Member Avatar for Rex2

Using Win XP Pro, one day the appearance of minimized applications (in the toolbar at the base of the screen) ceased. They are still accessible using Alt/Tab but not are not visible. Is there a solution? :(

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by mikesta

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Short summary tied to the thread: described an XP taskbar that stopped showing open-window buttons while Alt+Tab still worked. offered a script and reported it fixed the problem. For readers who want a safer, manual path or an explanation of what likely happened, the steps below cover quick checks and progressively deeper fixes.

First, quick visual/toolbars check (most common and safest):
Right‑click an empty area of the taskbar and make sure "Lock the Taskbar" is unchecked. Check the Toolbars submenu and uncheck any toolbars (Address, Links, etc.) that might be consuming the button area. Look for the small dotted separators on the taskbar and drag them — an over‑large Quick Launch or toolbar can hide the window buttons. Also open Taskbar Properties and verify grouping/combination settings.

Restart Explorer and test in Safe Mode:
If the above doesn't help, restart the shell: open Task Manager, End Process on explorer.exe, then use File → New Task and run explorer.exe. If the buttons return after a restart or reboot, good. If the taskbar is fine in Safe Mode, a third‑party shell extension or recently installed program is likely interfering. Use Autoruns (Sysinternals) or uninstall recent utilities to isolate the culprit.

If it’s per-user or persistent:
Create a new user account to check whether the problem is only in that profile. If the new profile works, the per‑user Explorer settings are corrupted — use System Restore or rebuild the profile after backing up data. Always back up the registry and create a restore point before editing keys or running fixes. Avoid running untrusted scripts without scanning them; the community script likely reset taskbar settings and restarted Explorer, which is what the manual steps above accomplish. XP is end‑of‑life — consider updating the system for security and better long‑term stability.

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Member Avatar for chrisbliss18

Download the zip file that is attached in my post. You will find a file named "xp_taskbar_desktop_fixall.vbs" inside the zip archive. After you unzip this file, double-click on it to execute it. Windows might warn you that a script is trying to run. Allow it to run and follow the instructions that the program gives.

xp_taskbar_desktop_fixall.zip (0.98 KB)
Member Avatar for mikesta

A user had the same problem this fix works!

Thanks

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