Access Desktop Items From Your Taskbar

One thing I have noticed is a lot of people like to treat their Desktop as a “dumping ground” for all their personal files, folders and shortcuts. Yes, it is very convenient, but quickly gets overwhelming and hard to navigate. If you are one of these people, a handy shortcut is to add a menu containing all your desktop items on your taskbar.

Here is how you do this in Windows Vista:

Right click on your Start Menu and select Properties.
Go to the Toolbars tab.
Check the box for “Desktop”.
Click OK.

Now a new menu will appear in your taskbar, appropriately named “Desktop”. By clicking the arrow on this item a pop-up menu of all files and folders will appear. This is a great way to access your desktop items without having to minimize all your open applications.

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Drew
Another downside to the clutter is the increased boot up time on your PC, as Windows is trying to load up all the shortcuts and files on th desktop.
I have about 5 files on my desktop and all of my most used programs have shortcuts to them all placed in the taskbar.
Alternatively, use the Start Menu and “pin to Start Menu” the programs you use on a daily basis.
Talan
Another way to clean it up is to create a folder on the desktop and put all your short cuts in it, then drag the folder to the side and it will create a side menu bar for you. I use this at work for all the things I need quick access to, Also if you’re worried about space, auto hide that bar, then it will not use any space.