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Insider Preview DesktopS (plural)

Discussion in 'Windows 10 Help and Support' started by Drew, Oct 12, 2014.

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  1. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    Really like the multiple Desktops. @ 1st thought it was much like Alt-Tab or hovering across Taskbar, basically, another View/Select approach. In 7 (& 8) would run more than one tabbed browser grouping related sites in each. This does that and on a higher level. Can EASILY be done by 'family' or even if different sign-ins are required. Can be put to good use, keeping things nicely organized & the Desktop, et al, neat, clean & uncluttered.

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #1 Drew, Oct 12, 2014
  2. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    Bump

    Just wanted to reiterate what a cool feature I find this to be of Windows 10. IT is so nice how related things can be grouped together making the experience slick, neat, tidy & very organised & uncluttered... not having a bunch of stuff all mixed up together on one Desktop. Microsoft calls it "Virtual Desktops". For example, I have one w/ Skype, Outlook, Calendar... another w/ all IT stuff.... another w/ Home page & whatever & another w/ sites devoted to a singer/song-write of particular interest to me. Anyway, you get the idea and certainly can be configured however YOU fancy. You simply open one, put what you want in it, hit the + sign & open another, fill it and so on. I am not sure, yet, as to how many one can have but, a few, @ any rate.

    10 sure is easy to use. Makes such a nice difference not having 'Hot Corners', hidden things or stuff that pops out from edges. Plus, now, w/ 10 and its menu, I don't have to enable the Desktop Toolbar or create a folder on the Taskbar for Applications and can, still, not have to change screens for anything; just be 100% on the good ole Desktop. All w/ hardly any 'learning curve'! And it sure is speedy! Certainly, non-touch PC Users should not have complaints w/ Windows 10.

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #2 Drew, Oct 16, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 16, 2014
  3. ussnorway

    ussnorway Windows Forum Team
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    Q, Can I have 1 (work) desktop with muse, word and photoshop and the other desktop with my (games) knights of the old republic etc?

    I haven't had time to play with it much but they appear to just be 2 copies of the same desktop by default--- doesn't frill me in that case.
     
    #3 ussnorway, Oct 16, 2014
  4. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    "Q, Can I have 1 (work) desktop with muse, word and photoshop and the other desktop with my (games) knights of the old republic etc?"

    YES. That's the beauty of this Feature & why I tried to convey that it is more than a variation on Alt-Tab. You can put a different 'group' or 'family' of related sites in each. For example and only an example... I have one w/ Outlook, Skype, Calendar, communication stuff, my 'office'... another w/ Home page & whatever others... another w/ all my IT forums & sites.... another w/ all the sites related to a recording artist of interest to me. Only thing I am not sure of is how many there can be or whether there is a maximum. The start menu & taskbar remain constants; just one of those. Only the windows w/ each desktop are what changes. Sometimes I don't even bother to minimize when I've finished w/ something, just change to another Desktop & go do something else (there).

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #4 Drew, Oct 16, 2014
    ussnorway likes this.
  5. ussnorway

    ussnorway Windows Forum Team
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    Two or 3 would be fine--- thats much more interresting then, thanks Drew.
     
    #5 ussnorway, Oct 17, 2014
  6. davehc

    davehc Microsoft MVP
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    Just to interrupt. I get the impression that your virtual desktops remain, even after a reboot etc??
    I need to set mine up each time I use the OS?
     
    #6 davehc, Oct 17, 2014
  7. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    No, Dave, they do not; be nice but, no. I just redo them back to what I had. No biggie since I reboot very rarely and recreating them is quick & easy.

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #7 Drew, Oct 17, 2014
  8. davehc

    davehc Microsoft MVP
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    Darn. I thought you had discovered another hidden function!!

    Super to play with but, in mycase, I only normally have a couple, sometimes three, proggies open at a time, usually for comparison or copy and paste, so multi tasking in one desktopwith windowed applications works better for me.
     
    #8 davehc, Oct 17, 2014
  9. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    You're welcome
     
    #9 Drew, Oct 17, 2014
  10. kemical

    kemical Windows Forum Admin
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    I'm with you David. I disliked this feature when it was bandied about as 'Windows Flip' back in vista.. According to Microsoft this is supposed to be poor mans access to multi monitors but I doubt very much I'll use just like i didn't use windows Flip much.
     
    #10 kemical, Oct 17, 2014
  11. bassfisher6522

    bassfisher6522 Essential Member

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    So how the hell do you actually use it? All I get is what ever apps/software I have open is shown in task-view....so if that's all it does, it's no better then flip 3D in Vista.

    If you can actually add a new desktop and add new browser and what every else you want...then be able to open that desktop like a 2nd monitor....then I can see how that would be beneficial. As it stands now....it doesn't work.
     
    #11 bassfisher6522, Oct 17, 2014
  12. davehc

    davehc Microsoft MVP
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    OK. Just threw this together on another site:

    1. To enable an extra desktop, click the icon on the taskbar:

      [​IMG]

      This will then appear as a new bar above the taskbar, with a + sign. Clicking the plus sign will produce extra thumbnails of desktops.. A little unpolished, but it will give you the idea.

      [​IMG]

      The average Laptop could produce +/- eight such windows.

      [​IMG]

      Now, the little but of magic. How can you use this feature. This is an example, I have chosen windows at random, but you can use any of your programs.

      [​IMG]

      Showing in my picture are, in succession, 1. My Browser. 2. Paint. 3: Control Panel. 4. Command Prompt., and, 5. This document.

      Now, I can click the taskbar icon and hover over any of those windows, for a quick reminder or scan of the contents. Clicking one of the windows, will make it the primary target.

      An alternative navigational method is to hold the CTRL + Windows key, and then move through the Desktops with the left or right arrows.

      This feature can, unfortunately, only be used on a one-off basis. Restarting the computer will delete all of the desktops excepting your primary default.
    Just needed to add. If you close one of the desktops, by clicking the X, whatever you have on it will move on to the desktop next to it.
     
    #12 davehc, Oct 17, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2014
  13. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    It is not the same as or similar to Flip. I thought was, @ 1st, but, it isn't.

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #13 Drew, Oct 17, 2014
  14. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    Thanks, Dave. I, really, thought I had explained it well & clearly enough but, no doubt your pictures help. Seems I'm having a challenge getting past some people (wrongly) assuming it's another Flip. Personally, I like it... use it a lot, well pretty much all the time. Nice keeping things of the same ilk separated. Bit like different cupboards in the same kitchen.

    Anyway, thanks, again, for trying help people understand & SEE visually what I was telling them. Obviously it hadn't occurred to me pictures would be necessary.

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #14 Drew, Oct 17, 2014
  15. kemical

    kemical Windows Forum Admin
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    Regardless I still dislike it, like i disliked Flip..
     
    #15 kemical, Oct 17, 2014
  16. Mike

    Mike Windows Forum Admin
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    I don't really care for it.
     
    #16 Mike, Oct 17, 2014
  17. MikeHawthorne

    MikeHawthorne Essential Member
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    Hi

    Personally I just don't get it.

    I've experimented around with it but I don't see any advantage to just having multiple applications open and switching from one to another via the task bar, or Task View Button.

    If you could save a different desktop layout with different icons etc, then it might serve some purpose but any icon or folder added to any of them appears on all of them.

    The only thing that doesn't is running applications.

    I pretty much never have more then 4 or 5 applications open at the same time, so I just don't see a use for it.

    I can easily manage 5 running programs on one desktop.

    Here's 11...

    [​IMG]

    Mike
     
    #17 MikeHawthorne, Oct 17, 2014
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2014
  18. Drew

    Drew Banned

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    It is not any kind of Flip. Nor is it another Alt-Tab.

    Cheers,
    Drew
    Windows 10OS.
     
    #18 Drew, Oct 17, 2014
  19. Trouble

    Trouble Noob Whisperer

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    IDK why, but I like the concept. Probably because it's just geeky enough to catch my interest.
    But it seems to be glitchy as hell, or that could be my interpretation and what I see as glitches may be purposeful and by design.
    If you try to open a second instance of an app on a second desktop say IE that doesn't seem to work. Some apps seem to always want to open on the primary desktop, like the Mail App.
    I could see the utility on a small device with say a 10 inch screen but I think even then it might need to be a bit more robust and fleshed out with a few more features.
    I played with virtual desktops in linux and Microsoft's own version from SysInternals http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc817881.aspx but I always seemed to get bored after a while and return to more conventional, traditional methods of handling multiple apps.
     
    #19 Trouble, Oct 17, 2014
  20. kemical

    kemical Windows Forum Admin
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    ROFL Call it what you like i still dislike it... :D
     
    #20 kemical, Oct 17, 2014
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