PowerToy Desktop Manager - Not really a virtual desktop manager, is it?

[*Vanguard*]

I downloaded and installed the Power Toys for Windows XP which included the
Desktop Manager. When this toolbar is displayed in the taskbar, a set of 5
buttons is displayed: one for preview and 4 for alternate desktops. I
thought this might work like a virtual desktop manager where you can
organize different applications under separate desktops, similar to ATI's
HydraVision.

Guess not. I would open an application, move to a different "desktop", open
another application, and saw their windows were displayed under the separate
desktops. So I thought it was working. However, the taskbar does not
reflect the change in applications for a desktop when switching between the
desktops. That means that if I have Outlook Express under Desktop_1 and
Explorer opened under Desktop_2 that I see both of these applications in the
taskbar when switching between desktops. So if I click on an application's
taskbar button, it gets yanked into the current desktop. I'd rather have
the taskbar reflect the applications that were opened under a particular
desktop. That way the applications really are managed under separate
virtual desktops.

Did I miss something regarding Microsoft's Desktop Manager? Is there an
option to force the taskbar to reflect the application(s) that are
particular to a specific desktop? Even if the taskbar doesn't maintain a
separate set of buttons per desktop, you'd think they would make it so that
clicking on an application's taskbar button would pop you over to whichever
desktop that application's window was opened. You cannot even set different
backgrounds per desktop to allow easy recognition that you have switched
between them.

Since Microsoft's "solution" really isn't a valid virtual desktop manager,
are they any good ones? I've before tried ATI's HydraVision under Windows
2000 but gave up on it because of defects.

 

[Tom Porterfield]

I downloaded and installed the Power Toys for Windows XP which
Since Microsoft's "solution" really isn't a valid virtual desktop
manager, are they any good ones? I've before tried ATI's HydraVision
under Windows 2000 but gave up on it because of defects.

Here's one. Items only show in the taskbar on the virtual desktop that
they are in. You can't have seperate wallpaper on each desktop. Supports
up to six additional virtual desktops.

http://www.techsuperior.com/products/index.html

--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Smart Display
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.

 

[*Vanguard*]

"Tom Porterfield" said in news:[email protected]:

Here's one. Items only show in the taskbar on the virtual desktop
that they are in. You can't have seperate wallpaper on each desktop.
Supports up to six additional virtual desktops.

http://www.techsuperior.com/products/index.html

I remember having tried MultiDesk before. Seemed a rather, um, incomplete
or unstable solution. I was trying to use it but cannot remember the
problems that I had. It's probably been a year, or more, since I tested it.
I also remember trying to request help from the vendor but got no reply. In
fact, I thought Multidesk was from someone other than techsuperior.com back
when I was testing it, so it probably has gotten passed around.
download.com says that Multidesk comes from Fusion Software (but provides no
link so Fusion probably doesn't exist anymore although a Google search turns
up pages, like http://www.fusion-soft.co.uk/). My recollection was
Multidesk was too flaky, unsupported, and lack essential features, like
hotkeys to switch between desktops, which obviated ease of use. If you look
at the last modified datestamps of the installed files for your copy of
MultiDesk, are they perhaps dated long before Windows XP was even available
as a beta?

I then discovered ATI's HydraVision (probably when looking for downloads
when periodically checking for updated drivers and software) and it worked
better, but it likely only works if you have an ATI video card.

 

[Tom Porterfield]

"Tom Porterfield" said in news:[email protected]:

I remember having tried MultiDesk before. Seemed a rather, um,
incomplete or unstable solution. I was trying to use it but cannot
remember the problems that I had. It's probably been a year, or
more, since I tested it. I also remember trying to request help from
the vendor but got no reply. In fact, I thought Multidesk was from
someone other than techsuperior.com back when I was testing it, so it
probably has gotten passed around. download.com says that Multidesk
comes from Fusion Software (but provides no link so Fusion probably
doesn't exist anymore although a Google search turns up pages, like
http://www.fusion-soft.co.uk/). My recollection was Multidesk was
too flaky, unsupported, and lack essential features, like hotkeys to
switch between desktops, which obviated ease of use. If you look at
the last modified datestamps of the installed files for your copy of
MultiDesk, are they perhaps dated long before Windows XP was even
available as a beta?

There is a MultiDesk from Fusion that is basically useless. The one from
TechSuperior is a 1998 application, so yes it is a bit older. It works
well enough for me, but I probably don't use it as much as some folks
might. Maybe someone will chime in with something newer and more robust.
--
Tom Porterfield
MS-MVP Smart Display
http://support.telop.org

Please post all follow-ups to the newsgroup only.

 

[Andrew Guryanov]

"Funny" thing I have discovered about this MSVDM recently:
when on desktop1, open MS Excel
go to desktop2
go back to desktop1: MS Excel window has now lost its menu and
toolbar! I was unable to restore them...

Yep, it seems "Toy" is a only a toy, no matter how "powerful" it is.

For a list of competition products, go to CNet:
http://download.com.com/sort/3150-2346-0-1-3.html?


Andrew