Like everything else in Windows XP, you can customize the taskbar to your preference. To do so, right-click the Start button and select Properties. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box that opens, click on the Taskbar tab. The options shown below appear.

• Lock the taskbar: If this box is checked, this will hide all sizing handles on the taskbar so you can’t accidentally move or resize it.
• Auto-hide the taskbar: If you select this option, the taskbar will be hidden most of the time in order to not take up any space on the screen. To make the Taskbar visible again, simply move the mouse cursor to the very bottom of your screen.
• Keep the taskbar on top of other windows: If selected, this option makes sure that the Taskbar is visible at all times, even when large maximized program windows are covering the rest of the screen.
• Group similar taskbar buttons: If selected, this option allows multiple related taskbar buttons to collapse into a single button so the buttons do not become too small to see on the Taskbar.
• Show Quick Launch: If selected, the optional “Quick Launch” toolbar will be shown to the right of the “Start” button.