XP Taskbar operation

Under XP, when there are many documnts open,
XP groups all the documents opened by the
same application as one taskbar icon. For
example, all open Word documents are grouped
under one 'Word' icon on the taskbar.

To access one of these documents, you have to
first click on the Word icon on the taskbar and
then click on the desired document.

Is there a way to avoid the first step? That is,
I'd like the taskbar icon to open (drop up)
automatically when I place the mouse cursor
on it. Is there such an option in XP?
Alternately, are you aware of any utility
program that can provide this feature for XP?

Hi Robert,

I know how frustrating this can be. Perhaps there is a way to do this, but I have started using a piece of software called ObjectDock, you can download the free version from www.objectdock.com

what it gives you is an interface which can replace your quick quicklaunch toolbar completely with something very similar to what you get on an apple mac. It forms a toolbar which you can position on any side of the screen displaying whatever shortcuts you like. When you hover over them they enlarge your selection and also partially enlarge icons to either side.

Apart from looking very funky and allowing you to free up your taskbar completely, it also displays icons for every application and document you have open. When you minimize a word document or web page, it replaces the icon with a mini screenshot of the item, making it easier to identify which document you want to use. I would highly recommend it!

Another application I installed recently was the MSN Search bar. This can be configured to use whatever search engine you prefer (I am using google.co.uk on mine). Rather than opening new windows for every web page you go to, it can create a new tab along the top of the internet explorer page. This means that only one Internet Explorer window is displayed on the taskbar. Internet Explorer 7 will have this feature built-in and the Mozilla Firefox already uses it.

While these may not answer your question directly, I've found that a combination of these two keeps my taskbar tidy.

Hope this helps!

Mark