Why Is My Taskbar & Start Button Not There?

[offamychain]

I'll try to explain this as best as I can, but it's pretty odd. I can usually figure stuff out pretty well on Windows, but this one's got me bum-fuzzled.

Okay, on this main machine, which has nothing wrong with it, I usually copy most stuff over to a different HD about every 3 or 4 months & then do a reformat, just so I can start fresh. Never had a problem before. This time, I did the reformat & reload, and I didn't have a task-bar at the bottom. So, I did it AGAIN with the same results.

The bar is not just "hiding" down there...you know how sometimes you can put your cursor at the bottom of the screen & it will let you grab the edge of the bar & move it up so you can see it. Tried that...dozens of times. There's nothing there but the bottom of the screen.

It's not monitor settings, already did the full range of H & V sizing & positioning. The cursor doesn't go OFF the screen, it just goes to the very bottom & stops, like it's suppose to. Same with the left & the top.

But here's an extra little kicker thrown in. The screen is about twice as WIDE as it should be. The cursor will move completely off of the right-hand side of the screen & judging by the amount of mouse movement it takes to get it back on, I'm guessing that it's going about 4-6 inches over there where I can't see.

Once again, the monitor settings simply make the part of the screen that I CAN see bigger or smaller. It doesn't "pull" the right-hand (invisible) part back.There is at least one icon over there, because after the reformat, I was able to blindly grab the "Network" icon & move it over where it's supposed to be. I feel like my taskbar & start button are over there also, but haven't been able to blindly click & make anything happen.

Since I already tried twice, I've been using various methods to get stuff to work, like using "My Computer" to start up programs & "Task Manager" to shut the system down. And to make it even worse, I can't minimize anything. If I do, it disappears, never to be seen again---probaly over there on the right-hand side that I can't see. It doesn't kill the process though, it still runs.

Last couple things...my "Taskbar & Start Menu" icon in "Control Panel" does nothing. I can click on it & it'll display a "working" cursor for just a second, then...nothing.

The only thing that is any different on this computer is that I switched from on-board video to a decent AGP card. IT HAS NOT been reformatted since, so I went from the on-board, to the AGP, then loaded the necessary drivers for the new card.

This time, however, it was reformatted using the NEW card, thus, Windows started fresh WITHOUT the drivers. It did work however, only with the odd screen. I then loaded the AGP drivers & everything was like it was supposed to be, except the screen.

Anybody understand what I'm trying to describe?? Anybody know how to "shrink" the screen & get my Taskbar back?? I'm at a loss. I'd rather not reformat again, since I've already reloaded a bunch of stuff, but I'll eventually have to if I can't figure this out.

All I can figure is that somehow Windows needed to be loaded fresh using the on-board graphics & then switch to the new card. Don't know.

Thanks in advance for any help.

Custom-made system using FIC AM-37 board, XP2600+ CPU, DDR333, WinXp-Home.

[offamychain]

Re: Why Is My Taskbar & Start Button Not There?

Never mind. I just figured it out......sorta. I decided to leave this here in case anyone ran into the same problem. Under "Display Properties" & "Settings", there were 2 choices at bottom:

1. Use this as my primary monitor.
2. Extend my desktop onto this monitor.

Both were checked when you selected the AGP card, which is how it should be. But, #2 was checked when you select the on-board, which wasn't right.

I think it was assuming that I had two monitors & was trying to set up a dual display. My missing stuff was over there on the 2nd monitor that I wasn't using.

I unchecked the on-board, hit "Apply", & BOOM...there's my Taskbar right where it should be. My cursor won't go off the screen like it use to now either.

That was getting irritating.

[PrairieDawg]

Re: Why Is My Taskbar & Start Button Not There?

I'm going to make a guess that your video card has dual monitor abilities and that for some reason it is being installed with a second phantom monitor enabled. The monitor that you are currently looking at is not the one that is set as "primary". If you can go into your display properties and change the primary monitor to the one that is actually hooked up then disable the phantom monitor your problem will be solved. .... just a guess.

Edit: hmm... that's twice tonight on 2 separate forums that someone answered the problem at the same time I was typing .... gotta learn to type faster I suppose.

[offamychain]

Re: Why Is My Taskbar & Start Button Not There?

I'm going to make a guess that your video card has dual monitor abilities and that for some reason it is being installed with a second phantom monitor enabled. The monitor that you are currently looking at is not the one that is set as "primary". If you can go into your display properties and change the primary monitor to the one that is actually hooked up then disable the phantom monitor your problem will be solved. .... just a guess.

Edit: hmm... that's twice tonight on 2 separate forums that someone answered the problem at the same time I was typing .... gotta learn to type faster I suppose.

You were most likely correct anyway. The monitor WAS picked as "primary" for the AGP, but it was also telling Windows to extend the screen onto the monitor that wasn't there. That's why my mouse would go off the right-hand side of the screen.

I never had used a dual set-up before, but if I knew that's what was happening, I would have plugged another monitor in just to play with it.

However, now it's fixed, so I ain't taking it back like it was. :) :) :)