BleepingComputer.com: double icons on taskbar

Hello people-
first post here. Just found out about this site and got help to rid my system of smitfraud- scrupulously followed a long list of directions, had to improvise a step or two when things didn't quite go according to plan, even though I don't really know what i'm doing- but it worked. Thanks! (to whomever)
Now I'm left with one small minor annoyance- whether a result of this fix or inculcated by the infestation I just got rid of, I don't know.
On my taskbar (?) (strip of gray at bottom of screen) just to the right of the start button is a small area inhabited by four shortcut icons- aol, I.E., quicktime, and desktop. For some reason now this grouping is there twice, so there is much less room for temporary icons of running programs to appear down there. Right clicking on any one of these icons and deleting it does accomplish its removal, but also deltes its twin, which I had intended to leave behind. Only one icon appears in the waste bin, but restoring it resores both copies.
So- revealing massive ignorance as to basic procedures- how do I get rid of one only of these?
Thanks.
John
P.S. running windows 98, if that is needful for reply

Hi have you tried right click on start, then properties,then when box pops up click on task bar, you might find what you want there, i no that is how you alter it with xp trying to remember how it was done with 98's such a long time since i used it.

Hi don57- Thanks for your reply- yes, I had tried that, though the right click has to be on the taskbar itself, not on the start button. Very few options are available there; none seem to apply to the prblem. -J

Once again this is for XP:

Just to the right of the Start button is the Quick Launch bar.
Have you tried to disable it.
Right click Task Bar / Tool Bars / Quick launch

Also, can you right click the icon, and select Delete?