task pane, new in XP, occupies the left side of an Explorer window and provides useful commands and links to related locations. Use it to move, copy, or email files; play music; jump to other folders quickly; or get file and folder details, for example (Figure 5.4). The task pane is displayed by default; if space is tight you can hide it.
To show or hide the task pane:
1. In Windows Explorer, choose Tools > Folder Options > General tab.
or
Choose Start > Control Panel > Appearance and Themes > Folder Options > General tab.
2. Select a Tasks option (Figure 5.5).
3. Click OK (or Apply).
Tips
The task pane is on or off globally; you can't have it appear in some windows but not others.
Any displayed Explorer bar replaces the task pane. You can't resize the task pane as you can the Folders or Search bar.
The task pane's Details section (at bottom) acts like a stripped-down Properties dialog box for the selected file or folder. If multiple files are selected, the number of selected files and their total size are displayed.
You may have to scroll the task pane to see the lower sections.
To expand or collapse a task-pane section, click the double arrow in the section's top-right corner.