How to Clear the Task Bar
Clearing the taskbar in Windows Vista is a simple built-in menu option setting that takes just a few moments to change. Windows XP is a bit more complicated though. In Windows XP there is a Past Items Notifications list in the taskbar, and this takes a bit more effort and skill to clear.
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Instructions
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Windows Vista
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1
Right-click the taskbar and select "Properties."
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2
Select the "Notification Area" tab.
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3
Under the "Icons" section, put a checkmark in the box next to "Hide inactive icons."
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4
For additional customization, click "Customize" and change the values in the drop-down menu for each icon you'd like to have hidden or shown.
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5
Click "OK" to save your changes, and then click "OK" on the main taskbar properties tab window.
Windows XP
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6
Open the Windows Registry editor.
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Under the headings "IconStreams" and "PastIconStreams" find and delete this entry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\TrayNotify -
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Open the Windows Task Manager and click the "Processes" tab. Find "Explorer.exe" in that list, then click "End Process."
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9
Open the "File" menu at the top of the Task Manager, select "New Task," type in "explorer" and then click "OK."
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1
Tips & Warnings
Making changes to your Windows Registry can affect the operation of your computer. Do not attempt the above for Windows XP without extreme caution and first backing up your working registry.
