I am unable to move the taskbar in Vista even though the taskbar window shows it is not locked. Thoughts appreciated.

You don't specify your Operating System, but on Windows 7 you should be able to just drag icons from one place to another on the taskbar, even if the taskbar is locked (right-click an empty space on the taskbar to see if it's locked or not).

Step 1:
Has your Windows taskbar suddenly moved to the side of your desktop screen or even to the top? This can be very disruptive to your daily computing, which may mean a loss of productivity at work. Your taskbar could have moved because of a glitch in programming or an inadvertent mouse click while you were focused on something else. The latter is more common and is usually the result of an unlocked taskbar.

Older Windows Operating Systems Windows 98, Windows ME, Windows XP and Windows Vista all utilize similar solutions for this problem. For the quickest route to returning the taskbar to the bottom of the screen, first place your mouse pointer over empty space on your taskbar (space not occupied by an icon or a button indicating an open program) and right-click. Look near the bottom of the menu that appears for the "Lock the Taskbar" listing, and make sure there is no check mark next to the listing. If there is a check mark, it means the taskbar is locked and cannot be moved, so click on the listing to deselect (and unlock) it. With your mouse pointer again over an empty space on the taskbar, click and hold the left mouse button and then move the mouse pointer to the bottom of the screen. When you release the left mouse button, your taskbar should have moved. As long as the taskbar is unlocked, you can also vary its height. Hold the mouse pointer over the upper edge of the taskbar until it becomes a double arrow (pointing up and down). Then click and hold while you drag the upper edge of the taskbar to the you desire. Once you have the taskbar where you want it, remember to lock it again by selecting the listing on the right-click taskbar menu.

Another option is to visit the Microsoft Windows website and download and run an automatic "Fix it" program, which should take care of programming issues. Windows 7
There are three options for moving the taskbar in the Windows 7 operating system. The first option involves right-clicking on an empty space in the taskbar and then navigating to the "Properties" menu (look near the center of the menu) to set the location of your taskbar on your screen. This menu also allows you to change or establish a number of other default settings relating to your Start menu and taskbar. The second option is exactly the same as the first process given for the Windows operating systems previously mentioned. And again, to prevent the format you have established from changing, lock the taskbar by right-clicking on an empty space of the taskbar and selecting "Lock the Taskbar" from the menu. The third option is a bit more involved and requires downloading registry files (files ending in ".reg"), saving them to your desktop and then double-clicking on them to merge them with your operating system. The files can be deleted after use.
Microsoft online support
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/253679

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.

Hi goldenhead36

Right click on the taskbar and untick 'Lock Taskbar'. You should be able to drag and drop now.

Does this help?

First, right-click the taskbar. If "Lock the Taskbar" has a check mark next to it, the taskbar is locked. You can unlock it by clicking "Lock the Taskbar" again. Then, click an empty space on the taskbar, hold and drag the taskbar to one of the four edges of the desktop. When the taskbar is where you want it, release the mouse button.

Right click on your "sidebar" and clikc on the "lock the taskbar taskbar"

left click on an open area of your "sidebar" and drag it to the bottom of the screen.

Right click an open area on your new ":taskbar" and select "lock the taskbar".

Enjoy.

it might be your taskbar is on auto hide try this



Show or hide the taskbar Applies to all editions of Windows Vista.
The taskbar is usually located at the bottom of your screen. It looks like this:
Taskbar
You can hide the taskbar to create more space. If you don't see the taskbar anywhere on the screen, it might be hidden.
Hide allShow allHide all To show the taskbar
• If the taskbar is hidden, point to where you last saw it to show it again. If you can't remember where you last saw it, try pointing to the bottom of the screen first, and then to the side or top of the screen, if necessary. You might need to move the pointer almost off the screen to show the taskbar.
To hide the taskbar
1. Open Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Clear the Lock the taskbar check box.
3. Select the Auto-hide the taskbar check box.
The taskbar is hidden from view. You can see it again by pointing to the place where you last saw it.
To turn off auto-hide
1. Open Taskbar and Start Menu Properties by clicking the Start button , clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Clear the Auto-hide the taskbar check box.

Possible vga driver fault, update graphics driver.

This mouse does not require a driver. It works with the innate Vista driver. This product originally shipped with either iTouch or MouseWare, which are not compatible with Vista. I strongly recommend to uninstall iTouch and/or MouseWare prior to migrating to Windows Vista. After iTouch and MouseWare are uninstalled, the basic functionality of your devices will be provided by the Windows native driver.

Can you pls post a screen shot?