WINDOWS 1002000 PROFESSIONAL RESOURCE KIT [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

Customizing the Taskbar and Toolbars

Toolbars provide quick access to frequently used functions in programs and utilities such as Internet Explorer, My Computer, My Network Places, the Recycle Bin, and Windows Explorer. Toolbars can be added to the Taskbar (docked) or can float on the desktop (undocked). They can be positioned and resized. The Quick Launch bar, located to the right of the Start button by default, provides easy access to frequently used programs.

Figure 8.4 illustrates the Windows 2000 taskbar and toolbars that can be displayed at the bottom of the desktop.

Figure 8.4 Taskbar and Toolbars on the Windows 2000 Professional Desktop

Considerations for Customizing the Taskbar and Toolbars

When you customize the Windows taskbar or Quick Launch toolbar, or create new toolbars, consider the following:

Decide which files, folders, programs, and Internet shortcuts your workgroup uses most frequently.

Determine the best method of presentation for your workgroup. For example, if your workgroup consists of writers working on a specific Microsoft® Word document, you might want to create a shortcut to Microsoft Word or to that document on the Quick Launch toolbar. If your workgroup regularly accesses a folder of related files, programs, or Internet shortcuts, you might want to create a toolbar containing the contents of that folder and place it on the Windows taskbar or as a floating toolbar on the desktop.

Before you create new toolbars, you need to group the files, programs, and Internet shortcuts that your workgroup uses most frequently into one or more appropriately named folders. A new toolbar consists of the contents of a folder on a local or network drive; Windows 2000 uses the folder name for the toolbar name.

You can simplify a user's or workgroup's access to files, programs, and Internet shortcuts by:

Enabling one or more of the Address, Links, Desktop, and Quick Launch toolbars on the taskbar.

Customizing the Windows taskbar.

Customizing the Quick Launch toolbar.

Creating a new toolbar.

Adding a floating toolbar to the Active Desktop.

Removing a folder or toolbar from the Windows taskbar.

Adding or removing titles and text from taskbar items.

Use the following procedures to customize the Windows taskbar and Quick Launch toolbar and to create new toolbars.

To add an Address box to the taskbar

Right-click anywhere on the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click Address.

To add the contents of the Links folder to the taskbar

Right-click anywhere on the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click Links.

To add all desktop icons to the taskbar

Right-click anywhere on the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click Desktop.

To add the Quick Launch toolbar to the taskbar

Right-click anywhere on the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click Quick Launch.

To customize the Windows 2000 Quick Launch toolbar

Drag a file, folder, program, or Internet shortcut from My Computer or Windows Explorer to the Quick Launch toolbar.

To create a new toolbar

You create a new toolbar by pointing to a folder. The new toolbar will contain icons representing shortcuts to the contents of that folder—files, subfolders, programs, and Internet shortcuts. The name of the toolbar will be the same as the name of the folder.

Right-click the Windows taskbar, point to Toolbars, and then click New Toolbar.

In the New Toolbar dialog box, select the folder for which you want to create a toolbar, and then click OK. Windows 2000 adds the folder as a new toolbar, named for that folder, to the Windows taskbar.

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The easiest way to create a new toolbar on the Windows taskbar is to drag a folder from My Computer or Windows Explorer onto the taskbar. If you want to add the new toolbar as a floating toolbar on the desktop, drag the toolbar from the taskbar to the desktop.

To add a floating toolbar to the desktop

Drag the toolbar from the Windows taskbar to the desktop.

To remove a folder or toolbar from the Windows taskbar

On the Windows taskbar, right-click the toolbar name, and then click Close.

To add or remove titles and text from taskbar items

Right-click a clear area on the Windows taskbar, and then click Show Text or Show Title.

You can use Group Policy settings or a combination of Group Policy settings to control access to the taskbar and toolbar options. Table 8.5 and Table 8.6 list and describe each Group Policy setting.

Other Group Policy settings you enforce can affect taskbar Group Policy settings. For additional information, right-click the Group Policy setting, click Properties, and then click the Explain tab, or refer to the Group Policy Reference on the Windows 2000 Resource Kit companion CD.

The Group Policy settings listed in Table 8.5 are located in the Group Policy snap-in under Local Computer PolicyUser ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesStart Menu & Taskbar.

Table 8.5 Group Policy Settings That Can Affect the Taskbar

The Group Policy settings listed in Table 8.6 are located in the Group Policy snap-in under Local Computer PolicyUser ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesDesktop.

Table 8.6 Group Policy Settings That Can Affect Toolbars and the Taskbar