How to delete past items from Taskbar

If you have uninstalled some programs long back in your Windows XP, you can notice that all the icons of the uninstalled programs are still present in the notification bar. And there are no such option using which you can delete those program icons. But there is an easy and simple way to delete the past items from taskbar. The below step by step process helps in doing that.

Steps to delete past items from taskbar

Step 1

First click on the ‘Start’ button and then ‘Run’, type regedit in the box provided.

Step 2

A new window will be opened Registry editor. You need to follow all the steps very carefully.

Step 3

On the left hand side of the window you can see a tree structure. Using that structure follow the route HKEY_CURRENT_USER/Software Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Explorer/TrayNotify.

Step 4

On the right side of the window there are two options available named IconStreams and pastIconStreams. Right click on both of them one by one to delete those. As you go ahead to delete some warnings will be coming on the screen. Accept them and delete the IconStreams and pastIconStreams.

Step 5

Once you have successfully deleted those icons close the Registry editor and do right click on the Taskbar to select Task Manager.

Step 6

Now click on the processes tab located at top of the screen and then click on Image name. It will short them alphabetically. Go down to find out explorer.exe. Right click on that will give you several options. Select End process.

Step 7

Click on the File then at top of the Windows task Manager and new task. Enter Explorer in the box and select OK. It will be restarted now and all the past items will be deleted.

So this is the entire process through which you can delete all the past items from taskbar.