Taskbar Tips
As mentioned earlier, clicking an open window’s taskbar button is a quick and easy way to make it the
active window (bringing it to the top of the stack). However, you can do other things with the buttons as
well:
You can minimize an open window just by clicking its taskbar button. Clicking the button a
second time brings it back into view.
To see the options for a particular window, right-click its taskbar button.
Note Some of the options below require that the taskbar be unlocked. If you have any
problems, right-click the neutral area of the taskbar and select the Lock the
Taskbar option to turn it off.
To size the taskbar (to make it thinner or thicker), drag its inner edge (the edge nearest the
center of the screen) up or down.
To move the taskbar to some other edge of the screen, drag the neutral area to some other
edge of the screen. If it won’t go, try widening it first.
To size a toolbar within the taskbar (such as the Quick Launch toolbar), drag the dotted lines at
the edge of the taskbar to the left or right.
To add toolbars to, or remove toolbars from, the taskbar, right-click its neutral area and choose
Toolbars. Then choose any toolbar to display or hide.
To turn a taskbar toolbar into a free-floating toolbar that you can place anywhere on the screen,
drag the dots at the edge of the toolbar out onto the desktop.
To put a floating toolbar back into the taskbar, drag it back into the taskbar.
To rearrange items in the toolbar, drag the dots nearest the Start button to the right, past any
item that you want to put to the left of the current item.
To resize an item within the toolbar, drag its dots to the left, right, up, or down.
You can further personalize the taskbar in a variety of ways to suit your own work style and
environment. Chapter 13 describes some of those more advanced techniques. If you want to take a
quick look at the Properties dialog box that offers those additional options, just right-click the neutral
area of the taskbar and choose and choose Properties.
For the moment, I think our time is better spent on more basic skills. In particular, it’s time to talk about
those dialog boxes that come up from time to time, and how you operate the various controls they offer.
active window (bringing it to the top of the stack). However, you can do other things with the buttons as
well:
You can minimize an open window just by clicking its taskbar button. Clicking the button a
second time brings it back into view.
To see the options for a particular window, right-click its taskbar button.
Note Some of the options below require that the taskbar be unlocked. If you have any
problems, right-click the neutral area of the taskbar and select the Lock the
Taskbar option to turn it off.
To size the taskbar (to make it thinner or thicker), drag its inner edge (the edge nearest the
center of the screen) up or down.
To move the taskbar to some other edge of the screen, drag the neutral area to some other
edge of the screen. If it won’t go, try widening it first.
To size a toolbar within the taskbar (such as the Quick Launch toolbar), drag the dotted lines at
the edge of the taskbar to the left or right.
To add toolbars to, or remove toolbars from, the taskbar, right-click its neutral area and choose
Toolbars. Then choose any toolbar to display or hide.
To turn a taskbar toolbar into a free-floating toolbar that you can place anywhere on the screen,
drag the dots at the edge of the toolbar out onto the desktop.
To put a floating toolbar back into the taskbar, drag it back into the taskbar.
To rearrange items in the toolbar, drag the dots nearest the Start button to the right, past any
item that you want to put to the left of the current item.
To resize an item within the toolbar, drag its dots to the left, right, up, or down.
You can further personalize the taskbar in a variety of ways to suit your own work style and
environment. Chapter 13 describes some of those more advanced techniques. If you want to take a
quick look at the Properties dialog box that offers those additional options, just right-click the neutral
area of the taskbar and choose and choose Properties.
For the moment, I think our time is better spent on more basic skills. In particular, it’s time to talk about
those dialog boxes that come up from time to time, and how you operate the various controls they offer.
posted by petrzel at 12:20 PM
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