Desktop on taskbar: Is there a fix yet?

Travellintroll · Jan 10, 2013

Hello,

I have been so frustrated with Windows 7 since it's inception for having such poor functionality with regard to how the Desktop on the taskbar functions. For me, it is really the only way to personalize my operating system, since I like to have my desktop free of icons so that I can appreciate a good wallpaper. So I organize my desktop icons on the taskbar, and keep the open tabs on the taskbar to the right. However, Windows 7 has always bugged out by repeatedly placing 2 control panels on my taskbar. Deleting one does nothing. It just reappears next time. And I cannot remove the recycle bin icon. It is so frustrating. I accepted it for a long time but I thought I would check in to see if they ever fixed this problem, or do they even care anymore.

Of course there are many icons that I cannot remove on the desktop on the taskbar but I am only concerned with these two for now.

Thanks

Bongo · Jan 11, 2013

Welcome to the Seven Forums

For the recycling bin have a look at these tutorials.
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/6687-recycle-bin-pin-taskbar.html
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/4156-recycle-bin-icon-allow-prevent-display.html

See if this tutorial will help with the control panel http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/6774-control-panel-pin-taskbar.html

Jerry

Thonk98 · Jan 24, 2013

Desktop Toolbar/Taskbar Issues

I have to agree with the troll that Windows 7 is not as friendly as XP was about taskbar options. In XP I could create a desktop tool bar (with all my desktop shortcuts), dock it at the top of the screen and make it autohide/always on top. This way a quick move to the top of any window I had open would allow me to open other applications without minimizing or going to START. While maintaining the full real estate of my monitor In Windows 7 the only thing close I've found is to create a desktop toolbar that sits below my open apps on the taskbar (see attached image). It is auto hidden but, as troll mentioned, Windows seems to add shortcuts (computer, network, control panel X 2, recycle bin) that I do not want. There is no option to pin or un-pin. Only an opton to delete. In which case the shortcuts return as Windows 7 desires.

Not looking for solutions really. Just venting.

Thanks for listening, please pull up to the next window......

Thonk

AddRAM · Jan 24, 2013

Why do you have any control panel icon on the taskbar ? It`s not necessary. And what recycle bin ar you talking about ? The one on the desktop ?

boohbah · Jan 24, 2013

it sounds to me that you need a software to tidy your desktop.
here are two pictures of mine

before...

and after,
how it looks when i double click it...

double click hides the icons again
to achieve this i use fences 2, you could purchase it for $9
or search for fences 1.0 which is free,

boohbah · Jan 24, 2013

Thonk98 said:
I have to agree with the troll that Windows 7 is not as friendly as XP was about taskbar options. In XP I could create a desktop tool bar (with all my desktop shortcuts), dock it at the top of the screen and make it autohide/always on top. This way a quick move to the top of any window I had open would allow me to open other applications without minimizing or going to START. While maintaining the full real estate of my monitor In Windows 7 the only thing close I've found is to create a desktop toolbar that sits below my open apps on the taskbar (see attached image). It is auto hidden but, as troll mentioned, Windows seems to add shortcuts (computer, network, control panel X 2, recycle bin) that I do not want. There is no option to pin or un-pin. Only an opton to delete. In which case the shortcuts return as Windows 7 desires.

Not looking for solutions really. Just venting.

Thanks for listening, please pull up to the next window......

Thonk

i think you could try stardocks objectdock.
it will do everything you described you want it to.

mine is set to autohide and the icons zoom out and in as you hover past them,

http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/

Thonk98 · Jan 24, 2013

I don't know if it's technically the taskbar. Its a desktop toolbar that is docked at the bottom and pops up with the taskbar. I've included another attachment with arrows pointing to the offending shortcuts.

Like I say, I'm not really looking for solutions. I just find it interesting that I can't do something in 7 that I could in XP

Thonk98 · Jan 24, 2013

Thanks boohbah, that looks very much like what I used to have set up in XP. Except for the zooming icons. I've kind of learned to live with the toolbar at the bottom now but I may give that a try.

Thanks again to both you and AddRAM for responding.

Thonk

alphanumeric · Jan 24, 2013

AddRAM said:
Why do you have any control panel icon on the taskbar ? It`s not necessary. And what recycle bin ar you talking about ? The one on the desktop ?

If you right click on your taskbar, go to toolbars, and select "Desktop", you'll see what he means.
When you add the desktop toolbar to the taskbar it has two control panel icons. If you delete one or both of them they just reappear again after a short delay. It's something that's bugged me for a while. I found it handy to add the desktop toolbar to the taskbar in windows XP to get me quick easy access to my drives and any plugged in thumb drives. I also have a clean desktop with no visible shortcuts. What I do in Windows 7 to get around it is select toolbars > new toolbar > and click "Computer". That at least gets me ICONS for one click quick access to my drives and USB connected devices.

Kari · Jan 24, 2013

alphanumeric said:
When you add the desktop toolbar to the taskbar it has two control panel icons. If you delete one or both of them they just reappear again after a short delay. It's something that's bugged me for a while.

There is some arguable logic behind those two different (yes, different!) Control Panel icons on Desktop toolbar.

One of them, the top most, is shortcut to Control Panel folder; it has this little arrowhead on right meaning it opens a list of Control Panel items (default Windows settings), whereas the second one is a simple shortcut that opens Explorer > Control Panel.

As I said, the logics could be argued. One Control Panel icon should be enough. However, in some primitive level I can understand how they have thought this in Seattle :sarc:.

Kari

Kari · Jan 24, 2013

Tested, the latter of these icons, shortcut to Explorer > Control Panel can be removed by deleting this registry key:

Code:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace\{5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0}

When the key is removed, the Explorer > Control Panel icon is gone and only the Control Panel Items list icon left on toolbar:

Works both on Seven and Eight.

Need to search registry a bit more, I am sure it's one of the other HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace keys that could take the other one away, too.

Kari

EDIT:
Found this is also quite well documented: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...-toolbar/bb35a8af-300f-454d-8629-63d612205d7d

alphanumeric · Jan 25, 2013

I do believe I actually did the registry edit many moons ago, but always wondered what side effect it might have? What gets me is, if you set windows 7 to display all those desktop icons you'll only see the one control panel icon on your desktop. The way it should be. But if you enable the desktop toolbar you get the two of them. still seems like a glitch that wasn't fixed to me. I'm not a coder though, so what do I know.

Kari · Jan 25, 2013

Read the logics part, although arguable logics, again in my earlier post.

They are like two different shortcuts, one to give an item view of the content of Control Panel folder, the other a simple shortcut to Explorer > Control Panel. As such they are basically two independent shortcuts functioning differently.

Kari

alphanumeric · Jan 25, 2013

Yeah, I get it, < not meant to be sarcastic. But it's still kind of lame. I don't sweat it now anyway I got the icons I want on my taskbar by following a different route.

Kari · Jan 25, 2013

I find it stupid, too. Only trying to tell that in those "gigantic brains" of the whiz kids by Microsoft coding team, they have seen logics behind this kind of coding, and somehow I can understand their point although it's useless as far as I can see and understand.

alphanumeric · Jan 25, 2013

Kari said:
I find it stupid, too. Only trying to tell that in those "gigantic brains" of the whiz kids by Microsoft coding team, they have seen logics behind this kind of coding, and somehow I can understand their point although it's useless as far as I can see and understand.

+1

AddRAM · Jan 25, 2013

alphanumeric said:
AddRAM said:

Why do you have any control panel icon on the taskbar ? It`s not necessary. And what recycle bin ar you talking about ? The one on the desktop ?

Click to expand...

If you right click on your taskbar, go to toolbars, and select "Desktop", you'll see what he means.
When you add the desktop toolbar to the taskbar it has two control panel icons. If you delete one or both of them they just reappear again after a short delay. It's something that's bugged me for a while. I found it handy to add the desktop toolbar to the taskbar in windows XP to get me quick easy access to my drives and any plugged in thumb drives. I also have a clean desktop with no visible shortcuts. What I do in Windows 7 to get around it is select toolbars > new toolbar > and click "Computer". That at least gets me ICONS for one click quick access to my drives and USB connected devices.

I knew that was there, totally forgot about it since I haven`t used that since like day 1. There`s no reason to have it there anyway, you can add all that stuff to the start menu.

alphanumeric · Jan 25, 2013

@ AddRam, different strokes for different folks. I have reasons for having it (or a reasonable facsimile) on my taskbar. There are lots of different ways of doing things, what works for you may not work for me, and vice versa.

DeaconFrost · Jan 25, 2013

This is what kills me about people in general. Vent, vent, vent...without any time to step back and examine the "issue". You don't need Microsoft to issue a "fix" for something that isn't broken. Just because it doesn't do exactly what you want to do, or perform some very unique customization you want. If Microsoft made the OS that way, the very same people would bitch about how bloated the OS was. There's no way and OS can be customized 100% to your tastes, unless you were willing to code and compile your own Linux distribution.

Layback Bear · Jan 26, 2013

I don't get it. I understand one might want their system a certain way. I don't understand why anybody would think Microsoft should make it that way. Windows 7 is made for millions and millions of people. Many of those people want to add or remove little do dads to meet their liking and thats okay. If Microsoft could ever know what all the likings were and put them in Windows 7 it would come on 100 DVD's for one install.

Desktop on taskbar: Is there a fix yet?

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