The taskbar contains several sections. At the left edge is the Start button (the button with the word "Start" and the Windows logo). Clicking this button opens the Start menu, which you can use to start up Windows applications, open documents, get help, and much more.

Immediately to the right of the Start button is the Quick Launch toolbar. You can click the leftmost button to launch the Internet Explorer browser. The button immediately to its right starts the Outlook Express program for sending and managing email and reading Internet newsgroups. The third button is Windows Media Player, and then the Desktop icon, plus various others. These icon allow you to launch programs with a single click.

In the center section of the taskbar is a button for each program and folder that your system is currently running or has open on the desktop. These task buttons not only provide a running status report on your working environment, but they also give you a quick means of switching from one folder or application to the next: Whenever you click a task button, Windows immediately activates the window or program. You can click the task button a second time to minimize the window you just activated.

When you first start Windows, this middle section of the taskbar will probably be empty. As you begin opening folder windows and starting programs, however, the taskbar will grow a bit more crowded. When the taskbar becomes full, Windows starts shrinking task buttons every time you open a new folder window or application. Eventually, you won't be able to see the full names of the windows and applications on the buttons. When this happens, you can let the mouse pointer hover over a button until a small ToolTip window appears with the full text of the item.

The far right section of the taskbar is called the system tray. It usually contains a clock with the current time. To display the current date, hold the mouse pointer over the clock. You can change the time or date by double-clicking the clock. Or you can get rid of the clock altogether. The system tray can also hold icons for various utility programs, such as the program that handles your connection to the Internet or the one that monitors the status of your battery on a laptop computer.