Taskbar and Desktop icons flash/flicker on and off and don't allow her to open the Start menu or click any of the icons

If you mean enlarging the task bar items please follow the following steps:

1-Access the Taskbar and Start Menu. This particular menu will allow you to customize your taskbar features and resize the icons. Click on the Start menu, or Windows logo, from within your taskbar.

2-Select "Control Panel," then select "Appearance and Personalization." On some Windows 7 computers, this option may also read as "Appearance."

3-Click on "Taskbar and Start Menu." This will open a Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box on your screen.

4-Change the size of the taskbar icons. Place a checkmark next to "Use small icons" within the Taskbar Appearance section to make your taskbar icons appear smaller.

5-Click directly on the checkmark if one is already present to enlarge the size of your taskbar icons.

6-Save your taskbar icon customization settings. Your new taskbar settings will go into effect immediately. Click on the "Apply" button to save your changes, then click "OK" to exit from the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties menu.

in windows 7 right click on the desktop and select Personalize. Then click display on the left. Choose small, medium or large.

in windows xp;
Shrinking Icons in Windows XP

• 1 Right-click on the desktop. A drop-down menu will appear on which you will click on "Properties."
  
• 2 In the "Display Properties" box, click on the "Settings" tab.
  
• 3 Slide the scale in the "Screen Resolution" box to the right to shrink the icons (and everything else that appears on the screen).
  
• 4 Click on "Apply" and then click on "OK."
  
• 5 Click on "Start" and then right-click on an empty space until a box that says "Properties" appears. Click on "Properties."
  
• 6 In the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" menu, click on "Customize."
  
• 7 In the box that says "Select an icon size for programs," click on "Small Icons."
  
• 8 Click on "Apply" and then click on "OK" to adjust the size.
  

Shrinking Icons in Windows Vista

• 9 Right-click on the desktop. When the drop-down menu appears, run the mouse-pointer over "View" and click on "Classic Icons." This will shrink the icons if they are set to either "Large Icons" or "Medium Icons."
  
• 10 Right-click on the desktop again and click on "Personalize."
  
• 11 On the "Personalize appearance and sounds" screen, click on "Taskbar and Start Menu" on the left side bar.
  
• 12 In the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" menu, click on the "Start Menu" tab.
  
• 13 Click on "Customize."
  
• 14 Find the box that says "Use large icons." If it is checked, uncheck it and click on "OK." This will shrink the Start Menu and Taskbar icons.
  

Read more: http://www.ehow.com/how_4855250_make-windows-icons-smaller.html#ixzz2ifeSGGtj

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

Right click on the desktop, in that window go to View in there Click on Shoe Desktop Icons in that same Window go down to Personalization in part of the Control Panel in there go down to the left hand Corner and there you will find Taskbar and Start Menu Click on that and Click on Lock the Taskbar and Taskbar Location on Screen: pick Bottom.

A.

1. Right-click the desktop.
2. Point to Arrange Icons By.
3. Click Show Desktop Icons.

B. To re-create the Show desktop icon yourself, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. Carefully copy and then paste the following text into the Notepad window:[Shell]
   Command=2
   IconFile=explorer.exe,3
   [Taskbar]
   Command=ToggleDesktop
3. On the File menu, click Save As, and then save the file to your desktop as "Show desktop.scf". TheShow desktop icon is created on your desktop.
4. Click and then drag the Show desktop icon to your Quick Launch toolbar.

Do you have Windows 7? If so, you can right-click on the bottom right corner of your desktop (try right-clicking the time/date), where the icons for volume control, wireless, battery, etc... should be and select Properties. You should then see a screen where you can turn on/off the icons/notifications for battery power (sometimes my volume control disappears and i have to do this.
Otherwise you can go here, Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Notification Area Icons and you should find the same thing. Then just turn on your battery power icon/notifications.
Hope this helps.

Restore Icons to the Desktop In Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and Professional, the new Start menu is enabled by default. When the new Start menu is enabled, the My Computer, My Documents, and My Network Places icons are removed from the desktop. To restore these icons, follow these steps:

1. Right-click the desktop and click Properties.
2. Click the Desktop tab.
3. Click Customize desktop.
4. Click the General tab, and then click the icons that you want to place on the desktop.
5. Click OK.

1. Open HP Director using one of the following methods:
   • From the desktop : On your computer's desktop, look for the HP Director icon (), and then double-click it.
   • From the Windows taskbar : Click Start , click All Programs , click the HP orHewlett-Packard folder, and then click HP Director .
   Although HP Director does not appear to be open , it is open and loaded into the computer's memory, but it does not open in a new window as usual.
2. Without navigating to another open window, press Alt and Space bar at the same time. The Shortcut menu displays near the top-left corner of the computer. Figure 1: Shortcut menu If the Shortcut menu does not open, repeat steps 1 and 2 until it does.
3. Select Minimize from the Shortcut menu.HP Director displays (minimizes) as an item on the taskbar (the row of open software programs that appears at the bottom of the desktop screen). If HP Director does not minimize, click Minimize again until it does.
4. Click the HP Director icon on the taskbar . The software opens and functions normally.

When your computer is switched on, the WiFi radio is almost always transmitting or receiving signals. In certain situations, as in an airplane, signals from the radio may cause interference. Use the following methods if you need to disable the radio and use your notebook without emitting radio signals.
Use the Optional Computer Radio On or Off Switch

If your computer has an external switch installed, use it to switch the WiFi radio on or off. See the computer manufacturer for more information about this switch. If you have Intel® PROSet/Wireless installed, the current state of the radio displays in the Intel PROSet/Wireless main window and on the Taskbar.


Use Intel PROSet/Wireless to Switch the WiFi Radio On or Off

From Intel PROSet/Wireless, the WiFi radio can be switched on or off. The status icon on Intel PROSet/Wireless displays the current state of the radio.

To start Intel® PROSet/Wireless, use one of the following methods:

• Click Start > Programs > Intel PROSet Wireless > WiFi Connection Utility.
• Right-click the Taskbar icon located in the lower right corner of your Windows* Desktop to open the Taskbar menu. Click Configure WiFi.
• Double-click the Taskbar icon to open Intel PROSet/Wireless.

Switch the WiFi Radio On or Off from the Taskbar Icon

To switch the WiFi radio on or off, click the Taskbar icon and select WiFi On or WiFi Off.

How to use the Device Manager to Disable the WiFi Radio

The WiFi radio can be disabled (made non-functional) from the Windows* Device Manager.

Note: If you disabled the WiFi radio from Windows*, then you must use Windows to turn the radio on. You cannot use a hardware switch or Intel PROSet/Wireless to enable the radio again.

Windows* XP

1. From your desktop, right-click My Computer.
2. Click Properties.
3. Click Hardware.
4. Click Device Manager.
5. Double-click Network adapters and expand the selection by clicking the Plus symbol.
6. Right-click the installed WiFi adapter.
7. Choose Disable from the menu.
8. Click OK.

Windows Vista*

1. Use Control Panel > Mobile PC > Adjust commonly used mobility settings (if you use Classic View, select Control Panel > Power Options.
2. Click Turn Wireless Off .

Please try these steps to solve your problem:
1) Press Ctrl+Alt+Del to run the Task Manager
2) Click on "File" on the Task Manager upper menu
3) Click on "New Task (Run)" option, Run window should appear
4) Type "explorer" without the quote, on the Run window
5) Your start menu and icon on desktop should now appears

hope it helps :D