Start button on the task bar on my Vista laptop stops responding.

Windows 7/Vista:

1. To check current Memory usage on a Windows 7/Vista computer, right click on Task Bar (Task Bar is the Grey/Blue bar at the bottom of the screen) then left click on "Start Task Manager". You will see "Windows Task Manager" window. ...
2. Click on "Performance" tab within "Windows Task Manager

Right click (hit right mouse button) on task bar and click to lock task bar and uncheck hide task bar. If you cannot right click on time before it disappears move pointer to the bottom of screen and it should reappear. Than follow above steps. If all else fails restart computer clicking on the F8 key repeatedly until start menu comes up , choose safe mode and when the computer starts up your task bar should remain in place, follow above steps to unhindered it permanently and reboot the computer it will start back up in normal mode and your task bar should be "fixed"

The task bar is an important part of the Windows experience. Not only does it contain a variety of information including what time it is and how much battery life is left it's the way most Windows users open programs and documents. As such, the task bar disappearing is a stressful thing, but fixing this problem on your own is possible.

Auto-Hide Sometimes you may think your task bar has disappeared, but it's really just been set to "auto-hide." Move your mouse to the bottom of the screen and see if it pops up automatically. Then check all four sides of the screen. If the task bar was simply auto-hiding, disable this feature by right-clicking the task bar, clicking "Properties" and unchecking "Auto-hide the Taskbar." b> Reboot b> If your task bar disappears, and auto-hide isn't the culprit, the first thing you should do is reboot your computer this fixes the problems in most instances. Only one problem: because your task bar disappeared you can't access the "Start" menu in order to shut down the computer. Instead press "Alt," "Ctrl," and "Delete" at the same time and press "Restart" in the window that pops up after doing so. Your computer should restart, and in most cases your task bar should come back when it restarts. b> More Options b> If rebooting doesn't fix cause the task bar to reappear, your computer might have a problem starting explorer.exe, the program that displays the task bar and desktop icons in Windows. Press "Ctrl," "Shift," and "Esc" at the same time to bring up the System Manager. Then click "File," followed by "New Task (Run)" and type "explorer.exe" in the dialogue box that pops up. You now have your task bar and desktop icons back. Reboot to see if they stick around after rebooting. If not, repeat the process in the above paragraph. When you have you task bar back click "Start," then "Programs," then "Accessories," then "System Tools" and then "System Restore." Restore the computer to a time when everything was working fine by clicking that date on the calendar. Reboot to see if this fixes the problem. If none of this brought back your task bar permanently it may be time to run a repair install. Change My Task Bar b> In Windows operating systems, the taskbar shows your currently active windows and programs, shortcuts to your favorite programs, the time, your volume control, active programs and the "Start" button. You may want to change the taskbar so it has a different look or to customize it to suit your needs when using your computer. Windows XP users have fewer options than Windows Vista or Windows 7 users, but all operating system owners can make changes to the taskbar.

Right-click in your taskbar. Left-click on "Lock the taskbar" if it is currently checked. Otherwise, click back onto the taskbar. Click on any empty area of the taskbar. Drag the taskbar to the position (bottom, top, left or right side of the screen) you desire, and release it. Re the taskbar by moving your cursor to where the taskbar ends. Your cursor will change to a two-way arrow. Left-click and drag the taskbar until it reaches the you want. Move your cursor over the series of separator bumps between the Start button and the Quick Launch menu, and the Quick Launch menu and the active programs section of the taskbar, to alter the of the Quick Launch menu and the active programs area. Right-click the taskbar, and left-click on "Lock the taskbar" once you've completed the changes you wish to make. b> Change Taskbar Options b> Right-click on the taskbar, and left-click on "Properties." Modify the taskbar settings so that it appears the way you like. You can decide whether to show the Quick Launch menu (a series of icons for your most commonly used programs), to show thumbnails for your active programs in Windows 7 and Windows Vista and to group similar active programs, and to automatically hide the taskbar or to always have it on top of other windows. Click on the "Notification" tab in Windows 7 or Vista to modify the way the notification area to the far right appears. Stay on the taskbar tab in Windows XP. Hide inactive icons, and decide which information to show, including the clock or the volume, power and network icons in Windows 7 and Vista. Click on the "Customize" button to specify which programs or notifications should always show, never show or grow inactive with disuse. Click on the "Toolbars" tab in Windows 7 or Vista to specify which toolbars you wish to see in the taskbar. Your options will vary according to the programs you have installed on your computer but may include the Quick Launch, address bar and links toolbars. Click the "Apply" button, then "OK" once you have made the changes you desire. Hope this helps.

There are several ways.

• While logged in, press ctrl + alt + del, select task manager from menu
• Right click on an empty area of the task bar and select task manager
• In Windows Vista/7 click the window button and type taskmgr and hit enter, windows xp click start button, run and type taskmgr, in Windows 8 hit Windows Key + r then type taskmgr.

Please follow the given steps to relaunch the Start Menu and Taskbar:

1. Press Ctrl + Alt + Del or Ctrl + Shift + Esc to bring the Task Manager.
2. Go to Processes TAB
3. Find explorer.exe and select it
4. Click End Process (Button at Bottom Right Corner)
5. Click File Menu and Select New Task (File-->New Task(Run))
6. type in explorer and press ok

This is a simple fix in windows vista or windows 7. hit the keys CTRL+ALT+DELETE simultaneously and release. The screen that comes up click on Start Task Manager.

In the task manager window click on Processes Tab. Look for explorer.exe and highlight it and click End Process. Click Yes to stop it. When it is gone from the list, click the Applications tab and click on New Task. In the run box that pops up, type in explorer.exe and click OK or hit Enter. Once your task bar and icons repair look in the system tray area by the clock and the missing icons should now be there.

mine does this with windows 7, right click on desktop and open 'personalize' then open 'taskbar and start menu'
From here choose to move your taskbar location to the side of the screen and click apply. it should return, then just tell it to go back to the bottom.

Hit the start button and type "taskmgr". That should bring up your task manager.

Sounds like a registry problem. Are you running XP or Vista? When you go to task manager, click on File /Run. Type the word "explorer" without the quotes...Does the start bar come up?

When you see the task bar, right click on it and set it the way you want it to work.