Taskbar problem

Something has suddenly changed regarding how, in my Windows 7, the taskbar behaves. I am used to it appearing at the bottom of my opening desktop screen. Fine. Then, when I open programs, like Internet or Word Documents, etc., the taskbar disappears allowing an information bar to appear. On the far right of that is a font zoom giving size percentages, on the left end is a rapidly changing file progress box that ends with "Done" when the program is about to open. Fine. BUT NOW, that opening taskbar STAYS ON THE SCREEN through all programs, covering up that information bar I often need. How do I get that taskbar off the screen after I'm into the programs?

Do you have some 3rd-party desktop/taskbar enhancement product installed? The behavior you describe as what was previously "normal" is unfamiliar to me. Doesn't sound like a standard Win7 option (but then, maybe I just have never seen it before).

If you right-click on the taskbar and select Properties, what is the state of the "auto-hide the taskbar" item on the Taskbar tab? If you want it visible 100% of the time, this box should be un-checked. If you check the item, the taskbar will disappear after a short period of visiblity, unless you move the mouse over where it should be in which case it will re-appear.

As far as the "progress gauge" leading up to the program opening, I've not heard of that before (unless it's something a particular program you have does, or maybe if you've installed some desktop/taskbar "spiffer-upper" product). Same with your "font zoom" item on the right side. Never heard of it.