Windows Quick Launch Bar
Windows Quick Launch Bar is a built-in feature that puts one-click buttons on the task bar just to the right of the Start button. You can place any application icon you need there, and this allows you to open multiple applications right over top of one another without having to minimize them to get back to the desktop. And if you DO need to go back to the desktop for something, there's even a "Show Desktop" button that minimizes everything with one click to allow you to do that.
It's a MUCH more efficient way to work with multiple applications, (like you will be with web designing), but as usual with Windows, if it's easy, convenient, or necessary it's turned off by default! So let's remedy that!
Right-clicking anywhere to the right of the Start button on the taskbar where there's no application button will bring up a shortcut menu.
If there is a check by the "Lock the Taskbar", (as there is in the above), then click on it to uncheck it. Then click on "Properties". This should bring up the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" box that you see below.
Now all you have to do is click the "Show Quick Launch" checkbox, and you're all set with that. However, if you've never really gotten along with the new start menu in XP, feel free to change it back to the classic look of 2000/ME/98, etc, by clicking on the "Start Menu" notebook tab and activating the "Classic Start Menu" radio button while you're in here.
Now "OK" your way out, and you should see something like this on your taskbar ...
Note how the taskbar looks like it's double, and the small buttons on your new Quick Launch bar have a double row of dots before and after them. This all tells you that the taskbar is unlocked and ready to be adjusted. which is good, because in this example, it needs it!
The little double arrow to the right of the buttons tells you there are more buttons there than you can see, so you simply click on the right double dots and drag them further to the right until you can see everything. Then you rest your mouse on any button to see what it is, and if you don't think you'll need it, right-click on it and delete it. Then you can drag any icon on your desktop onto the Quick Launch bar, and the bar makes a copy of it there. (If you don't have an icon on your desktop for any program you want to put on the bar, simply find it on your start menu and right-click on it, then select "Send to", then "Desktop - Create Shortcut"). You can also click and drag the buttons into any order. I've always liked my "Show Desktop" button first. Here's my setup:
The bare minimum buttons you'll need when designing web pages are "Show Desktop", "My Documents", "FrontPage", whatever graphics application you use, and Internet Explorer. But feel free to add all any button you use a lot. When you're all done adding, deleting and arranging, right-click in any open spot on the taskbar again, and click on "Lock the Taskbar". Done.