14th November 2001

The taskbar starts on one side of the screen and stretches to the other; this dynamic manager occupies finite space. What happens when we cram too many programs into it? Unfortunately, our monitor doesn't get any bigger. Instead, each program's allocated taskbar space is decreased (equally). We've all seen it happen before - this is nothing new. However, Windows XP can group open program windows for you automatically (adding a vertical dimension to your taskbar). At which point do you want to start stacking those apps? Let Windows know! Fire up your Registry editor and find your way to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Advanced. You may need to create a new DWORD value with the label "TaskbarGroupSize" (sans quotes). Double-click this newly created entry to edit its properties. Again, how many windows need to be open before they form a cluster? Too few and you could be grouping prematurely. Too many and you could be rendering the option useless. I'd imagine that your Web browser, Microsoft Word, the Windows Explorer, and Notepad will rack up the most miles on your machine. Keep that in mind when you go to set the number.