On my WinXP Pro laptop, I'd like to place a few icons on the lower left taskbar,
next to the Start Menu. Unlocking the taskbar and dragging a shortcut and dropping
it on the taskbar doesn't do it. What am I doing wrong?

Also, how do I make a shortcut so I can put an icon on the taskbar that I can click
to bring me back to the desktop?

Thanks!
Scott

Bozena wrote:
> On my WinXP Pro laptop, I'd like to place a few icons on the lower left taskbar,
> next to the Start Menu. Unlocking the taskbar and dragging a shortcut and dropping
> it on the taskbar doesn't do it. What am I doing wrong?
>
> Also, how do I make a shortcut so I can put an icon on the taskbar that I can click
> to bring me back to the desktop?
>
> Thanks!
> Scott

You can place the Quick Launch toolbar on the Taskbar and add preferred
shortcuts to it. It usually includes the "Show Desktop" shortcut.

--
Joe =o)

"Bozena" <bo@bozena.biz> wrote in message news:dsvfk.1334$_J5.44@newsfe02.iad...
> On my WinXP Pro laptop, I'd like to place a few icons on the lower left
> taskbar,
> next to the Start Menu. Unlocking the taskbar and dragging a shortcut and
> dropping
> it on the taskbar doesn't do it. What am I doing wrong?
>
> Also, how do I make a shortcut so I can put an icon on the taskbar that I can
> click
> to bring me back to the desktop?
>
> Thanks!
> Scott
>


Have you enabled the Quick Launch toolbar? Right click on your Taskbar and
select Properties from the menu. On the Taskbar page make sure Show Quick Launch
is checked.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

On Wed, 16 Jul 2008 18:25:43 -0500, in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers "Bozena" <bo@bozena.biz> wrote:

> On my WinXP Pro laptop, I'd like to place a few icons on the lower left taskbar,
> next to the Start Menu. Unlocking the taskbar and dragging a shortcut and dropping
> it on the taskbar doesn't do it. What am I doing wrong?


You are mixing up the task bar and the quick launch bar. They are two
different things. Although by default, the quick launch bar resides
*on* the task bar, it doesn't have to be there and the quick launch
bar can be dragged off it and docked on another side of the screen.

If the quick launch bar isn't visible, right click on an unused part
of the task bar, click toolbars, then quick launch.


> Also, how do I make a shortcut so I can put an icon on the taskbar


Again, that's the quick launch bar, *not* the task bar.


> that I can click
> to bring me back to the desktop?


Create a text file in Notepad as follows:

[Shell]
Command=2
IconFile=explorer.exe,3
[Taskbar]
Command=ToggleDesktop

Save it as Show Desktop.scf then drag it to the Quick launch bar.
Or just click on this link:

Restore/Add Show Desktop to Quick Launch (Line 61)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

Also note that you can do this with a keyboard shortcut: the
combination of the Windows key + D or the Windows key + M.

--
Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP - Windows Desktop Experience
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