Start Killer

At www.tordex.com you can download Start Killer which does exactly what it says on the tin.

If like me you often have a lot of programs and documents open at the same time, your task bar can get very crowded. This makes it hard to find what you are looking for.

Start Killer is a simple but effective tool to free up a little more valuable real estate at the bottom of your screen. After downloading and installing, when Start Killer is launched, it starts ridding your screen of the Start button.
When you close the program, your button comes back. And if you want occasional access to the Start button while you are working just use CRTL and Escape, or the Windows key on your keyboard.