Yes, there is a difference. A dialog box allows communication between two or more people. An example is a chat box. A task pane is a Windows feature that appears at the right of the window in Microsoft Office 2002 and allows the user to choices for doing a task.
Dialog Box Launcher
launcher
It is the little arrow in the bottom right corner of a group and is known as the Dialog Box Launcher.
Task pane
A dialog box displays with the specific option
A task pane is a dialog box that is presented inside a window pane rather than a separate window. Dialog box is a secondary window that appears when the system needs input from the user to carry on with a particular process such as: during installation of software sometimes system prompts you whether to run the program or not and a window is opened on the screen.
Task pane.
Clip Art Task Pane
The task pane is a separate window that lets you efficiently carry out some Word tasks. The task pane also lets you carry out Publisher tasks.
It depends on which task pane is open. There are dozens of task panes -- some will let you get to other commands while they are open, others will not. If you are not able to access any option other than what is in the task pane, then close the open task pane before trying to print.
research task pane
To display the new document task pane in applications like Microsoft Word or Excel, go to the "View" tab on the ribbon and select "Task Pane." Alternatively, you can right-click in the document or spreadsheet area and choose "Task Pane" from the context menu. In some applications, you may also find the task pane option under specific features, such as "Research," "Format," or "Design." If the task pane is already open, it can usually be toggled off and on from these same locations.