Originally Posted: Jan 14 2008

If you are using Microsoft Office 2002 (aka Microsoft Office XP) or 2003, you may notice that when you start one of the programs like Word, Excel, or PowerPoint you are presented with a window on the right hand side of the screen that says 'Getting Started'.  This is known as the Task Pane.  If you are like me, this is more of a distraction than a help since this takes away from the valuable real estate on my screen.

Here's how to suppress the Task Pane window from appearing in your favorite programs in Microsoft Office 2002 or 2003:

In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint:
1. Tools > Options...
-In the View-tab
2. Uncheck 'Startup Task Pane'
3. Click OK

Short & sweet!

I hope this helps!