Taskbar problems

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I run Office 2003 on windows 7 pro.
I have recently done a complete clean re-installation of win 7.
Prior to that I had shortcuts on the taskbar to several excel files with macros.
Each shortcut has it’s own icon to distinguish it.
In the earlier installation I had only installed a few of the non-security updates.
Clicking any shortcut opened the appropriate file. Clicking another shortcut would open it’s appropriate file and remove the other from view.
After the clean re-install, I loaded all the updates.
I put the same shortcuts as before on the taskbar but now, when any of their icons is clicked, the file is opened, but a new taskbar icon (call it new NTI) representing the host software (Excel) also opens. Now, when I press another shortcut, the NTI flashes. If I select it shows one of the other shortcuts. If I select this, I get a message that the file is already open. In other words the behaviour with the NTI confuses the issue.
I would like to have the simple arrangement I had before the re-install, as described above.
 

TrainableMan

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It sounds like maybe how "like" icons are combined in the taskbar. Maybe you had this off before.

Right-click on the Start ORB and choose properties. Click Taskbar Tab. Set Taskbar buttons to "Never Combine"
 
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Hi TrainableMan

Tried the "Never Combine" setting, but still an icon for the host software (Excel) appears in the taskbar.
So to recap, whenever I select an *.xls file which uses Excel, an Excel icon appears on the taskbar.
This is what I would like to prevent. Windows 7 was like this once, but I'm assuming one of the many updates changed the behaviour.
 

TrainableMan

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Please explain how you pin the items and give them a unique icon in the first place, so I can try to duplicate it.

Maybe it was an office update to be more consistent; I use EXCEL 2010 and if I simply pin two spreadsheets to the taskbar all I get is a single existence of EXCEL with the excel icon and the two spreadsheets are only shown at all if I right-click on the excel icon.
 
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Right click Desktop/New/Shortcut
Type “Explorer + space”
Find the file for the shortcut.
Highlight it.
Shift+right Click
Click “Copy as Path”
Back to shortcut and paste after space. OK
Change name.
Change Icon to a unique one. Apply/OK.
This shortcut is then draggable to the Taskbar where it retains it’s unique Icon.
Clicking it opens the desired file in Excel BUT additionally, creates an Excel icon on the Taskbar.
This icon, if clicked closes the Excel file and reopens it if clicked again.
In my previous install of W7 (without all the Updates) and no shortcuts ‘pinned’ to the Taskbar, clicking a Desktop shortcut opened the appropriate file and placed the shortcut’s icon on the taskbar. Clicking another shortcut (using the same Excel application) did the same. Thus I would have two unique icons on the Taskbar telling me what was open and available. There was no rogue ‘application’ icon. Closing the file cleared it’s Taskbar icon.
In my new clean complete re-install of W7, I applied all the Updates and I believe the new and different behaviour must be due to one of these. It's removing the result that I’m trying to achieve.
Strangely, I have also placed shortcuts on the Taskbar to Discs (Partitions) in Windows Explorer. These behave exactly how I would like the Excel ones to do. The path in the shortcut for these is typically “C:\Windows\explorer.exe D:”
This probably confuses matters further - sorry
 

TrainableMan

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If you open Explorer and go to Organize>folder & Search options, View Tab. Is "launch folder windows in a separate process" checked? If not then check it, reboot, and see if it operates differently then.
 
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Hi TrainableMan

Tried it, but did not appear to alter the operation as far as I could tell.

Not to worry any more - I'm learning to live with it. Many thanks for all your suggestions
 

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