Taskbar combining icons for open programs?

Win XP doing quite well, thanks to some of you but I do have one question.
I like to surf with 4 windows open, making it easy, handy and quick to switch between windows. Lately, if another window is caused toi open by viretue of my clicking a link, IE windows icon boxes (4) are combined into one with a red number at the left endof the icon showing how many windows are there.
I can't seem to find a way to put them back the way they were without closing all of them and re-openng them.
If I right click on the one iconed window it onluy gives choice of cascade vertically, cascade horizontally, tile vertically , tile horizontally or close.
Thjis does not affect the Outlook RExpress Taskbar Icon or, for example, solitaire icon.
Any ideas from you great people?

 

Right click on the taskbar and make sure there is no check in front of lock the taskbar. You should see two "perforated" lines of dots somewhere. Hold down your button and drag them wherever you want them- they change the way the taskbar items are displayed. Mine are set vertically to the right of the start button to give me a full line of quick launch icons, and my open window boxes underneath. When you are done, right click and lock the taskbar again. HTH
Johanna

 

Taskbar

Thanks Johanna but you misunderstood my question, and that oprobably is because I did not state it clearly enough. When you open a window there is a rectangular box that opens that has an icon in it as well as the name of the open window i.e Internet Explorer, Windows BBs, etc. Those are what I refer to.

I think, though I have solved my own problem by going to Taskbar Properties and un-checking "Group Similar Taskbar Buttons ". When I did that, the group of icons went back to the way I wanted them. I should have thought of this sooner, but again, thanks and maybe my explanation and question will help someone else.
Thanks again.

 

Yup, you got the fix. Unchecking the "group similar icons" will spread them out over the taskbar.
Another annoyance that I like to turn off, is personalized menus. I hate when things disappear off my start menu, just because I haven't used it in a week.

 

Reboot,
How do you turn off the personalized menus?
Paul

 

start~help & support and search for personalized menu.

You will find detailed directions for turning it on. Just do the opposite. Uncheck a box rather than checking it.

 

Newt, I searched in Help & Support for a good 1/2 hour and still could not find anything about "Pesonalized Menus ".

I found stuff about the Start Menu but no Personalized menu--any idea what I'm missing?

Paul

 

Using Personalized Menus with the Classic Start menuPersonalized Menus simplifies the Programs menu by hiding items you haven't used recently, while keeping all of your programs easily accessible.

You can still gain access to hidden programs by clicking Start, pointing to Programs, and then clicking the down arrow at the bottom of the menu.

To turn on Personalized Menus
Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties.
On the Start Menu tab, click Classic Start menu, and then click Customize.
Under Advanced Start menu options, select the Use personalized menus check box.
Related Topics

The way to avoid the personalized menu is not use the Classic Start Menu. Then you have to do all the stuff above.

 

Thank you Maggie,

Paul

 

Paul43, I hope it helps. I know I ran 2000 for a long time and it was all Greek to me when I finally put XP on my machines. I switched it back and forth for a long time finally decided the only thing I wanted was the classic menu in Control Panel. I drug an icon to the quicklaunch bar for that and haven't looked back!

 

Maggie, I like the NEW menu better--once I got used to it seemed to me it was quicker to get to the things I wanted.

Thanks again for your help.
Paul