Taskbar does not Auto-hide all the time Windows 7

I'm having this problem as well but it only started after a recent sting of updates installed via Windows Update for Windows 7.

Now, whenever Windows Update has a new update, it FORCES the taskbar to remain unhidden until I start the update.

Clicking the Windows Update in the taskbar doesn't unhide it. Opening Windows Update via the icon doesn't undo it either.

Windows has NEVER, EVER acted this way in the past for me. If I wanted to hold off installing an update because I was too busy working on something, I had that freedom.

____, my Laptop has Windows XP on it right now and IT doesn't do that.

Something between the updates released from KB981957 and up to KB982132 caused this as I have never had any issues of this kind until I ran windows update and it installed all 18 updates that it had listed as important and now, I can't seem to get it to go away.

It's basically trying to force me to stop whatever I'm doing and FORCE me to install updates that either A) I'm not ready to install yet because I'm working or B) It's an upgrade to a program that I don't want nor need at this point in time.

What's worse is that searching for this matter on Goggle has brought up notices of people having similar issues since Windows XP and yet still, Microsoft seems to think that this is our fault? I closed almost everything on my taskbar.

The only things left are Bitdefender Total Security (which never raises the taskbar for any reason even if it finds something or notices a vulnerability like something being out of date, my Realtek Sound Manager, the Windows 7 Action Center which has nothing new for me to look at, the Safetly Remove Hardware icon....and Windows Update.

Everything else is closed.

If I want to install Windows Essentials, that should be my choice. I should have the right to choose whether or not I wanna take that update because that is the only so-called "Important" update listed and it's holding my taskbar hostage unhidden until I install it, close all instances of explorer.exe or reboot my system until it comes back again.

I don't care if between 4-5% of all the users of Windows use the auto-hide feature. I really don't because that is no excuse why Microsoft ignores this issue that, according to many sources, has been plaguing Windows since Vista and, for some people, Windows XP. The "treat the problem like it's our fault" treatment needs to stop and people need to go back and look at their code because SOMEONE put something wrong or missed something in the clean-up in the coding of one of those updates.

Update List:

KB981597

KB979538

KB2345886

KB890830

KB2378111

KB2360131

KB2362765

KB2387149

KB2160841

KB2281679

KB2416427

KB2416471

KB2158563

KB2296011

KB2207566

KB979688

KB979687

KB982132

Hi, Just wanted to add to this useful discussion my problem with Vista task bar which is set to auto hide.

The problem is a blinking start button when toolbar is hidden, and also toolbar only partially retracting when going into hide. Overall, an ugly picture, as described below.

I also have a workaround here:

http://annoyances-resolved.blogspot.com/2010/10/windows-taskbar-repair-start-button.html

and it has to do with the Network Icon of all things...

I wanted to let Microsoft know there is a bug. Please look into it. Thank you.

Quick fix.

Ctrl-alt-del --> processes --> end process on "explorer.exe" --> Run --> type in explorer.exe

just restart explorer and that should clear whatever is keeping the taskbar locked