Quick Launch for the desktop

[setme31]

Hi, my name is Scott, and I am a desktop hog...

My desktop is a mess, and I need to clean it up a bit. The problem is, I like all of my shortcuts. I use every single one of them all of the time.

I am looking for some software that will give me "quick launch" functionality on my desktop. I basically want a quick launch toolbar on my destop. I don't want it on my task bar. I only want to be able to see it when all of my windows are minimized.

Does software like this exist?

Thanks,
Scott

[reboot]

Make a folder, put all your shortcuts in it.
Or...Right click the taskbar, select toolbars, and then click Desktop. It puts an icon on the taskbar that contains every icon on your desktop, all available by one click.

[pillainp]

Create a new folder anywhere on your hard disk (say in My Documents) and name it anything (Say "My Tools"). Put all those icons in it (cut and paste). Then right click your taskbar and select Toolbars>New Toolbar. This will bring up a browser where you can navigate to and select the folder that you just created. Click OK. You will now have a new toolbar on your taskbar with all your favorite icons. Drag this off your taskbar and on to the top of your screen. Now right click the toolbar and select "Auto Hide".

Voila, you have all your icons off your desktop, but they are still accessible whenever you move your mouse to the top of the screen.

If you want the toolbar to be visible even when your other apps are open, select "Always on Top" and leave autohide off. To see the icons as larger thatn life, select View>Large Icons.

[pillainp]

Here's a pic of this idea in action.

[reboot]

My way is quicker, and does the same thing.

[Dan]

download powertoys....install deskmenu.
this gives you an icon in the quicklaunch bar that will allow you to "launch" an icon in the systray. when you click on it, a cascading menu of all your desktop shortcuts appears....
get powertoys here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/d...et/Default.asp
while designed for win95, it will work fine in 98.
winxp has it's own download.....if you want it, just search in google....

[setme31]

Thanks pillainp, that is pretty much what I was looking for. Reboot didn't follow my instructions, so YOU WIN!! I'll use your idea.

Reboot, your idea was good, but the taskbar thing won't work, because all of the icons will still be on the desktop. The create a folder idea was good too, but I don't want to have to drill down a folder level to get to my "shortcuts."

Thanks for your help.

[reboot]

OK, they both work, just slightly differently.

[pillainp]

You can even have a totally clean desktop, with all your icons on just the new toolbar. Simply right click your desktop and select "Arrange Icons By" and deselect the "Show Desktop Icons" (Win XP), or in Win9x/Me/2K, go to desktop properties and enable "View as Web Page". Then select "customize Desktop" and click "Hide Icons when viewed as web page".

[Cheryl]

Thanks guys!!! This is awesome!

I can finally see my fish.

Cheryl

[pillainp]

Make a folder, put all your shortcuts in it. Or...Right click the taskbar, select toolbars, and then click Desktop. It puts an icon on the taskbar that contains every icon on your desktop, all available by one click.

Reboot's method works perfectly too. In fact I would give him the greater credit. All he did was forget to mention that the Desktop toolbar you create on the taskbar can also be dragged off to the top or side of your screen and works just as well as my idea (in Windows XP, all you need to do is unlock the taskbar and drag the toolbar off it to the top of the screen).

Kudos, Reboot.....

[reboot]

Thanks!
I sometimes use the taskbar shortcut to Desktop, and sometimes make it a separate toolbar on the side. Depending on how many Windows I already have open, and how many more things I need to run at one time.
When you really get into multitasking, and have 15 Windows open, it's much simpler to use the Desktop toolbar than try and find the actual desktop, then search for the icon you need.