Solved Show Desktop icon on left in taskbar

ejdpop

New member
Local time
9:51 AM
Messages
20
There are some old threads on this subject which are useful but have become dated, so, following instructions, I have decided to open a new thread. The Show Desktop button in W7 is over on the right, and I wanted to move it to the left, but that appears to be impossible. Now, I know the W-d keyboard shortcut achieves the same goal, but I would also like to have a clickable icon in the taskbar on the left. Here's what I did:

In XP, I created a shortcut to Show Desktop, and placed it on my desktop. Then I "pinned" it to the taskbar, and it worked just fine. So, in W7 I copied the XP shortcut to my desktop, where it still works just fine. However, when I pin it to the taskbar, W7 creates a link to Windows Explorer, which is NOT what I want! (In Properties, this shortcut is described as "Windows Explorer Command (.scf)".

So, if anyone out there has a way to create a Show Desktop button on the left of the taskbar, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you. Surely there must be a file or command buried somewhere in the system that performs this task. I have looked, but haven't found a thing that is useful.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom
OS
Windows 7 Professional 32-bit Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Motherboard
ASUS
Memory
4GB
Browser
Firefox
This may be what you're looking for.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
W7 Pro x64 SP1 | W10 Pro IP x64 | W8.1 Pro x64 VM | Linux Mint VM
CPU
i7-4790k @ 4GHz (4.4GHz Boost)
Motherboard
ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (BIOS Rev 2004)
Memory
16GB DDR3 Kingston HyperX Fury @ 1600MHz CL 9-9-9-27
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GTX 980 Classified
Sound Card
Realtek Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S27D390
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
240GB Intel 520 Series SSD |
Samsung 850 EVO 120GB SSD |
2TB WD Caviar Black |
2TB WD Caviar Black |
2TB WD Caviar Green
PSU
Corsair HX850-80 Gold Modular
Case
Cooler Master Silencio 650
Cooling
Corsair H80i w/2 x Corsair SP120 | 2 x 120mm Noctua NF-S12B
Keyboard
Microsoft Sidewinder X4
Mouse
Gigabyte M6900 optical
Internet Speed
152mb
Antivirus
F-Secure
Browser
Firefox 38.0
Other Info
Backup Rig: Win 7 Pro 64-bit | AMD A10-5800k | ASUS F2A85-V Pro | 8GB Samsung DDR3 @1600MHz | 120GB Toshiba SDD | 2TB Seagate HDD | Cooler Master Silencio 550
The link you give is flagged by WOT as being "unreliable", with numerous critical comments by other users. I'll give it a pass.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom
OS
Windows 7 Professional 32-bit Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Motherboard
ASUS
Memory
4GB
Browser
Firefox

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Self Built
OS
Win 10 Pro x64
CPU
Intel I5-2500K @3.3GHz
Motherboard
Asrock P67 Extreme4
Memory
16GB G.Skill Ripjaws X (4x4GB)
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GeForce 750 Ti SC 2GB
Sound Card
ASUS Xonar DG 5.1 Channels 24-bit 96KHz PCI Interface Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
auria eq2367
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
250GB Samsung 850 EVO SSD
1TB WD Blue
1TB Hitachi
PSU
SeaSonic X 650W 80 Plus Gold
Case
Corsair Obsidian 750D
Cooling
Corsair H60, Three 140mm case fans
Keyboard
Logitech Wireless Keyboard K520
Mouse
Logitech Wireless Mouse M310
Internet Speed
Wave Broadband ~ 100 dn 5 up
Antivirus
Windows Defender, Malwarebytes Premium
Browser
Edge, IE11, Chrome
Other Info
Laptop specs: HP g7-1365dx /
CPU: AMD A6-3420M APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics /
RAM: Crucial 8Gb (2x4Gb) /
SSD: Crucial M4-CT128M4SSD2 ATA Device/ FW 000F /
GFX: AMD Radeon HD 6520G /
OS: Windows 10 Pro x64
The link you give is flagged by WOT as being "unreliable", with numerous critical comments by other users. I'll give it a pass.

It passed through aerospace network security and is fine on my security which flags the stupidest things, it's fine. Pass on it if you want, fine by me.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom Build
OS
W7 Pro x64 SP1 | W10 Pro IP x64 | W8.1 Pro x64 VM | Linux Mint VM
CPU
i7-4790k @ 4GHz (4.4GHz Boost)
Motherboard
ASUS Sabertooth Z87 (BIOS Rev 2004)
Memory
16GB DDR3 Kingston HyperX Fury @ 1600MHz CL 9-9-9-27
Graphics Card(s)
EVGA GTX 980 Classified
Sound Card
Realtek Onboard
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung S27D390
Screen Resolution
1920 x 1080
Hard Drives
240GB Intel 520 Series SSD |
Samsung 850 EVO 120GB SSD |
2TB WD Caviar Black |
2TB WD Caviar Black |
2TB WD Caviar Green
PSU
Corsair HX850-80 Gold Modular
Case
Cooler Master Silencio 650
Cooling
Corsair H80i w/2 x Corsair SP120 | 2 x 120mm Noctua NF-S12B
Keyboard
Microsoft Sidewinder X4
Mouse
Gigabyte M6900 optical
Internet Speed
152mb
Antivirus
F-Secure
Browser
Firefox 38.0
Other Info
Backup Rig: Win 7 Pro 64-bit | AMD A10-5800k | ASUS F2A85-V Pro | 8GB Samsung DDR3 @1600MHz | 120GB Toshiba SDD | 2TB Seagate HDD | Cooler Master Silencio 550
I typed in a brief note, and then clicked on "Mark Solved", and the note vanished. Nuts. Thanks for the useful tips; I have it nearly solved now.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom
OS
Windows 7 Professional 32-bit Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Motherboard
ASUS
Memory
4GB
Browser
Firefox
Hi Guys:

The quickest way I know how to "show desktop" on Windows 7 is: Click on Start. In the search box, type: "Show Desktop" (exclude quotation marks). Right-click "Show Desktop" and pin to Taskbar. Worked for me.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom-Built
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
i7
Motherboard
Intel
Memory
8GB
Graphics Card(s)
nVidia GeForce GT 330
Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung 2494SW 24-inch
Hard Drives
2 Hitachi Drives 1 TB each
PSU
Antec CP-1000 1000 Watt
Case
Antec Sonata Elite
Cooling
5 120mm fans
Thanks, that does work. I had somehow got it to work some time ago, but I don't remember how.
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer type
PC/Desktop
Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
custom
OS
Windows 7 Professional 32-bit Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Motherboard
ASUS
Memory
4GB
Browser
Firefox
Hi ejdpop:

You're quite welcome!
 

My Computer My Computer

Computer Manufacturer/Model Number
Custom-Built
OS
Windows 7 Ultimate x64
CPU
i7
Motherboard
Intel
Memory
8GB
Graphics Card(s)
nVidia GeForce GT 330
Sound Card
Creative Labs Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung 2494SW 24-inch
Hard Drives
2 Hitachi Drives 1 TB each
PSU
Antec CP-1000 1000 Watt
Case
Antec Sonata Elite
Cooling
5 120mm fans
Back
Top