I hate the way the quick launch is set up in xp. I liked it much better in w2k where I could have all of my icons across the top of a two level task bar instead of all bunched up next to the start button. Does anyone know if there is a way to get them to display along the top?
Tek-Tips is the largest IT community on the Internet today!
Members share and learn making Tek-Tips Forums the best source of peer-reviewed technical information on the Internet!
-
Congratulations TouchToneTommy on being selected by the Tek-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!
How to customize the quick launch bar? 1
- Thread starter mopacfan
- Start date
Right click on it and select lock taskbar. It should now be unlocked, and you can make the taskbar larger, and then drag the Quicklaunch bar where you had it in 2k.
You can also change the Way XP looks, to make it look and act more like Win2k.
Right Click Desktop -> Properties -> Appearance -> In the pulldown that says Windows and Buttons, Select Classic Style.
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.
- Thread starter
- #3
Thank you for the help. I was able to get the quick launch bar to appear across the top, but when I extend the task bar, the QL takes up all of the available space and the programs, no matter how many I have open, will only appear along the bottom row %-(
Well yes, thats standard behavior. You can drag the programs handle so that they appear next to the Quick launch bar, and it will use top and bottom, except for the space directly underneath the Quicklaunch bar.
That will remain empty.
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.
That will remain empty.
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.
avanderlaan
Programmer
- Jul 11, 2002
- 156
I think drag & drop will do what you want Auger282.
avanderlaan
Programmer
- Jul 11, 2002
- 156
Sorry. Drag & drop comment was directed at stduc.
-
1
- #9
Just drag them around within the quicklaunch area (with taskbar unlocked).
By the way, you can remove the quicklauch toolbar from the taskbar & use it seperately. Try this for a fun example. With the taskbar unlocked, drag the quicklauch bar from the taskbar to the left edge of your monitor & drop it there. Change the width to be 1 icon wide, then right-click & set it to autohide.
By the way, you can remove the quicklauch toolbar from the taskbar & use it seperately. Try this for a fun example. With the taskbar unlocked, drag the quicklauch bar from the taskbar to the left edge of your monitor & drop it there. Change the width to be 1 icon wide, then right-click & set it to autohide.
When faced with the aggravation of Microsoft willy-nilly changing usability features, "Well yes, thats standard behavior" feels like an insult, but I doubt it was intended as such.
Anyway, I did come up with another alternative to mopacfan's dilemma that will hopefully work as I add programs to QL. If you move the QL toolbar *below* the active tasks toolbar, you can extend the toolbar to 3 rows (or more). Only the active task area expands; the QL bar remains at one row, albeit at the bottom of the screen. Not what I'm used to, but at least it allocates the same real estate in the right proportions.
If anyone else has figured out how to get a 1-row, small-icon QL bar on top of a 2-row active-task bar, at the bottom of the screen, with active windows adjusting to a 3-row taskbar, please post your method here. Thanks!
Anyway, I did come up with another alternative to mopacfan's dilemma that will hopefully work as I add programs to QL. If you move the QL toolbar *below* the active tasks toolbar, you can extend the toolbar to 3 rows (or more). Only the active task area expands; the QL bar remains at one row, albeit at the bottom of the screen. Not what I'm used to, but at least it allocates the same real estate in the right proportions.
If anyone else has figured out how to get a 1-row, small-icon QL bar on top of a 2-row active-task bar, at the bottom of the screen, with active windows adjusting to a 3-row taskbar, please post your method here. Thanks!
How did you manage to do that?
I tried - I undocked the QL bar and managed to get it 'underneath' the taskbar - but then it somehow redocked itself and I ended up with 2 QL bars until I unticked the tick for displaying it - when I got none (of course) re-ticking it brought just the one back! phew!!!!
[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]
After all the effort, I'm not sure I want to try again. But, I believe it was a matter of unlocking (of course), dragging to 2 lines, then dragging the QLbar handle down over the handle of the taskbar, and the 2 toolbars switched places. Then, drag the top edge of the toolbar up to make 3 lines. It appears that dragging the top edge up only expands whichever toolbar is on top.
Now I've only got 7 QL icons at this point. Eventually, I will overflow the line. With NT, the overflow icons were accessible from a double-arrow >> button that openned a new menu. Hopefully, XP works about the same in that respect.
Now I've only got 7 QL icons at this point. Eventually, I will overflow the line. With NT, the overflow icons were accessible from a double-arrow >> button that openned a new menu. Hopefully, XP works about the same in that respect.
- Thread starter
- #14
This is just another case of MS screwing something up for no apparent reason. They made a change for the sake of making one rather than having a real reason to do so.
One thing is for sure, there is no way in he** I'm even going to consider vista
It took me long enough to get XP working close to the way want.
mdwyer: I'm going to try your solution. So far, it sounds like the closest means to accomplish my goal. Thanks
One thing is for sure, there is no way in he** I'm even going to consider vista
It took me long enough to get XP working close to the way want.mdwyer: I'm going to try your solution. So far, it sounds like the closest means to accomplish my goal. Thanks
I had a "play" on a virtual machine. This is what I discovered.
To put the QL toolbar back to default - 'unchoose' and then 'choose' to view it again (right click the taskbar and tick or untick)
To move QL "under" the taskbar set the taskbar to two rows, no auto hide & unlocked then fiddle an fiddle until you give up - LOL. I managed to do it in one step twice - but I don't know how. I can only say it seemed to help having four tasks listed in the taskbar.
What seems to work more consistently - at least for me - was to add the desktop toolbar then to drag the QL bar up off the task bar and then without letting go drop it back down - that puts it on the top row. Then it is relatively simple to drag first the desktop toolbar to the top row and then drag the QL bar to the bottom row, then the taks can be dragged up to the top and finally shift the desktop toolbar to the right - or simply unselect it. But you must do it in that order!
I don't quite see what has been achieved though as the QL bar now occupies an entire row.
[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]
To put the QL toolbar back to default - 'unchoose' and then 'choose' to view it again (right click the taskbar and tick or untick)
To move QL "under" the taskbar set the taskbar to two rows, no auto hide & unlocked then fiddle an fiddle until you give up - LOL. I managed to do it in one step twice - but I don't know how. I can only say it seemed to help having four tasks listed in the taskbar.
What seems to work more consistently - at least for me - was to add the desktop toolbar then to drag the QL bar up off the task bar and then without letting go drop it back down - that puts it on the top row. Then it is relatively simple to drag first the desktop toolbar to the top row and then drag the QL bar to the bottom row, then the taks can be dragged up to the top and finally shift the desktop toolbar to the right - or simply unselect it. But you must do it in that order!
I don't quite see what has been achieved though as the QL bar now occupies an entire row.
[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]
- Thread starter
- #18
mopacfan: Is that 1-row QL and 2-row tasks?
stduc: OK, I cut it back to 50 by getting rid of some things I don't need anymore. But I'm a developer and maintenance programmer with my fingers in several (too many) technologies. So I've got all the standard Office icons, email, emailstripper, Visual Studio, Macromedia, calendar and status-tracking, service ticket tracker, shortcuts to various configuration files, actually some windows explorer shortcuts to specific directories for MORE quick launches of terminal servers, SQL*Plus, TOAD, Forms Designer, ad infinitum.
I basically do not *use* my desktop, but it is *filled* with icons. One of the QL Explorer shortcuts is for the Desktop folder - which alphabetizes my desktop for me, without needing to close all my open windows. And the 2-line taskbar is my index into those windows. I keep them organized with a sweet piece of shareware called TaskbarOrganizer, that lets me re-order the task icons to a preferred sequence. So when Microsoft messes with the user interface, it really messes with my productivity!
stduc: OK, I cut it back to 50 by getting rid of some things I don't need anymore. But I'm a developer and maintenance programmer with my fingers in several (too many) technologies. So I've got all the standard Office icons, email, emailstripper, Visual Studio, Macromedia, calendar and status-tracking, service ticket tracker, shortcuts to various configuration files, actually some windows explorer shortcuts to specific directories for MORE quick launches of terminal servers, SQL*Plus, TOAD, Forms Designer, ad infinitum.
I basically do not *use* my desktop, but it is *filled* with icons. One of the QL Explorer shortcuts is for the Desktop folder - which alphabetizes my desktop for me, without needing to close all my open windows. And the 2-line taskbar is my index into those windows. I keep them organized with a sweet piece of shareware called TaskbarOrganizer, that lets me re-order the task icons to a preferred sequence. So when Microsoft messes with the user interface, it really messes with my productivity!
- Thread starter
- #20
- Status
Similar threads
- Locked
- Question