Hi Pundaker1870,
You said,
This doesn't happen if I have auto-hide disabled or if I use the native windows auto-hide, I can open task manager just fine every time
Although having auto-hide disabled entirely seems to work best in my testing, I have noticed that using the Windows 11 native auto-hide can result in the same issue (see video below). I would suggest the best way to safely avoid the issue altogether would be to refrain from using taskbar auto-hide altogether at this time.
See my video link below and notice around the timestamp 0:15-0:22 area. Here I observed an occasional, yet clear context menu lag, infrequently delaying my ability to click the taskbar option:
https://cdn.stardock.us/support/uploads/WindowsSandboxClient_2024-10-18_11-12-35amcguinness.mp4
Interestingly, when I turned Off Start11's Start Menu style completely, the strain on this process can be less significant. When it's On, the issue appears (infrequently). You may confirm my findings against your own if you like, and I will have this all logged internally for review.
Internal Ref: ODNT-8997
Thank you and best regards,
Adam McGuinness
Stardock Customer Support Specialist