This tip was printed from the MalekTips Computer and Technology Help and Tips website at http://malektips.com.

Windows 2000 Taskbar - Toolbar - Show More on your Taskbar

SUMMARY: Show more currently running programs on your Windows 2000 toolbar.

Your Windows 2000 toolbar normally can show buttons representing a few running programs. However, if you use a lot of software at once, the names of the software packages running start to disappear, and you only see icons. Run even more programs, or have a lot of web pages open regularly? Your taskbar won't fit all the running programs, and you'll see up/down arrows to scroll through your open software.

If this happens a lot, you can make your Windows 2000 toolbar bigger to show more running programs concurrently.

1. Move your mouse to the top of the taskbar where your pointer changes from the default (probably an arrow pointing diagonally in one direction) to an arrow pointing two opposite directions.

2. Hold the left mouse button down and keep it held down.

3. Move the mouse in the direction where you wish to extend the taskbar. As you do this, a hollow rectangle will be seen giving you an estimate of how big the taskbar will become.

4. When you find a taskbar size comfortable for you, release the mouse bar. The taskbar will grow (or shrink if you set it up that way), and all of the desktop icons and the currently running programs will move and resize.

Now, when you do this, you may notice your QuickLaunch area takes up one full taskbar line, and your currently running programs takes up the second. This is not what you had in mind. To the left of the area of your taskbar where the currently running programs are located you'll find a vertical line. Click and drag that to the first line of the taskbar. Now, your currently running programs can fill up more taskbar lines.