My Windows XP taskbar has decided to stop showing window buttons of
running applications. The rest of the taskbar runs smoothly:
Start-button, shortcuts and info panel work perfectly. Only the
buttons representing the running tasks are not visible!

What I already tried:
- Resizing/moving the taskbar in the hope that it is just some weird
display problem (e.g. the buttons might have been hidden "behind"
other taskbar elements)
- Using all directly available options such as "unlock taskbar",
"add/remove iconbars", "group elements" and so on.
- Deactivating all special icon bars such as the windows media player
and google deskbar icon bars.
- Checking the Microsoft Knowledge Base for an answer

So my question is: Where do I find an option like "display tasks in
the taskbar" or where do I find windows registry entries that might
help me solve my problem?

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 20 Mar 2006 16:07 PST

cdtmguy...

I've found some evidence that the MS Language Bar can cause this
problem. Do you know if it's enabled? Try going into the Control
Panel, and, under Language Settings, uncheck "Show language bar
on desktop".

Let me know if that works...

sublime1-ga

---

Request for Question Clarification by pinkfreud-ga on 20 Mar 2006 16:14 PST

This happened to me several months ago. A registry-tweaking script
from Kelly's Korner fixed my problem. You can download the script here
(240. Programs Aren't Minimized in the Taskbar):

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm 

Please let me know if this works for you.

---

Clarification of Question by cdtmguy-ga on 21 Mar 2006 02:45 PST

Dear sublime1,

following your remarks I deactivated the MS language bar and rebooted
the system. Unfortunately, the taskbar program buttons still don't
show up.

CDTMguy

---

Clarification of Question by cdtmguy-ga on 21 Mar 2006 02:50 PST

Dear pinkfreud,

the script you suggested helped me fix the problem. How can I mark
your "clarification request" as an "answer"?

Thanks for the help,

CDTMguy

---

Request for Question Clarification by sublime1-ga on 21 Mar 2006 12:06 PST

CDTMguy...

Pinkfreud will finalize the question by posting her information
in the Answer box, now that you've confirmed her suggestion.

---

Clarification of Question by cdtmguy-ga on 21 Mar 2006 12:11 PST

Ok. Great. Thanks sublime1 for the clarification!

Many thanks to my colleague sublime1 for letting me know that you
wanted me to post the answer to this question. I post many comments
each day, and sometimes I lose track.

I'm delighted to learn that my suggestion was useful! Kelly's Korner
is a wonderful resource for registry edits and scripts. I am reluctant
to use scripts that come from unverifiable Internet sources, but I've
always found Kelly's site to be a source of trustworthy files.

For the record, I'm reposting the link:

Kelly's Corner: Registry Edits for Windows XP
240. Programs Aren't Minimized in the Taskbar
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm 

Best regards,
pinkfreud

Thanks for this very nice and quick answer. Thanks also for the link.
You definitely saved me a lot of time (and opportunity costs ;-)).

Thank you for the kind words, the five stars, and the generous tip!

~pinkfreud