Desktops
Operating systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
File size: 60kb zip file – download – no installation required
Download times: a second or two on any connection
I’m getting kind of jaded in my old age. Not too much impresses me anymore. While looking for a freeware pick of the week this week, I stumbled on one that is only 60 kilobytes. Do you know how small that is? We’ll the PNG image featured in this article is almost 60 kilobytes. Some Web pages are well over 60KB. My first thought was how can a program which is only 60KB be any good? It isn’t good. It’s great.
What Desktops does is give you four separate workspaces. Really! With just a click you can switch between 4 desktops. You can be working on your next Pulitzer Prize novel on desktop #1, chatting with a friend on desktop #2, reading an ebook on desktop #3 and have your email program running on desktop #4 – and switch between them with a single click. These virtual desktops are the real deal – it’s just like having four separate desktops. Really! Here look:
There are four separate desktops running on one Windows 7 laptop. To switch between them, just click on the one you want to use. It’s that easy.
Rather than prattle on about Desktops (which is a Microsoft application via Sysinternals), let call in the program’s developer to tell you more about this unique application – a lot of program squeezed into 60KB, let me tell you. Anyway here’s what the developer has to say:
“Desktops allows you to organize your applications on up to four virtual desktops. Read email on one, browse the web on the second, and do work in your productivity software on the third, without the clutter of the windows you’re not using. After you configure hotkeys for switching desktops, you can create and switch desktops either by clicking on the tray icon to open a desktop preview and switching window, or by using the hotkeys.
Using Desktops
Unlike other virtual desktop utilities that implement their desktops by showing the windows that are active on a desktop and hiding the rest, Sysinternals Desktops uses a Windows desktop object for each desktop. Application windows are bound to a desktop object when they are created, so Windows maintains the connection between windows and desktops and knows which ones to show when you switch a desktop. That making Sysinternals Desktops very lightweight and free from bugs that the other approach is prone to where their view of active windows becomes inconsistent with the visible windows….”
What more can we say? A 60KB program that doesn’t even need to be installed, that gives you four separate workspaces. It’s just too cool. And because it’s so cool, we’ve named Desktops our freeware program of the week.
You can read more about and/or download Desktops by following this link.
Have a freeware program you like and want us to feature? Let us know!
It would be nice if you actually included a link!
For Brian:
look up Sysinternals Desktops and you will find several sites to download from. i personally prefer cnet:
http://download.cnet.com/Sysinternals-Desktops/3000-2346_4-75077421.html
Why would you download it from CNET?
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc817881.aspx
I agree with Brian (above),…..there is no lnk !!!!
There is no link for this freeware. How do we get it??
So, if you don’t download this, and you can create four desktops … where is the information on how to do this??
DUH!!!
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc817881
Google is your friend? (maybe yes, maybe no)
WHERE IS THE LINK!?
you havent left any link????????
Where is the link???
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc817881.aspx
A link would really help.
the link is there now
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc817881.aspx
no link..
Would love to download the Desktops program but, there is no link?
oops — the link is there now
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/cc817881.aspx
I downloaded the little gem. It messed up my ability to open Windows Live Mail somehow. Finally got it to open when I click the right little blue square. I have tried to find out how to delete it from my computer and am unable to do so. It does not show up in Programs, does not show up with Revo Uninstaller, I can’t delete the files when I find them because it says the program is in use. Can’t get it from my systems tray and there are NO options with it.
Please tell me HOW I can get this removed from my computer.
Thanks!!
What you say is impossible since Desktops does not install nor make any changes to your computer at all — none. It runs from one executable and doesn’t even make a single change to your registry. Windows Live Mail is a very resource hungry and unstable program — and what you have going on is one of those “I installed this and now this happened”. Can’t be true because Desktops by Sysinternals does not install.
I would like to know HOW to remove this from my computer. It does NOT show up in programs. I have found the files but can’t remove it because it says it is in use. There seems to be NO way to get rid of it. It has messed up my Windows Live Mail somehow.
Please let me know how to remove it….please.
You have to understand that a program that does not install does not have to be uninstalled. SysInternal’s Desktops does not install – to remove it simply delete the exe file. This only applies to applications which don’t need to be installed.
People have computers and they complain if there is not a link in the full description of the product.
I typed in my browser the information below, and top of the list which appeared was ‘Desktops’ with the technet address underneath the heading.
One click opens the site required.
sysinternals multiple desktops windows 7
85% TC & EB…..????