Windows 7: new task bar productivity and efficiency

Hi everyone,

Just got Win 7 Pro a couple of days ago. Now I understand the hot new feature is the taskbar. I keep reading that people think it is a more efficient way to use your computer etc etc.

However, I can not figure out the advantage over the original task bar, such as XP and Vista. (ps i know you can get back to the original quick launch and task bar in 7).

here is what I dont like about it:

- I can not see all the open instances of a program. For example live messenger with multiple conversations. It is really annoying to not know who your talking to at all times.

- To get to a given window, i have to hover over the icon, and then select the appropriate thumbnail. Compare that to just clicking on a window in the old task bar.

- can not pin various folders and recycling bin. folders all merge into one, which is annoying for browsing multiple folders (obviously :P)


These are my three big hitters. Now my ultimate set up is this:

classic task bar with quick launch for getting firefox and show desktop right next to you, with an object doc up top for shortcuts (for example rocket doc or something).


I would like to hear what others think about the efficiency and productivity of the new task bar in win 7.





NOTE: I am not trying to bash win 7, i just want to hear some opinions. Maybe im not using my task bar as I should? Let me know.

right click in taskbar

click on properties

you will see a menu bar on right of the dialouge box which opens

Select the task bar button and scroll to never combine and select it. Your pinned icons will not be overlaid icons any longer in the taskbar but will me similiar to those in Vista

I love the new taskbar-efficient, quick, and organized!

I understand your gripe-I've seen there are many people who have that ultimate loyalty to the classic taskbar (start menu-alike).

There are ways to get around these things that you don't like though-just search the forums!

1) I get that you're saying you can't see who you're talking to but if you have multiple conversations open you will see the "number" via how many lines there are next to the icon.

2) You can still click on them...

3) Search for pinning folders to the taskbar, or dig through the tutorials section.

I would not call it loyalty to the old task bar system. I would love to ditch it for something new, and Im honestly trying the new way out.

Now I do admit, I was a bit lazy. Pinning folders etc is available out there now that I search a bit more, and Im sure I could work around some of the other problems and find a fix.



But this leaves one question for Lucretius. I can not see how it is more efficient than the old way. I will give an example:

I have a bunch of programs open: music, msn, internet folders etc. Lets say I have a couple of pdf's im referencing and a couple of word documents open. How can I switch back and forth between the word files, the pdfs and the internet efficiently? I could alt tab, or win tab, but at some point there might be too many windows to keep track by alt tab efficiently. This leaves me with having to hover over the tray until all my windows show up, and then selecting the one I need. Compare this to just simply clicking the windows I need in the task bar.

Now I could tell the task bar to ungroup the icons (or whatever that option is called). This shows the text of the windows, and would allow me to click them directly. But thats just the same old taskbar?


Lucretius, could you describe some actual examples where the new way is more efficient than the old way?

Thanks

Hi Woland,

Before you change the taskbar's default settings, try Windows+T. It walks you through the taskbar in a very useful way. As you hit each taskbar item, it shows all thumbnails attached to that item. Better yet, the thumbnails remain visible when you release the keys. Now you can use up arrow to enter the thumbnails, and left and right arrow to navigate among them. Pressing Enter with a thumbnail selected shifts focus to that thumb's window.

As a dedicated keyboard guy, I love the way this works. Turns out Vista has the same feature, I just never learned about it.

Andy

Hmm very interesting. I will have to try the windows + T method of navigating the open programs.

Ok I tried that method.

I still dont find that efficient. I have to press two buttons several times before I find what I need and then click to select it. Compare that to clicking to select in the classic taskbar.

Cmon is anyone else seeing this? I agree that the new way is flashy and cool looking, but its slowing me down. And thats time I could be using to get stuff done.


But perhaps people can overcome this? everyone who likes the new task bar, lets hear examples of how you can increase efficiency with it. Maybe Im missing out?

the preview CAN be useful, but mostly, it got in my way. If my mouse drifted down too low, UP came the damned taskbar popup with the preview. Incredibly annoying. I turned off the even more annoying combining which was remarkably pointless and slow since I had to figure out which was which.

Thankfully I have found a program that disabled the taskbar popup and restored right click to how I feel it should be. Now I get the Pin/Unpin type menu when I hold Shift+Right Click while I get the good old classic menu when I just right click.

No combining, no popup getting in the way, and a quick access to right click plus close, it's actually functional now!

Personally, I love the new task bar. Even in the old windows, when you run a bunch of programs which I do all the time, things get grouped together, and finding anything takes time. I use Rocketdock as my quicklaunch replacement, centered at the top of the screen. I ungroup the icons on the taskbar as was described earlier in this thread, and when I have so many apps running at once that everything is grouped together anyways, for me it is way more efficient to hover the mouse over the app, and see all of the various docs/web pages, convos scroll across the bottom of the screen.. Whats more, as you hover over each, that windows comes to the for, with the rest made transparent. Way more efficient then working in XP, which I still have to do on my work laptop every day.. Just saying. As far as the start menu goes.. I would suggest to anyone not happy there to give the search feature a week long trial, meaning, never dig in folders ever for files/programs.. Instead, click start, and type the first few letters of the program you are after.. If you still feel like switching back to the old after a week with it, I will eat my tongue..