Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

Taskbar

Synopsis

The Taskbar, shown in Figure 3-33, contains the Start Menu button, buttons representing all open application windows, the notification area (also known as the Tray, discussed earlier in this chapter), and any optional toolbars (see Toolbars, later).

Figure 3-33. In addition to your Start button and the notification area, a Taskbar button appears for each open window; click a button to activate the window

The Start button isn’t terribly complicated: just click on it to open the Start menu (discussed earlier in this chapter). There are two choices for the look of the Start button, each part of the currently selected style (see “Style,” at the beginning of this chapter). Unfortunately, there’s no way to customize the look of the Start button without a third-party add-on.

You can keep tabs on all running applications by looking in the portion of the Taskbar between the Start button and the notification area (Tray). Nearly every currently open window is represented by a button on your Taskbar. Click the button of a corresponding window to bring that window to the top (if it happens to be obscured) and shift focus to that window. If the window is currently active, clicking its Taskbar button will minimize (hide) it. The currently active window appears pushed in, while any others (if any) appear as normal buttons. If a window has been minimized (see Windows, later in ...