I have been using Windows 7 RTM for almost a month and while everything else was in line with expectations, one thing made my work a little bit more demanding than it was before.  You are already guessing, it is a new Windows 7 taskbar, that replaced old-fashioned taskbar that originated back then with Windows 95.

At first Win7 taskbar seemed cool: grouping, Aero Peek preview, effects and so on are fun to observe. But when it comes to productivity, especially when you are used to work with a number of programs opened, then new taskbar will force you to work harder.

Previously, in times of Windows XP and Vista, I used to stretch the taskbar to occupy two rows, which enabled me good overview of the stuff running and combining it with Quick Launch toolbar, it was perfect.  Now, with Windows 7 that is not possible anymore.

Worried, I have been looking for a solution and luckily, it was a success. Here are the steps that will get you back the Vista taskbar:

Right click somewhere on the taskbar and select Properties. Now, select the following options:

  1. Check “Use small icons”
  2. Select “Never combine” from the “Taskbar buttons” combobox.

Windows 7 original:

before

And the settings and the taskbar after:

after

So far so good.

Where Is My Quick Launch Toolbar?

Yep, the Quick Launch toolbar is also missing. To get it to its place, please follow:

  1. Right click the taskbar, go to Toolbars, choose New Toolbar.
  2. In the field Folder paste exactly this text: %SystemDrive%\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch, then press Select folder button.
  3. The Quick Launch toolbar is now on the taskbar.
  4. If the taskbar is locked, unlock it and then right click the Quick Launch toolbar. Uncheck “Show Text”, “Show Title”.
  5. Arrange the toolbars.

And voila, here we have it:

quicklaunch

Move Windows Live Messenger to Tray

This one is also an annoyance. Messenger stays glued to Windows taskbar, no matter is it active or not.

To resolve this, find Windows Live Messenger shortcut, then right click it to bring forth the Properties window. Go to the tab Compatibility and choose to run the program in the Vista compatibility mode. Restart Messenger and now it should reside in the tray.

That is it. Windows 7 as we like it.