Tag Archives: taskbar

[v20.10] Winstep Nexus – Advanced docking system for Windows

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Winstep Nexus is a desktop beautification and navigation software highly imitating the Dock system of Mac OS X. It’s similar to the Y’z Dock in functionality, but offers a fancier and friendlier user interface (coming with dozens of themes), and makes your desktop experience more lively and interesting. In addition, it also provides many prominent and cool features that only come with Mac OS, such as widgets, multiple mouse-over effects, skins, drag operations, icon reflections, blurry backgrounds, system trays, taskbars, etc.

Continue reading [v20.10] Winstep Nexus – Advanced docking system for Windows

[v1.97] Start10 – First alternative app of Windows 10 Start Menu

Windows 10 tried to partly restore the classic start button & menu, even increased semitransparent effect for the start menu, but its usage is still not convenient enough. Especially on the fluency of menu operation, its overall performance lags far behind the classic start menu of Windows XP/7. And in fact, this is definitely not caused by users’ habit, but the failure on design (Microsoft blindly pursues avant-garde design while ignores one fact/reality – The vast majority of users is using Windows 10 on a PC, rather than a tablet with touchscreen.

Continue reading [v1.97] Start10 – First alternative app of Windows 10 Start Menu

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[v10.89] WindowBlinds – Most popolar Windows GUI beautifier

WindowBlinds is a Windows system interface beautifying/skinning software developed by Stardock Corporation. Compared with the common theme files (Visual Style), it provides a better and overall beautification function. It is currently the only 3rd party Windows beautifying tool got Microsoft’s permission, which can perfectly support all latest Windows builds.

Continue reading [v10.89] WindowBlinds – Most popolar Windows GUI beautifier

7+ Taskbar Tweaker – Intuitive and effective Windows Taskbar customizer & enhancer

Well adjusting/tweaking the features of taskbar can undoubtedly improve the service efficiency of Windows. This is especially true for users who work with Windows all day. But all customizable items provided by Windows are listed in Taskbar and Navigation properties, very few. Therefore, we always tend to use some third-party tools to solve the functional problems of taskbar.

Continue reading 7+ Taskbar Tweaker – Intuitive and effective Windows Taskbar customizer & enhancer

[v7.3.3] True Launch Bar – Extremely strengthen your Quick Launch Bar

True Launch Bar (TLB for short) is a Quick Launch Bar enhancing software, which is specially developed to extend or even replace the traditional quick-launch toolbar of Windows. But you should be clear that, it is not a taskbar beautifier, instead, it is to take over the area of quick launch toolbar on taskbar. In other words, the scope it works is just the toolbar.
Continue reading [v7.3.3] True Launch Bar – Extremely strengthen your Quick Launch Bar

Taskbar Thumbnails Tuner – Most effective solution to disable Windows taskbar thumbnail preview

In order to turn off the needless, nasty taskbar thumbnail feature on Windows 7+ (especially on 8.1), I guess many guys have tried all the pseudo solutions on the Internet. The only thing can be sure is – no one method is really effective at all, such as:

  • Create an DWORD (32-bit) Value of TaskbarNoThumbnail to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer (for Windows 7 only)
  • Uncheck the “Animations in the taskbar” in Performance Options (for Windows 8 only, and sometimes, in certain conditions)
  • Enable the “Turn off taskbar thumbnails” policy in the “Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)” (only suitable for Windows Vista only)
  • Create DWORD value of DisablePreviewWindow or ExtendedUIHoverTime to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced (only for Windows 7)
  • Other methods (like increasing the delay time of MouseHoverTime or thumbnail’s preview window) are just too uncomfortable, far-fetched

With this little tool Taskbar Thumbnails Tuner, just one-click, the taskbar thumbnails feature will not be displayed anymore (instead, the system uses standard pure text as the tool tips), no logout or reboot required, effective immediately.

// Working Principle //

Use a few registry monitoring tools, you can find that Taskbar Thumbnails Tuner’s essence is to modify the registry too, but much more clever (by changing the following 2 registry keys):

  1. Enter “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced“, Create new DWORD: “ExtendedUIHoverTime” and set it to a really high number (in milliseconds) to delay the preview popup virtually forever (over 7 weeks, anyway). Apparently it doesn’t like it if you set it to exactly 0xffffffff, I think it treats it as 0. But 0xfffffffe works just fine. Kind of weird.
  2. Enter “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Taskband“, Create new DWORD: “NumThumbnails” and leave it at 0 to switch the previews to a list when you actually click on a stacked icon.

*** You’ll need to restart Windows Explorer/File Explorer (end the task “explorer.exe” in Task Manager and then run it again) for it to take effect, easiest way is from the Task Manager.

Now you finally know and are sure about how to stop / prevent pop-ups / popups / thumbnails appearing when you hover over the taskbar! BTW, in addition to Taskbar Thumbnails Tuner, we also have an alternative – 7+ Taskbar Tweaker, they just do the similar work for Windows users.

// System Requirements //

// Download URLs //

Version Download Size
v1.0.0.1 207 KB

(Homepage)

AeroBlend – Automatically change window, taskbar color matching current wallpaper

AeroBlend is a popular desktop enhancing freeware designed to automatically change the color of window, taskbar matching the current, different surrounding environment – wallpaper or active application icon\contents. Easy to use and very cool! Continue reading AeroBlend – Automatically change window, taskbar color matching current wallpaper