You’re probably used to seeing the taskbar at the bottom of the desktop, because that’s where Windows installs it by default and where the majority of users leave it. Configure it properly, and you may never open the Windows Start menu again! Moving the Taskbar
In this regard, the taskbar becomes a one-click area to access both your favorite apps and your open apps.
What’s new in Windows 7 is the capability of the taskbar to display buttons not just for open apps and documents, but also for your favorite applications�even when they’re not running. The Windows 7 taskbar still provides program switching, but it does a whole lot more. Every open application or document had its own button on the taskbar, but if nothing was open, the taskbar was empty. In Windows Vista, Windows XP, and older versions of the operating system, the taskbar existed primarily to help you switch from one open application or document to another. It’s still the taskbar, but it’s not quite the same taskbar you used to use in previous versions of Windows.
Well, the taskbar looks a little different in Windows 7, and it has a lot more functionality. You know the Windows taskbar it’s that little strip of real estate at the bottom of the Windows desktop. Microsoft Windows 7 Your Way: Speed Up and Customize Windows