Desktop is the first screen that comes up when you start your computer.
- The Taskbar tells you what programs, pictures, files or documents you have open and other information. It allows you to click on the icons or buttons in the Taskbar to do various things.
- You can "minimize" or "maximize / restore" any of the "open" programs or files by clicking on the appropriate buttons in the upper right hand corner of open windows [the little x, _, and windows boxes] or on the button bars on the bottom of the screen in the middle area of the Taskbar.
- You can also enable or disable, open or close applications from the "system tray" in the very lower right hand corner of the Taskbar and Desktop. [See the speaker icon and the time 12:45 PM in the picture below or look at your own Taskbar in your monitor screen to see what is there. These icons are located in what is called the work tray. Double left click on the small icons to activate them or right click on them once to see a pop up menu with a list of options].
Configure the Taskbar and Start Menu
To change settings for the Taskbar or modify the Start Menu you need to open the Taskbar Properties window
- place the cursor in an empty area in the Taskbar, right click once and a pop up menu will appear, click on Properties and the Taskbar Properties windows will appear, or
- click on the Start button in the lower right, go to Settings, go to the Taskbar item in the pop up menu that appears and click.
For the Task Bar to always be visible on your
desktop, click on the Always on top box to place a check mark in the box.
To hide the Task Bar, so that it only appears when you place your cursor in the bottom edge of the Desktop and monitor screen, click on the Auto hide box to place a check mark in it.
To view the time in the lower right hand corner of
the Task Bar, click on the Show clock box to place a check in it. To
remove the time, click and remove the check mark.
Click on the Show small icons in Start Menu to change the size of the icons in the Start Menu [which pops up when you click on Start in the lower left hand corner of the Desktop].
To clear documents stored in Windows 95 "Documents memory"
Windows 95 & 98 store shortcuts to documents you have been working on in several places, including all the web pages and associated graphics images where you have been surfing. To remove documents from the Documents list that appears on the Start Menu [pops up when you click the Start Button in the lower left hand corner of the Desktop and Taskbar] click the Start Menu Programs tab in the Taskbar Properties window, pictured below.
To clear the Documents list, click on the Clear button in the lower part of the Taskbar Properties window.
You can use the Add, Remove and Advanced buttons to change the contents of the Start Menu [the menu that pops up when you click on the Start button in the lower left hand corner of the Taskbar]. Note: Removing an icon or folder from the Start Menu should not remove the actual program files -- only the short cut icon to them in the Start Menu.
You can also access the contents of the Start Menu by right clicking on top of the Start button, click Open in the pop up menu that appears. The contents of the Start Menu will appear in a window that will open. You can then delete or move, rename and modify the contents of the Start Menu.
Click OK to exit.
Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 T. Steele, In To It Planning Assocites, Inc.