I Like my Taskbar, XP doesn't....

I have gotten used to a task bar manager program that permits my to unclutter the task bar icons, but keep it close where handy within only one or two clicks.

Windows XP, keeps a minimum items on teh task bar, and when I want access to an item, that I KNOW is running, it tells me it is already running, I just can't get to it from where I am.
Have tried to customise that portion repeatedly, does not like it.

When a prog goes x hours without being used, it removes it fromt he task bar. period.. Suggestions.. Or is there a better task bar manager....? Using Taskbar from Ziff Dabvis

 

I guess I don't understand what you are seeing, Jerry. I've seen open programs/windows "clustered" in the task bar. And I've seen systray items "hidden ". But I've never seen anything arbitrarily removed.

 

If you are talking about the Systray (in the right hand corner by the clock) hiding the active icons you can prevent this by right clicking on your task bar and choosing properties and on the "Taskbar" tab in the frame called "Notification Area" you can choose wether or not to "Hide inactive icons ".
You also have the opportunity to customize this behavior by clicking the button there - and then you can choose which icons to always show, and which to hide.

If, on the other hand, you are talking about the Quick Launch bar, next to the Start button, you need to unlock the task bar to modify the size of it, but the Quick Launch bar doesn't change size dynamically and it only contains icons used to start programs - not icons for running programs.

 

pop up menu then it does the option I want.

At present I have it listed to not hide anything, and to show everything active....

Right... At the moment in the background I have Getright, TypeitIn Pro, for example, two progs that in Win9X and WinME permitted icons in that location...
All that is visible is the modem, volume control, and the clock.
Everything else XP disactivated at start up, because I was NOT using them at startup.