Can't hide Windows Task Bar (build 3120)

J

JohnC

Bit poster
I've installed Build 3120, and I must say I do like the coherence feature. I needed to re-install the 'cohrence' gizmo to get it to work at all, but it seems OK now, with one exception - I can't hide the Windows Task bar. I have tried checking & unchecking the Windows Task bar: Show checkbox in the View > Customize menu > Coherence tab, but with no effect.

FWIW, I have Working Area: Exclude Dock checked in the same tab. I have not chosen to hide the task bar within Windows itself, just in the Coherence pane in Parallels.

Any suggestions?
Thanks,
John
 
Hi JohnC,

I am having the exact same problem, just so you know you are not alone. I tried all the various combinations of having the other boxes (e.g. Working Area: Exclude Dock) checked and unchecked, and I just can't seem to get that taskbar to disappear completely.

Is anyone getting this to work?

Also, to nycruza, thanks for the suggestion, but this is not really what I want, because hiding the taskbar in Windows still causes it to reappear every time the mouse scrolls down near it.
 
alkalifly said:
Hi JohnC,

I am having the exact same problem, just so you know you are not alone. I tried all the various combinations of having the other boxes (e.g. Working Area: Exclude Dock) checked and unchecked, and I just can't seem to get that taskbar to disappear completely.

Is anyone getting this to work?

Also, to nycruza, thanks for the suggestion, but this is not really what I want, because hiding the taskbar in Windows still causes it to reappear every time the mouse scrolls down near it.
Click to expand...

Grab the outer edge of the taskbar and size it down until it essentially disappears. All that will be left is a line.
 
drval said:
Grab the outer edge of the taskbar and size it down until it essentially disappears. All that will be left is a line.
Click to expand...

Indeed, that is what I have done in the meantime. However, I would like to make that little left-over line disappear as well, and it seems that this should be possible according to the functionality of the software.

If the "Show" box nest to the "Windows Task Bar:" setting on the Coherence tab of the view customizations is UN-checked, why would there be any taskbar showing at all? Either there is a bug in the software, or else I am just not understanding properly what is supposed to happen.
 
alkalifly said:
Indeed, that is what I have done in the meantime. However, I would like to make that little left-over line disappear as well, and it seems that this should be possible according to the functionality of the software.

If the "Show" box nest to the "Windows Task Bar:" setting on the Coherence tab of the view customizations is UN-checked, why would there be any taskbar showing at all? Either there is a bug in the software, or else I am just not understanding properly what is supposed to happen.
Click to expand...

I believe that Parallels can really only do with the Windows Taskbar whatever Windows itself allows; and I know no of way way native to Windows to ABSOLUTELY and COMPLETELY remove ALL traces of the Taskbar.
 
On my installation disabling the 'Show' option in Parallels > View > Customise does COMPLETELY hide the taskbar... BUT, something randomly brings it back. It will often hide just fine for days on end, then reappear. The only way to get rid of it is to switch the setting back to Show, OK out of the dialog to apply the setting, then return and disable Show and again apply the setting.

I've yet to work out what causes it to reappear, but this at least confirms that it is technically possible to completely hide the taskbar.

Any views Parallels team?
 
drval said:
I believe that Parallels can really only do with the Windows Taskbar whatever Windows itself allows; and I know no of way way native to Windows to ABSOLUTELY and COMPLETELY remove ALL traces of the Taskbar.
Click to expand...

Hey drval, that is an interesting theory, but since we all know that Coherence mode is basically a bunch of smoke and mirrors anyway, and given that it allows the entire Windows desktop to be made completely invisible, it would make sense that they could direct some of the smoke and mirrors to make the Windows taskbar disappear COMPLETELY (at least to disappear from the view of the Mac desktop, even if the Windows OS still sees it as there).

Furthermore, why would the checkbox giving one the option of showing/hiding the taskbar exist in the Coherence view options if it is simply toggling a built-in Windows option that affects the appearence of full-screen and windowed views as well as coherence?

In fact, my expereince is like that of twynne: I can get the taskbar to disappear completely by going into the view options and toggling the checkbox, but then it will return to view before long, and the only way to make it disappear completely again is to go back into the view options and toggle the checkbox on then off again.

I still am open to the possibility that I am just misunderstanding what this option is supposed to do, but at this point I think it is quite likely that this is, in fact, a minor bug. :(
 
Build 3150 fixes this

Just to follow up on this old thread, I downloaded Build 3150 (RC2) today, and now everything is behaving as it should on my system.

Now I never have to look at even a pixel-wide sliver of the windows task bar again :D
 
In Windows, even when the taskbar is set to auto hide, certain programs will bring it up. For example, I have an HP printer (All in One PSC2510) and HP's software executes a program every 10 minutes or so that brings up the taskbar. This happens under Windows in a normal situation, and as far as I've seen Parallels is just doing what it should.

Another thing that will bring up the taskbar sometimes are taskbar balloons like when Windows detects a new USB device, low disk space warnings, etc. These balloons are connected to the Task Manager (the icons on the far right of the taskbar in Windows).

Remember, coherance mode is (quite effectively) implementing a kludge in order to hide the Windows desktop. It works great most the time, but it is not likely to ever be perfect.

What anoys me is that the Apple Command key acts as the "Windows" key in a VM. The Windows key is supposed to bring up the taskbar/Start Menu. So when I press Command-(whatever), often the Windows Start menu comes up. I have asked for the option to turn off this key as a Windows key and have it just act as the Apple Command key. If build 3150 already has this, sorry. I haven't installed 3150 yet.

Mike
 
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