Big green bar where my clock and task bar should be

[Alan]

The other day after I installed Paint Shop Pro 8 and a patch to PSP8, when I
returned to my desktop, this horrible, empty green bar had taken over the
bottom of my desktop. there is nothing on this bar except for the MS flag on
the left side. Clicking it allows me to reveal my programs menu,but I have
no idea what is open because nothing shows on this bar. I can neither move
the bar or see underneath it.

Can anyone give me some guidance as to how I can get back my normal task
bar.

[Wesley Vogel]

Do you get a menu if you right click this green bar?

What kind of menu?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:OYNf6ULt...@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl,
Alan <som...@retired.com> hunted and pecked:

[Alan]

yes, I get the regular "all programs" menu, the run command, the help
option, etc.

"Wesley Vogel" <123WVo...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:#736kzLt...@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

[Alan]

Wesley,

I'm afraid I might have a bigger problem than just an oversized task bar.

I'm finding out that I can't click through on any urls either in OE or IE.
And one of my notepad apps refuses to close unless I give it the three
finger salute.

"Wesley Vogel" <123WVo...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:#736kzLt...@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

[Alan]

In diddling around, I find out that the big green thing is the START buttom.
Nothing I can do moves or changes it

"Alan" <som...@retired.com> wrote in message
news:#gGwiIMt...@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...

[Wesley Vogel]

Hi Alan,

Hmm. I know nothing about Paint Shop Pro 8. Is it possible that Paint Shop
Pro 8 is somehow the culprit?

The taskbar can be sized to take up almost half the screen. It should be
able to be resized.

Try this.

Right click the taskbar then click to clear the Lock Taskbar option.

Move your cursor over the edge of the taskbar until it becomes a
double-headed arrow.

Left click and drag down to the single height.

Right click the taskbar then click Lock the Taskbar.

Now it can't be moved or resized unless the Lock Taskbar option is cleared
again.

Right click the Start button | Properties | Taskbar tab | Look at the
options, see if any do not look like what you have had in the past.

Do you have a restore point so you could do a System Restore to before the
installation of Paint Shop Pro 8?

I know that there are programs available to allow you to modify the start
button. Change name, resize, etc.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:eejWpyM...@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl,

[Alan]

Wes,

I've tried all the resizing tricks I know including what you just suggested.
The cursor will not turn into a double headed arrow no matter which side of
the button I move it to. As of now, my printer driver has disappeared, none
of the irls I click will work. I feel like I'm going down for the third time
(glub, glub) so I'm just going to re-install XP after formatting my C disk.
I spent several hours last night backing up everything I could think of in
preparation. Glub

"Wesley Vogel" <123WVo...@comcast.net> wrote in message

news:#KKtq0Ot...@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...

[Wesley Vogel]

Alan,

Update your antivirus software and antispyware apps and run full system
scans.

See what you can find. Good luck. ;-)

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:uZAsgiV...@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl,

[JRosenfeld]

Try the general fix taskibar utility from

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/taskbarplus!.htm

[WriterAlan]

(snip)

Wesley and JR,

I took the brainless way out and reinstalled XP. Upon further consideration
(for any others who may have been following this thread), I don't think
Paint Shop Pro was the culprit, but perhaps one or more of many register
changes that I made about that same time, at least one of which I got from
Kellys site. I guess I'm a living monument to the saying that a little
information can be a dangerous thing.

Thanks for you responses anyway.

Alan

[Wesley Vogel]

You have to burn to learn and learn to burn. ;-)

Making notes or backing up reg keys is a good idea before changing things so
that you can fix what you changed.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:u9z3piJu...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl,
WriterAlan <wri...@aol.com> hunted and pecked:

[Edward W. Thompson]

"Wesley Vogel" <123WVo...@comcast.net> wrote in message

news:eCMa2NMu...@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Why didn't 'System Restore' return things to the way they were before you
'edited the Registry?

[WriterAlan]

(snip)

Edward,

Apparently whatever option got changed to make the big green bar is not part
of the data that gets saved for a restore point, because I went back about
four restores and no change.

Alan