xp desktop manager wanted

trebor · 05-01-2005, 14:57

can anybody recommend a desktop manager for windows xp
that will give me more than one desktop.
I need to use at least two different sets of desktop icons and different screen
resolutions if that's possible.
any suggestion welcome, thanks.

TheBlueRaja · 05-01-2005, 15:05

Hey Trebor,
What you want is the Microsoft Powertoys here, http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/d...powertoys.mspx, if you look down the list one of them is a Virtual Desktop Manager where you can Manage up to four desktops from the Windows taskbar.

Sounds about what you want no?

trebor · 05-01-2005, 15:21

unfortunately not, I have tried that one and unless I'm doing something wrong it just clones your existing desktop, all it appears to do is allow you to have different program windows open on each desktop, the taskbar is shared between them all and just as crowded.

Millay · 05-01-2005, 15:33

What you really need, I think is, Virtual PC :

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/virtualpc/default.mspx

I personally use VRemote Desktops to run many machines at once, I find it great, as I have 2 servers, a laptop A desktop and a couple of other machines I can run each one differently, and I have a dedicated machine for installing software on... so my lappy etc stay clean.. I like to think of this as my own Kinda virtual PC enviironment lol..

mrm1 · 05-01-2005, 15:37

If you have an Nvidia gfx card then the current driver has a desktop manager called nView. You can run them at different resolutions, with different backdrops. The task bar also only displays the windows displayed on the current desktop.

Bifta · 05-01-2005, 16:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebor

can anybody recommend a desktop manager for windows xp
that will give me more than one desktop.
I need to use at least two different sets of desktop icons and different screen
resolutions if that's possible.
any suggestion welcome, thanks.

Try Talisman www.lighttek.com/talisman.htm or Litestep http://www.litestep.net/

trebor · 09-01-2005, 22:40

Bifta I had forgotten all about shell replacement, nice reminder.

mrm1 ATI have the same sort of thing (hydravision)I am currently testing it.

birchyboy · 10-01-2005, 14:03

I tried and still use Talisman on my home PC. You can set it to replace the Windows shell and there are plenty of themes as well. The writer, Arkady Istomin, is also reasonably accessible if you need help. It's easy to set the desktop icons to run programs.

You can get some themes at Talisman themes Themes 2 Themes 3

trebor · 11-01-2005, 11:11

I'm still here and still messing with it. I read this article http://officeone.mvps.org/multi_moni...r_support.html
and thought true multi monitor is what I want so I plugged in a spare monitor but I only seem to be able to do clone or span. Is anybody else doing this sort of thing, if so how and using what?

mmm · 11-01-2005, 12:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by trebor

unfortunately not, I have tried that one and unless I'm doing something wrong it just clones your existing desktop, all it appears to do is allow you to have different program windows open on each desktop, the taskbar is shared between them all and just as crowded.

You can untick "shared desktops" which clears up the taskbar - but you also loose the commands and buttons in Excel which make it useless!