What to do when the taskbar has moved to a side of the screen where you didn't intend it to be
My Dad just got an old PC, up until this he had been using cable TV to send emails but had no access to the net. Now he uses MSN messenger to keep in touch with people like myself and my brother and Ashley, my nephew who now lives in Florida.
I received a distressed email from my Dad about his XP taskbar had changed from being up on the lefthand side of the screen, I tried to help him with MSN messenger which was quite amusing. R=me and G= My Dad, Gordon.
G Hi can you explain why icons have gone into a narrow column on left of the screen which makes it hard for me to see them Dad
R dad - you still got your icon problem?
G Morning did you get my message re PC screen Dad
G Will you be in pm 2 day
G Have to go to take Mum to town will try about 2pm today
G Hi just have a few mins before Mum comes back.
R did you sort your icons out?
G No think it may be I had floppy in when I shutdown
R shouldn’t do any harm - just do a right click on desktop and unclick auto arrange
G I rebooted but still on lhs of screen was on bottom when Steve set it up
G Where is auto range?
R ah you’re talking about the taskbar - are you?
G Yes I think that was what I was told by a bloke in ALDI THIS am
R where 'start' is and the clock?
R ah piece of piss just click and drag it back
R pick it up near the top...but not on the clock
R dunnit?
R actually pick it up about 1/4 of the way up
G NO nothing moves
R is it windows XP?
G Yes IT is clock at 3 o’clock the popups are covering it
R I can do it if you want...go to 'remote assistance' on the program menu and invite me to help you
G It selects outlook E mail I think?
R yeah - you need to drag it from a bit that isn't doing anything
G Ok how do I do it?
R start>all programs>remote assistance, it's there somewhere
G Which bit do you mean?
R click start and then 'all programs' and then 'remote assistance'
R all programs has a big green arrow (bottom LH corner of the start menu)
R how u doing?
G Can not find big green arrow
R r u sure you are using windows XP?
G Good question back in a sec
R ‘remote assistance' should be somewhere in your list of programs - but it was only introduced in XP
R you can tell by going 'start' >control panel>system it will tell you there
G Windows 98 comes on screen when I power up?
R oh bollocks - I can't remember anything about that
R same thing though - you need to grab the taskbar and drag it, just keep trying...I stopped using W98 in 99
G Found it on settings is this I need
R with XP you can lock it (taskbar) so you can't do that by accident
G Found task bar
G What do I do now?
R I don't know what you mean - you should be able to just drag the taskbar to any side of the screen
G OK I will try it
R look at the taskbar section on this page
R http://arachnid.pepperdine.edu/planitpepperdine/Training/Win98/Win98Intro.html
R just says 'Click on a clear space on the taskbar and drag it to the top, left, right or bottom of the screen. '
G Do they mean start on popup?
R no just Click on a clear space on the taskbar and drag it to the top, left, right or bottom of the screen - you'll kick yourself when you've done it - shame I can't reach over and have a quick go on your mouse
G Do I have to cancel before I can change anything?
R no - that's how you did it by accident in the first place - you must have moved the mouse while holding the left button down...I 've seen it done many times with newbies
R problem is the clear bits of the task bar are not so obvious when it's up on the side
R so dragging it back is not so easy to do by mistake:)
G Do you click & drag left or right I have done it in the library but am not good at it.
R left
G OK
G Nothing moves I must have to cancel?
R cancel what?
R ahh it doesn't actually move until your cursor gets there and you let go of the left button
G Task bar properties
R I don't think you can control the position from there
R is your mouse set cack handed? It’s the 'normal click' you use for everything
G Tick on always on clock and ? top
R no leave that all alone
R close that bit down
R oh I see - yes close everything down apart from this messenger thing
R so yes cancel
R I didn't realise you had that open - bit like the golden shot this...up a bit ---down a bit
G OK have cancelled on task bar what now?
R click on a clear bit of the task bar on the LHS and click and drag to the (middle of) bottom of the screen and then let go - viola!!
R voila that should have been
R come on...you can do it!!
G I think I have not cancelled as ticks are still showing do I select before I cancel
R just cancel anything like that - don't change anything just yet
G Cicked cancel box but no movement?
R click it and drag it - it's the only way....it's how it got there in the first place!!
G Still will not move anything?
R as I said it doesn't actually move until your cursor gets there and you let go of the left button
R got to go maddy's woken up...good luck
G Ok will try you later about 6#30 thanks
R it’s easy once you've done it once(Y)
The next day, he clicked and dragged the taskbar into place and that was the end of that!