Tip: Keep your Desktop Empty and Put it on your LaunchBa

[mouser]

I know a lot of people like to put things on their desktop, but i find it very cluttered when there are icons all over.
So here's a little tip for something you can do with LaunchBar Commander if you feel like me and like an empty desktop.

First, right click on your desktop and choose "Arrange Icons By" ->  and UNCHECK "Show Desktop Icons"


At this point, your desktop icons will all dissapear.  They are still there, dont worry, just not visible - you can always bring them back by rechecking that option.

Ok now open up Launchbar Commander, and make a new node somewhere, of the type "Folder Node" and for the folder choose "%DesktopAll%" from the drop down list.


Now you've added a menu on your launch bar which will list all "invisible" files and shortcuts on your desktop (except not the MyComputer and recycle bin, sorry!).

[Carol Haynes]

Even Simpler ...

Create a folder anywhere you like (e.g. C:\ or even on the Desktop).

Right click and drag all the icons on your desktop to that folder and select MOVE from the popup menu.

Right click on the task bar and go to Toolbars > New Toolbar ... and browse to your new folder. The toolbar will appear at the bottom of the screen and will pop up when you click on the arrow. You can add extra items to the menu just by dragging them to the folder or delete them from the folder as required. You can easily group items int he folder into subfolders.

All this and you need no extra software to do it!

[mouser]

All this and you need no extra software to do it!

shhh!!! don't tell them that!! 

[mitzevo]

Or you can move all your desktop icons (and any future ones) to a folder say x:\shortcuts and use that folder as a node in LBC..

[Carol Haynes]

All this and you need no extra software to do it!

shhh!!! don't tell them that!! 

Evil grin - having said that there are other reasons to install Mouser's software (like he won't eat up his fishy like a good pussy cat if he is sad - and then he won't have any energy to play)

[Darwin]

like he won't eat up his fishy like a good pussy cat if he is sad

Ha ha - I never made the connection: Mouser as an action verb, God! I can be thick sometimes (particularly as I've been looking at the avatar for getting on for 18 months...). I always thought of mouser as a mouse, not a catcher of mice!

[noth(a)nk.you]

I too like a clean desktop, but I do keep a couple of icons--Recycle Bin in the lower-left and a folder 'Other' in the lower-right.  ('Other' functions as a 'to sort' box.)

Also, for anybody missing My Computer, et al in Launchbar, you should be able to get access to them through simple Shortcuts.

Cheers.

[CleverCat]

Even Simpler ...

Create a folder anywhere you like (e.g. C:\ or even on the Desktop).

Right click and drag all the icons on your desktop to that folder and select MOVE from the popup menu.

Right click on the task bar and go to Toolbars > New Toolbar ... and browse to your new folder. The toolbar will appear at the bottom of the screen and will pop up when you click on the arrow. You can add extra items to the menu just by dragging them to the folder or delete them from the folder as required. You can easily group items int he folder into subfolders.

All this and you need no extra software to do it!

I've done it and like it! Just did it on my friends very cluttered small laptop Desktop and she loves it...

But will try mousers idea...

[Darwin]

My problem with toolbars in the taskbar is that I've only a 14.1" notebook screen and I HATE having a task bar that is any more than one row high... so, it quickly runs out of space for current tasks  That and I've TrueLaunchBar and Clipmate 7 running in my taskbar and can't live without either. Clipmate is sort of stupid as I was a very happy using Clipmate's hot keys before 7 came out... Actually, there is nothing really very rational about my setup - I'm wed to ways of doing things that don't necessarily make the best use of my hardware/software. Another example I've made elsewhere is that I have both TrueLaunchBar and VistaStartMenu running. I *know* that I could get by with one or the other but I find that they complement each other so well that I don't want to!