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Phoon
Phoon
Join Date 10/2001
+382

Vista and XP get Linux-like multiple desktops

September 20, 2008 9:48:55 PM from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Microsoft has quietly released a utility that allows you to create multiple desktops on Vista or XP. Some unexpected stuff comes out of Microsoft’s labs. Microsoft’s Sysinternals team has released a virtual desktop manager for Windows XP and Vista that allows a user to create up to four separate desktops on the one OS.
From the creator of the Sysinternals suite...

Available Here

 

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Phoon
DrJBHL
Join Date 04/2002
+4052
Reply #1 September 20, 2008 10:40:09 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Interesting. Do you believe this is any better than SD's Virtual Desktops?

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Phoon
MadDeez
Join Date 11/2001
+147
Reply #2 September 20, 2008 10:47:36 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

nice find, phoon! thanks

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Phoon
Bichur
Join Date 10/2003
+253
Reply #3 September 20, 2008 10:58:19 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums
seems like it has more limitations than SVD maybe that will change in future versions?
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Phoon
Philly0381
Join Date 11/2004
+844
Reply #4 September 21, 2008 12:32:13 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

I just started to use Stardock Virtual Desktops and like. 

It would be nice to have seen more screenshots of what this offering from Microsoft does.

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Phoon
Phoon
Join Date 10/2001
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Reply #5 September 21, 2008 8:14:24 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

It would be nice to have seen more screenshots of what this offering from Microsoft does.

Not much to it. Just options to set your hotkey that switches desktops. No fluff at all.

It only uses 1.7MB of RAM too.

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Phoon
DrJBHL
Join Date 04/2002
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Reply #6 September 21, 2008 10:23:09 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Well....I tried it...no great shakes, duplicates processes, and just how do you "uninstall" it?

SVDT's much better imo.

Dr.J.

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Phoon
Pixeleo
Join Date 04/2008
+53
Reply #7 September 21, 2008 10:47:50 AM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

Quoting Dr J0622,
reply 6
, and just how do you "uninstall" it?

I don't think you ever installed it. It's just an .exe if I remember correctly. Delete it  

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Phoon
kryo
Join Date 05/2003
+458
Reply #8 September 21, 2008 11:57:56 AM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums

Microsoft has actually offered a virtual desktop app for years as part of the windows powertoys.

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Phoon
Sole Soul
Join Date 12/2007
+124
Reply #9 September 21, 2008 12:32:19 PM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums

Quoting kryo,
reply 8
Microsoft has actually offered a virtual desktop app for years as part of the windows powertoys.

I didn't like that one, for a number of reasons, all of which escape me at the moment.  All I remember for sure is it wasn't capable of doing what I wanted it to do.  But their implementation this time around seems to be much different.

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Phoon
Phoon
Join Date 10/2001
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Reply #10 September 21, 2008 2:37:52 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

It serves the purpose of allowing multiple desktops. Yeah, i didn't notice that it launches a separate explorer.exe with each desktop. Does SD's app do the same thing?

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Phoon
Bunnahabhain
Join Date 05/2004
+15
Reply #11 September 21, 2008 2:41:47 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

and just how do you "uninstall" it?

Uncheck the "Run automatically at logon" checkbox, then delete the exe.

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Phoon
Bunnahabhain
Join Date 05/2004
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Reply #12 September 21, 2008 2:47:02 PM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums

FWIW, this works quite differently than other (including Stardock) offerings. It creates up to 4 "desktop object", versus either "moving" or "hiding" windows. As a result, there is no way to move windows from one virtual desktop to another.

I've been using it for a couple of days and find that it makes an interesting complement to SVD.

Also, FWIW, the entire Sysinternals offerings are available as a single download and are quite worthwhile IMHO.

http://download.sysinternals.com/Files/SysinternalsSuite.zip

 

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Phoon
werewolf
Join Date 04/2001
+28
Reply #13 September 21, 2008 3:15:18 PM
from WinCustomize ForumsWinCustomize Forums

I don't work for these guys, just a fan...

AltDesk: http://www.astonshell.com/altdesk/

Lightweight and skinnable

 

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Phoon
Taverius
Join Date 10/2003
+4
Reply #14 September 28, 2008 3:21:48 AM
from Sins of a Solar Empire ForumsSins of a Solar Empire Forums

The thing is right ... I use linux regularly, and I use the windows port of the *NIX window manager BlackBox on windows ... and they both have multiple desktops ... and I hardly ever use them.

Sometimes (very rarely) on Linux, when I'm coding something for a project, I find it useful to have Emacs open on one screen, XChat open on another, and the references on a third, but this only happens when I'm working with an interpreted language like LISP or python and I have so many files and interpreter windows open in Emacs i need it full-screen ... but to be perfectly honest, I find alt-tabbing and/or exposè clones to be far more efficient workflow-wise.

Multiple desktops only really improve your workflow if you command it with the keyboard, and in that case, you really oughto look into a tiling WM of some sort.

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Phoon
kryo
Join Date 05/2003
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Reply #15 September 29, 2008 11:54:25 AM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums

but to be perfectly honest, I find alt-tabbing and/or exposè clones to be far more efficient workflow-wise.

Yeah. I used to use VWMs in Litestep myself, but honestly I rarely used them. Now I've got "real" multiple desktops (dual monitors) so theres no reason at all now for me.

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