Windows 8 desktop icons

billzant

Active Member
Dear Forum,

Windows 8 has blocked me again!!

I like to organise my desktop with shortcuts to folders that I cleaned up using stardock fences.

I have desktop shortcuts that I now cannot move. I have installed fences 2.13, try to move to fences and nothing moves.

Can anyone help?

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best,

BillZ
 
Partly solved. It was fences that was locking my desktop icons I installed and uninstalled twice, causing and removing the effect.

So I now need another solution. I want something that will give me easy access to a number of folder and file shortcuts (30+). One way would be to setup top level folders on the desktop eg type1, type2, type3 etc. And then move the shortcuts to within each of these folders.

I will go with this if nothing else comes up.
 
If you like using dekstop instead of Start Screen, install the Classic Shell so you can have a start menu where you can pin your shortcut folders like this (note: sample below was done in Win 7 but can be done with Classic Shell):

shortcuts.jpg




This way, you can keep your desktop clutter-free.




...........................
 
Badrobot,

Thanks for the suggestion. I have too many files and folders that I want quick access to for the start menu (classic shell), and at the same time I have setup the windows 8 start screen to access all my software. I don't use the online phone apps that they put on their start menu.

I have not done enough studying yet. I use outlook for mail and organisation. Can I connect the "phone apps" so that when I click the mail outlook comes up - not hotmail or whatever they are calling it now.

My folders workaround is doing it for me so far. I have on my desktop some gadgets including a launcher and 6 folders containing shortcuts - seems OK, and when I want software I press the windows button the windows 8 start comes up and I load software. This is OK to begin with.

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best,

BillZ
 
Hi

I use Rocket Dock, in my case it's mostly for my software but I have a couple of folder links on it too.
You could use the whole thing for folder links if you wanted to.

It really doesn't have a limit as to how many links you put on it, it's dependent on icon size.

However you have no limit using Classic Shell either, it all depends on what display style you select.
I have it set to open multiple windows for the start menu, so all of my folders are shown at one time in an alphabetized list in multiple side by side collums.

If you wanted your folders to be at the front of the list, you only have to label then 001, 002 etc.

Mike
 
Hi Mike,

Had remembered you had suggested some launchers, downloaded them and lost them in all my machine change stuff.

Anyway it looks as if I can use rocketdock with some icon changes so good news - thanks.

Will work on it.

Thanks again.

Hope you are keeping well,

All the Best,

BillZ
 
Dear Mike,

Thanks for persisting with this. I wasted two hours playing around with shortcuts and icons, and came up with a personal rocketdock that I can use. It is probably a little retentive but it amuses me. Maybe you can see it?
rocketdock.jpg
 
Mike,

One disadvantage to rocketdock. When I was using fences the "save as" menu saw the shortcuts on the desktop. Saved all the drilling down to find data files.
 
Hi

Here's my Rocket Dock....

MyRocketDock_zpsd9d66628.jpg


For the most part I add things to the dock just by dragging them to it.
Occasionally I find something that won't work that way, but most things do.

Mike
 
Hi

Here's my Rocket Dock....

MyRocketDock_zpsd9d66628.jpg


For the most part I add things to the dock just by dragging them to it.
Occasionally I find something that won't work that way, but most things do.

Mike

Mike, how does it affect your boot up time? That dock looks so busy and it seems to be adding a lot of time on start up.


...
 
Hi

I don't think that opening Rocket Dock has a lot of effect on the boot time, all it's doing is loading the icons on the bar.

I have everything that I use on a regular basis on the Rocket Dock.

The thing that takes time seems to be Steam.

That's still a lot less icons then the several hundred that show up on my Metro Start Screen.

As you can see they are all organised from right to left, Games, Windows Tools, Graphic Arts, and Video and 3D.

This isn't new for me with Windows 8, I use the exact same setup in Windows 7, so I know exactly where everything is.
I hardly have to look at it any more. LOL

The truth is I hardly notice the boot time anyway, I just push the button when in the morning and go have coffee, by the time I'm done it's booted up and run my security scans.

But it does save time later, having everything one click away.

Mike
 
I just use the very basic feature.. shortcuts in folder... hahaha. Works for me. I run 4 monitors but you barely see anything on 1 monitor (the main monitor). The rest have nothing on them.

desktop.jpg
 
The only things I don't put on Rocket Dock, and that go on the task bar are things that I want to have visible when I'm running software.

Things like Windows Explorer, Skype, Snipping Tool, Chrome, Agent Ransack, and Word.
These are things I sometimes want to access while I'm online, or running other applications so I can make a phone call, or search for files without minimizing the program I'm in.

Of course there are a multitude of programs on my all programs list that I seldom or never access.

Mike
 
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