Please help - my friend is running XP and the taskbar has
disapeared from the bottom of the screen. We have tried
to find it - but no luck - can anyone suggest what the
problem could be.
The taskbar can go missing for a variety of reasons. Try the simple
solutions first:
* Press the Windows key to pop up the Start Menu. Make note of which edge
of the monitor it extends from.
* If able to get the start menu to appear, access Control Panel. Click the
link in the left column to switch to Classic view (click again later to
switch back to XP view). Double click on Taskbar and Start Menu. Check the
box for "Always on top." Uncheck the box next to AutoHide.
* If those boxes were already checked, uncheck the box to Lock the Taskbar.
Then use the mouse around the edge of the screen that the start menu
appeared from. When you see the cursor change to a double arrow, click&hold
to drag the edge of the taskbar towards the center of the desk.
*If unable to get hold of the taskbar with the mouse, use the keyboard to
resize the taskbar:
Press Ctrl+Esc
Press Esc
Press Alt+Spacebar
Press S
Use Arrow keys to Resize
*If still stuck, log onto another account (create a test account if
necessary) to see if the taskbar is missing there too. If it is not
missing, the non-working account may be corrupt. Create a new account for
the user and transfer their personal files to it. If it is missing, scan
the system with an up-to-date antivirus program.
