In my previous article I have mentioned a post on how you can hide the taskbar  but not the start button in windows 7 but what if you are using windows XP then here is a toll though which not hide the taskbar but can transculant it so that the items behind would be clearly visible if any.

Features of FadingTaskbar:
•    Individual transparency settings for when the mouse is inside and outside the taskbar.
•    Fade in, fade out.
•    Makes the taskbar solid when maximized windows exist.
•    Remembers the original transparency.

The tool is very small in size and requires no installation. The freeware can be downloaded from the location shared below.

Download it