taskbar gone

my taskbar is gone!!
i tried using that taskbar repair tool but because my computer is windows 2000 it wont work
i tried a restart and still nothing

any ideas?

 

If the taskbar is hidden, click Start, point to Settings, click Taskbar & Start Menu, and then clear the Auto hide check box.

If you have temporarily hidden the taskbar by dragging the top edge down, drag the visible edge upward to redisplay the taskbar.

 

i am using windows 2000 and i cant find that option in the control panel

 

What Cat is describing is not in Control Panel. If you can't see the Start button, since it's part of the taskbar, press the CTRL and the ESC key at the same time to bring up the task bar and go from there with Cat's advice. OBTW, I'm using Win2000 so what Cat describes is the same for Win2000.

 

ctrl + esc doesn't do anything for me

 

Try using the Windows key http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/key/ to get the start menu visible again and then go to settings on the menu. Go into the task bar and menus settings. Check the autohide checkbox and then repeat the whole process again except this time clearing/unchecking it.

See if it brings it back.

Steve

 

Here is Microsoft's link for key shortcuts, didn't realize there were that many.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449
Bug

 

i dont have a windows key its an IBM thinkpad laptop and its designed for windows xp (currently running win2000) but it doesn't have a windows key

 

Does your keyboard look like the one below? The "Windows" key is the second one over to the left of the spacebar (kind of a wavy emblem).

You will have to click on the image to be able to see it.

 

yes i know what it looks like...heres what my keyboard looks like...this is not actually mine, just a pic i pulled off google

http://www.nbook.ru/at/ibm_thinkpad_t30_a31/52508.jpg

 

OK. A friend of mine has a model close to that, never noticed it didn't have a windows key.

Click Ctrl+Alt+Delete at the same time to bring up Task Manager and select File > New Task and type explorer.exe

See if the taskbar returns.

Steve

 

that was the first thing i did because this happened before when i accidentally closed explorer.exe i've restarted it several times and still nothing

 

Do you have Desktop icons showing?

Steve

 

yes everything is there except for the taskbar

 

Put the cursor at the very bottom of the screen and see if you get a arrow symbol, like you are resizing something. You might have to move it up and down a couple of times for it to change.

If you see it change to the arrow just left-click, hold it and move it up. See if it brings the taskbar up.

Steve

 

Even though ThinkPads are so infuriating in their keyboard layout and available keys, pressing and holding the Ctrl key and then pressing the Esc key while keeping the Ctrl key down, should bring up the start menu, although you still won't be able to see the taskbar. Then you go to "Settings" and then to "Taskbar and Start Menu" and uncheck Autohide. Of course, if the taskbar IS autohiding, taking the mouse to the bottom of the screen (or wherever you normally have your taskbar if not at the bottom) should cause it to pop back into view so that is a quick way to test if Autohide is on.

Much more likely though, I would think, that you've accidentally grabbed the taskbar with the mouse and either shrunk and hidden it along the bottom of the screen or perhaps moved and shrunk it against another edge of the screen. Try as Steve suggested at the bottom of the screen and if that doesn't work, try along the sides and along the top and see if the black two-headed arrow shows up in one of them. If it does, you've found your taskbar and just need to resize it as Steve described by dragging the arrow in towards the middle of the screen. After resizing it so you can see it, you can move it back to the bottom if you have moved it elsewhere.

 

ctrl+esc does nothing and i don't think i accidentally hid it because when my cursor is at the bottom it doesn't change at all