taskbar changed size -- too big -- and i can't change it back

No that does not help. My taskbar is on the bottom of the screen and has all icons on the top of the taskbar and there is an empty space below. Everything else on the taskbar seems fine but the icons and the the taskbar is very big.

my taskbar changed from bottom to right side of my screen.  when i moved it back down, the task bar went from a single row of start up icons with open application windows in the same row on the right side to basically two rows -- top row has start up icons, 2nd row has the beneath the first row, even though there is plenty of room in the top row for them.

  the top sizing arrow doesn't do anything at all and the only sizing handle i can see is located on the right side of the start button and won't move.  (and yes, the taskbar is unlocked)  the task bar is about an inch high and even when i change the size of my icons to the smallest i STILL can't get the blasted thing to shrink down to it's former 1/2" or so. 

i wouldn't care except that i don't have access to the bottom portion of some open applications -- mostly games -- and there are buttons there that i have to click on to continue working.

I understand what your problem is, I had the same one. So what you have to do is right-click on an empty space of the taskbar and go to where it says "Toolbars". Click that and uncheck whatever is clicked, if any are (on my computer it was the HP Support Assistant). If you want it back on, just click it again and then your taskbar should be back to the normal size. 

Hope this helps!!

Also as a side note, your taskbar doesn't have to be unlocked for this to work

Thanks but it resolved itself.

i tried holding down on a blank space int the taskbar and moving it down to make it back to  narrow one row but it does not work