Andy Mancini
02-19-2006, 01:04 AM
It took me a while, but I finally did it. I figured a way around using the Windows taskbar. Here are the programs that I used:
Stardock ObjectDock
Firefox With the "IE Tabs" Extension Installed
Actual Windows Minimizer
Alt-Tab Replacement Powertoy
And here is how I did it:
Load ObjectDock.
Put every shortcut that appears on the desktop and quick launch bar into said dock. Be sure to keep/add the clock, Recycle Bin, and Start Menu options, as they will be needed later.
Open every folder that is used on a regular basis in Firefox and bookmark them. The bookmarked folders, along with the subfolders and the files that are contained within, will now appear as a drop down menu. If you want to edit these folders, right click the bookmark and hit "open." The files and folders will appear as hypertext links. Hit the "switch browsing engine" button to switch the browsing window into "IE mode." From this point, the user can do nearly everything that he or she would do in Windows Explorer.
Load and install the Actual Windows Minimizer. Warning to everyone: it's shareware. The full version costs $20.
Open the "Configuration" icon in the Actual Windows Minimizer folder and uncheck everything that falls under the "Windows Rules" subheading.
Click on the "Default Window Rule" heading and make sure the "Minimize to Screen Edge" bullet is clicked. From there, the user can set the options according to his or her own tastes.
Use alt-ctrl-delete to bring up the Task Manager. Shut down the process labeled "explorer.exe." The taskbar, along with all of the shortcut icons and the ability to right click on the desktop, will disappear completely.
And there you have it. Keep in mind that I'm still expiriemnting here. I want to make sure that everything runs perfectly smoothly before I make this permanent. That means, of course, the crappy shareware will probably be going bye-bye soon. Has anyone tried this? Am I as crazy as my girlfriend thinks that I am?
Stardock ObjectDock
Firefox With the "IE Tabs" Extension Installed
Actual Windows Minimizer
Alt-Tab Replacement Powertoy
And here is how I did it:
Load ObjectDock.
Put every shortcut that appears on the desktop and quick launch bar into said dock. Be sure to keep/add the clock, Recycle Bin, and Start Menu options, as they will be needed later.
Open every folder that is used on a regular basis in Firefox and bookmark them. The bookmarked folders, along with the subfolders and the files that are contained within, will now appear as a drop down menu. If you want to edit these folders, right click the bookmark and hit "open." The files and folders will appear as hypertext links. Hit the "switch browsing engine" button to switch the browsing window into "IE mode." From this point, the user can do nearly everything that he or she would do in Windows Explorer.
Load and install the Actual Windows Minimizer. Warning to everyone: it's shareware. The full version costs $20.
Open the "Configuration" icon in the Actual Windows Minimizer folder and uncheck everything that falls under the "Windows Rules" subheading.
Click on the "Default Window Rule" heading and make sure the "Minimize to Screen Edge" bullet is clicked. From there, the user can set the options according to his or her own tastes.
Use alt-ctrl-delete to bring up the Task Manager. Shut down the process labeled "explorer.exe." The taskbar, along with all of the shortcut icons and the ability to right click on the desktop, will disappear completely.
And there you have it. Keep in mind that I'm still expiriemnting here. I want to make sure that everything runs perfectly smoothly before I make this permanent. That means, of course, the crappy shareware will probably be going bye-bye soon. Has anyone tried this? Am I as crazy as my girlfriend thinks that I am?