The taskbar includes the Start menu, taskbar buttons, a shortcut menu, and a status area.
The Start menu contains commands that can be used to access programs, documents, and settings. The Start menu items are Programs, Documents, Settings, Find, Help, Run, and Shut Down.
A window button is placed on the taskbar whenever an application creates a unowned primary window. To switch to a window, simply click its window button.
To open the shortcut menu, click the taskbar with the right mouse button. The shortcut menu includes commands to cascade windows, tile windows, minimize all windows, and set taskbar properties.
Applications can put icons in the status area to indicate the status of an operation or to notify the user about an event. For example, an application might put a printer icon in the status area to show that a print job is under way. The status area is at the right end of the taskbar (if the taskbar has a horizontal orientation) or at the bottom (if the taskbar has a vertical orientation). The status area will also contain the current time if the Show Clock check box is selected in the taskbar properties.