Is there anything I can do?

[Dreakon]

I've posted things like this in the past, but I don't think I iterated my concerns very well, so I'm going to try again lol...

Let me start by saying I'm pretty OCD when it comes to my desktop and computer in general. I like it clean and with as few icons on the desktop itself as humanly possible, preferably none.

I have Windows 7, I like the taskbar but I have a tendency to overfill it with random things that I use from time to time and enjoy the convenience of having a mere click away (CCleaner, Google Earth, the various programs in the Microsoft Office suite, audio editors, video editors, music and movie players, web browsers, games, programming software(s), etc). I want it to have a lot of things in it, having to navigate the start menu, Explorer, or work to the desktop to open a single program is an unnecessary inconvenience in this day and age. Some might say I don't need to have all of those things a click away, and I don't, but it'd be nice!

However, when it gets overfilled, it gets kind of ugly and eventually moves to a new row, incredibly inconvenient and terrible for my OCD lol. This, coupled with the fact some programs can take up multiple icon spots on the taskbar (for example, multiplayer games where I need to pin the updater to the taskbar, but the game itself takes up another spot) and new programs are regularly opening and closing, taking up even more spots! Drives me crazy! I'm almost ready to go back to Vista solely because I have ways to keeping my desktop nice and organized that were conveniently removed in 7. Right now I'm being handcuffed by this new taskbar lol, it desperately needs a way to allow me to group items together as I wish so I can put updaters and games in the same spot so they don't take up unnecessary space... and so on.

Help! Is there anything I can do to alleviate these annoyances?

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello Dreakon.



I don't know if this will help you or not because I've never looked at it but have a look to see for yourself, I hope that it will, at the link below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/496-taskbar-button-grouping-enable-disable.html?ltr=T

 

[Dreakon]

Hello Dreakon.



I don't know if this will help you or not because I've never looked at it but have a look to see for yourself, I hope that it will, at the link below.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/496-taskbar-button-grouping-enable-disable.html?ltr=T

But that would take up even more taskbar space lol. And besides, I want things to group together.

When I say grouping, I mean combining two seperate programs into 1 spot on the taskbar. Not combining multiple instances of the same program. Like the example of the game with a updater. The game needs the updater to run first, so I have to pin the updater to the taskbar while when the game itself finally runs, it takes up yet another valuable taskbar slot...

But regardless, I know that isn't possible unfortunately. I'm just wondering if there are any other options that might help my situation.

And I know of programs like 7stacks, but that just aesthetically solves my problem, in the end the programs still take up the taskbar spots when opened.

 

[Zomby88]

Are you using the start menu to its fullest potential ? I have 14 there and you can add more.
Are you combining on the taskbar ?

I do not like any icons on my desktop either.

 

[fseal]

Are you referring to the removal of alternate task bars?

There are a couple of nice third party task bar apps that you can probably use to group icons in other locations. Then just use the w7 task bar as it was used in previous windows, as a place for displaying running programs only?

 

[mpcrsc562]

try something like this: Jumplist-Launcher Ali’s Dünnpfiff

 

[whs]

I suggest you group the shortcuts of all those programs into a folder that you can park anywhere (desktop, documents, etc). Then you make a toolbar of that folder (right click on taskbar > toolbars > new toolbar). You can even have subfolders that will fly out when you click on them. See the example of one of my toolbars. Note: I have "Func" both as subfolder and as toolbar - just for fun. I also have the AppLauncher in my tweaked sidebar (just above the Func entries). This is another good repository for quick launch shortcuts.

 

[canspec]

Are you using the start menu to its fullest potential ? I have 14 there and you can add more.
Are you combining on the taskbar ?

I do not like any icons on my desktop either.

Hey where did u get that great weather app on ur desktop and what is it called please.

 

[Saltgrass]

Shortcut keys....might cut down the clutter....

 

[whs]

deleted - was a mistake

 

[Zomby88]

Are you using the start menu to its fullest potential ? I have 14 there and you can add more.
Are you combining on the taskbar ?

I do not like any icons on my desktop either.

Hey where did u get that great weather app on ur desktop and what is it called please.

Are you kidding ? It`s a sidebar gadget !!

 

[Zomby88]

You could add ObjectDock to the desktop.

 

[Dreakon]

Are you using the start menu to its fullest potential ? I have 14 there and you can add more.
Are you combining on the taskbar ?

I do not like any icons on my desktop either.

If I had a choice, I wouldn't even have the start menu in Windows 7... all I use it for is to shut down (would much rather have a pinned application in the taskbar that does the same thing) and as another method to bring up My Computer (Explorer already has a spot on my taskbar). Different ways of launching programs still bugs me, because while it's more organized, the programs being launched from the jumplist or using 7stacks are still unpinned and mess with my otherwise pleasant taskbar setup.

Which is why I want the whole Microsoft Office suite to live in only 1 spot on my taskbar, instead of needing a spot for Word and Excel and Access and Powerpoint. And if I need 2 or 3 of those open at the same time? That's a big chunk of the taskbar being used by them. With the way the taskbar is set up, you'd think Microsoft could've come up with some way to group similar Suite programs like that together and live in 1 spot of the taskbar, even if they're all open at the same time.

I think my problem is that I love the new taskbar too much lol. I don't want to leave any program I have unpinned. Doesn't it annoy you when unpinned applications pop up and mess with your filled-up taskbar, or perhaps even send the taskbar to a new row?

 

[Zomby88]

My question is ......And I`m not being rude but Come On! how often do you use a program ??? I work for 5 different companys plus my own. You really need to sit down at your pc and prioratize. How often do you use Word , how often do you use Excel, and so on. I bet you can do it. This pic doesn`t even show the object dock.

 

[Bare Foot Kid]

Hello Dreakon.



You may want to have a look at the tutorial at the link below, I haven't "played" with it but you may be able to pin it to the taskbar.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/61294-shut-down-computer-shortcut-create.html?ltr=S