Fences problem with left edge mounted taskbar

Using Win 7 (7000).

If the task bar is mounted at the side (left for me) then icons still appear under it and are therefore hidden from view. Just downloaded a file and it appeared under the taskbar. I only found out by pressing F5 and saw it fly under there.

Also, on a similar note, I can't place free standing icons down the right edge or bottom edge, then slide further from the edge.