Bonnie,

I've now got it working with a DataConnector (but what a hassle to get round)

The code goes something like

#region Using directives
using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.ComponentModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Drawing;
using System.Windows.Forms;

#endregion

namespace JTB.TimeRecorder
{
    partial class StartupForm : Form
    {
        #region public variables
        DateTime zeroTime = DateTime.Parse("00:00");  // Don't think this is the best way of setting a time to midnight
        TaskType myTaskType = new TaskType();
        DataConnector dc1 = new DataConnector();
        #endregion

        public StartupForm()
        {
            InitializeComponent();
        }

        private void StartupForm_Load(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            StartTime.Value = zeroTime;
            EndTime.Value = zeroTime;

            // playing
            string myTest = myTaskType.GetOneType(3); // get an item directly from the class
            myTaskType.AddOneType("Adding item 1");  // Add a new item directly
            cboTaskType.DataSource = dc1;
            dc1.DataSource = myTaskType.Types;  // set the class to be a DataConnector for some reason, VS2005 way of doing things
            dc1.Position = dc1.Add("Adding item 2");  // Add a new item via the DataConnector and set the current position to be that new item
        }

        #region re-size management
        /// <summary>
        /// Form is being resized, allow anything but minimize
        /// If the user minimized the form then send it to the system tray
        /// </summary>
        /// <param name="sender"></param>
        /// <param name="e"></param>
        private void StartupForm_Resize(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            if (WindowState == FormWindowState.Minimized)
            {
                ShowInTaskbar = false;
                NotifySysTray.Visible = true;
            }
            else
            {
                this.ShowInTaskbar = true;
                NotifySysTray.Visible = false;
            }
        }
/// <summary>
/// Close the form from the sys tray icon
/// </summary>
/// <param name="sender"></param>
/// <param name="e"></param>
        private void MenuSysTray_Close_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            this.Close();
        }
/// <summary>
/// Restore the Time record to previous state
/// </summary>
/// <param name="sender"></param>
/// <param name="e"></param>
        private void MenuSysTray_Restore_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            WindowState = FormWindowState.Normal;
            StartupForm_Resize(sender, e);
        }
        #endregion

        #region Button control
        private void btnClose_Click(object sender, EventArgs e)
        {
            this.Close();
        }
        #endregion
    }

    #region tasktype class - Lists all the task that I currently undertake and may be added to, hence serializable
    [Serializable]  // Still got to learn how to do this, and what its really about - Think its some kind of XML write to file
    public class TaskType
    {
        private ArrayList _types = new ArrayList();
        private int _myVar;
        private string _myString = "John";

        public TaskType()
        {
            _types.Add("Dev MRP v1.2");
            _types.Add("Dev MRP v1.1 (retro fix)");
            _types.Add("Dev MRP v1.0 (retro fix)");
            _types.Add("Dev (retro fix) pre MRP<v8.2");
            _types.Add("QA v1.2");
            _types.Add("(Support) Previous version(s)");
            _types.Add("(BUG) New version issue ");
            _types.Add("General Admin");
            _types.Add("Holiday (When I'm lucky)");
        }

        public int MyVar
        {
            get { return _myVar; }
            set { _myVar = value; }
        }

        public ArrayList Types
        {
            get { return _types; }
        }

        public string GetOneType(int recordno)
        {
            if (recordno < Types.Count)
                return (string)_types[recordno];
            else
                return "";
        }

        public int AddOneType(string value)
        {

            return _types.Add(value); ;
        }

        public string MyString
        {
            get { return _myString; }
            set { _myString = value; }
        }

    }
    #endregion
}

If you would like the current project solution in zip format I can send in private email. BTW I do not consider this good code, its just a first pass at learning some principles. Really need to understand serialization a lot more and how to turn this into a wider scope class with different tasks going on. Give me a chance I'm learning and play, and its all fun and right now enjoyable :-)
Yours always