I had the same exact problem here's what I did...
First try changing your resolution to
1280X1024 or higher that might fix it..
If not...here's what I did..
On the top menu choose Layout-->edit Layout
Then @ the very bottom of your window start dragging each of the panels up until you get your timeline.
Then you can save this layout. When you are done you can click on Layout-->Edit Layout again to lock it all into place.
I'm sure there's a better way to do this but this is the only way I know of.
Good Luck