Vista's taskbar and Start menu control the programs and activities that a computer is working on. Understanding the functions of and being able to customize the taskbar and Start menu are essential skills for all computer users.

• Windows Taskbar
  
  Windows's taskbar displays the Start Menu icon, Quick Launch icons, all programs that are open, the notification area, and the time.
  
  The Quick Launch toolbar enables programs to be launched with a single click. Any program can be added by simply dragging the program's icon onto the Quick Launch toolbar or by right clicking the program's icon and selecting Add to Quick Launch.
  
  The Quick Launch toolbar also has an icon called Show Desktop, which hides all open windows and displays the desktop, and a Switch between windows button which opens the Windows Flip 3D tool and allows a window to be selected and opened. The various windows can be cycled by pressing the and Tab keys. Windows can also be cycled through and selected using the more classic XP version by pressing the Alt and Tab keys.

The notification area displays icons that provide access to certain settings or the status of an operating system tool or a program. When the mouse pointer is over an icon, information about that particular icon will be displayed. Right clicking an option will diplay all possible options, and double clicking an option will open up that program or setting window.

Sometimes an icon in the notification area will display a pop-up window that will notify a user about an aspect of the system, such as wireless networks being available or new hardware being added. The notification area can be customized by right clicking anywhere on the taskbar selecting Properties from the pop-up menu, and selecting the Notification Area tab. The notification area can be customized by hiding inactive icons and by selecting to show or not show any of the notification icons.

The taskbar can be customized by right clicking on the Start menu, selecting Properties, and selecting the taskbar tab. There are six options available:

• Lock the taskbar so that it cannot be resized or unlock it.
• Auto-hide the taskbar so that it disappears unless the mouse pointer is over it or always have it on the desktop.
• Keep the taskbar on top of all other windows or have other windows cover it.
• Group similar taskbar buttons into one dropdown list or have all buttons displayed on the taskbar.
• Show or remove Quick Launch icons.
• Show window previews displays a thumbnail picture of running applications when the mouse pointer is over a button or just display a text title of the application.

• Windows Start Menu
  
  The Windows Vista and Windows 7 Start menus are similar to XP's start menu, but they have a few differences beyond the 3D aspect of the buttons. There are options for locking the computer, putting it into low-power sleep mode, along with all shut down or log off options that are available without having to open the Turn Off Computer window and selecting them from a drop down list. Programs are also easier to open with a single click instead of the double click.
  
  Windows Start menu can be customized by right clicking on the Start menu and selecting Properties. The first option that is available is to switch between the Classic Start menu which is similar XP's menu and customize it, or to stick with the Windows menu and customize it. Customization provides users to change options for how current icons are displayed, and provides options to remove the icons currently showing or to add icons such as:
• Favorites
• Printers
• Run Command
• System Administrative Tools
• The number of recent programs that will be displayed
• The browser other than IE
• An email program other than Windows Mail

Customization also allows users to enable dragging and dropping of menu or submenu options to other locations on the Start menu, highlight newly installed programs on the Start menu, open submenus when the mouse pointer is paused on them, and make the Start menu icons larger.

Two other options available in the Start Menu Properties window are to store and diplay recently opened files or to not store and display them. This option is also available for recently opened programs.