Windows only GPL licensed example of a taskbar with a start button (see http://www.deviantart.com/art/Windows-8-Metro-Orbs-320240575 for button) NOTE:not currently working part of https://github.com/IronManMark20/PyExplorer

PyExplorer.pyw

import sys
import ctypes
from PyQt4.QtCore import *
from PyQt4.QtGui import *
from PIL import Image
from PIL.ImageQt import ImageQt
import pyautogui as pg
import platform

class Main(QWidget):
    def __init__(self):
        QWidget.__init__(self)
        '''setup code'''
        self.x,self.y=pg.size()
        self.HideTaskbar('hide')
        with open("config.txt") as f:
            self.config=f.readlines()
        '''GUI CODE'''
        #no need for ugly frames
        self.setWindowFlags(Qt.Tool | Qt.FramelessWindowHint)
        self.PlaceTaskbar()
        self.start=StartButton()
        self.start.setFixedSize(54,54)
        self.startlayout =QHBoxLayout(self)
        self.startlayout.addWidget(self.start)
        self.startlayout.setAlignment(Qt.AlignLeft)
        self.startlayout.setContentsMargins(0,0,0,0)
        self.setLayout(self.startlayout)
    def PlaceTaskbar(self):
        if self.config[0]== "0\n":
            self.move(0,self.y-44)
            self.resize(self.x,44)
    def HideTaskbar(self,command):
        from ctypes import wintypes
        '''for start orb'''
        FindWinEx = ctypes.windll.user32.FindWindowExA
        FindWinEx.restype = wintypes.HWND
        FindWinEx.argtypes = [
            wintypes.HWND,
            wintypes.HWND,
            wintypes.LPCSTR,
            wintypes.LPCSTR,
        ]
        '''for taskbar'''
        FindWinA=ctypes.windll.user32.FindWindowA
        FindWinA.restype=wintypes.HWND

        SetPos=ctypes.windll.user32.SetWindowPos
        SetPos.restype = wintypes.BOOL
        SetPos.argtypes = [
            wintypes.HWND,
            wintypes.HWND,
            ctypes.c_int,
            ctypes.c_int,
            ctypes.c_int,
            ctypes.c_int,
            ctypes.c_uint,
        ]
        tbhandle=FindWinA(b"Shell_traywnd",b"")
        if command=="hide":
            SetPos(tbhandle,0,0,0,0,0, 0x80)
        elif command=="on":
            SetPos(tbhandle,0,0,0,0,0, 0x40)
        else:
            self.dialog=QErrorMessage(self)
            self.dialog.showMessage(QString("ERROR: invalid command (sorry)."))

        startorb=wintypes.LPCSTR(0xc017)
        noStart=FindWinEx(None, None, startorb, None)
        if command=="hide":
            SetPos(noStart,0,0,0,0,0, 0x80)
        if command=="on":
            SetPos(noStart,0,0,0,0,0,0x40)

    def exit(self):
        self.HideTaskbar("on")
        sys.exit(prgrm.exec_())
class StartButton(QPushButton):
    def __init__(self,parent=None):
        super(StartButton,self).__init__(parent)
        self.setMouseTracking(True)
        self.start_state=0
        with open("config.txt") as f:
            self.config=f.readlines()
        self.start_icon=Image.open(self.config[1][:-1])
        self.start_icon.normal=self.start_icon.crop((0,0,54,54))
        self.start_icon.hover=self.start_icon.crop((0,54,54,108))
        self.start_icon.press=self.start_icon.crop((0,108,54,162))
        self.setIcon(QIcon(ImageQt(self.start_icon.normal)))
        self.pressed.connect(self.OnPress)
    def OnPress(self):
        self.setIcon(QIcon(self.start_icon.press))
        self.startMenuTrigger()
    def startMenuTrigger(self):
        if self.start_state==0 and platform.release()!="8":
            pg.hotkey('win')
            self.start_state=1
        elif self.start_state==1and platform.release()!="8":
            pg.hotkey('Esc')
            self.start_state=0
        else:
            pg.hotkey('win')
    def eventFilter(self, object, event):
        if event.type()==event.HoverEvent:
            self.setIcon(QIcon(ImageQt(self.start_icon.hover)))
        if event.type()==event.Leave:
            self.setIcon(QIcon(ImageQt(self.start_icon.normal)))
if __name__=="__main__":
    prgrm=QApplication(sys.argv)
    app=Main()
    app.show()
    #De-comment and run the program again to get your Taskbar back.
    #app.HideTaskbar('on')
    sys.exit(prgrm.exec_())