Windows Desktop

by **BobHelm** » December 24, 2010, 9:45 am

I overuse the Windows Desktop, I know that I do, but I can't help it. I just find it so convenient to click on an item shortcut to go to what I want rather than track my way to the link via the Start Menu or the Windows Explorer route.
Hence my desktops always look messy & full & MS themselves do not offer any real method of re-arranging or organising the Desktop apart from sorting it alphabetically.
I have just come across this small & free program for organising Desktops. It is called Fences & can be downloaded from here - go for the free 1 use personal version.
http://tricks-collections.com/organize- ... th-fences/

Basically it divided your desktop up into smaller sections. The program will do it for you automatically if you like. You can then easily customise what it has done to suit your personal tastes.
The 'fences' can be made as large or small as you like. If it is smaller than the contents then 'slider bars' appear when you click onto the fence so you can explore the contents. Personally I prefer to see all the contents on the screen.
This is what my desktop now looks like....

by **Techland** » December 24, 2010, 3:07 pm

I have removed all icons from my desktop. Windows 7 provides lots of ways to work and organize your stuff, and I hated that the icon I need is always hidden under a pile of Windows. I do it like that:

- hit the Windows key and type in the first letters of what you want, then hit enter. Note: Windows search works tremendously well even in an explorer window. Try it and you will be astonished.

- I changed the Taskbar preferences to always group, no text, and small. Then I added all the programs that I start every day directly to the Taskbar (pininng by drag and drop). You might have seen screenshots of users with tons of icons on the Taskbar somewhere - it is exactly this approach and works very well. Many people also missed the pinning function of the Taskbar (right mouse click) completely, another very useful feature to call up what you want directly.

by **parrot** » December 24, 2010, 3:25 pm

I keep 10 or so of my commonly-used program icons on the bottom of my desktop in the taskbar. Since I use them most everyday, they're easy to identify. I included a sleep icon to make that task all the easier (when my new (april 2010) desktop sleeps, the computer fans shut down....that much less dust being drawn into the computer when I'm not using it).
For what it's worth, I usually use Opera as my browser, but a few websites work better in IE 8. With Windows 7, I can easily have 20 tabs open in Opera and another 5 or more in IE8 at the same time........the computer doesn't slow down. Maybe it's the 2gb of RAM that helps....in any case, I could never get away with that in XP.
I also like the Windows key-left or Windows key-right to sweep whatever window is open to the left or right. Another trick that I couldn't do with XP.

Thanks for the fencing tip, Bob!

by **Techland** » December 25, 2010, 3:48 pm

To further open this can of worms - Win7 has some amazing features on its Windows key:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_key

It has never been easier to shift windows (not Windows) around, even on dual screen systems.

by **Frans** » December 27, 2010, 12:29 am

Why not simply make a map with all the programs PE:

Computer Cleaning, Where you get all the security and cleaning software icons in?

Or a map fore chat programes: Where you put Yahoo, windows messenger or what ever chat icon you use?

So fare i remember on the desktop from my window 7 computer at home, I have only About 6 Maps where everything is inside.

Frans

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