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Desktops from Microsoft Sysinternals is a free tool that lets you create and organize up to four virtual desktops on one Windows system. Using it, you can arrange your applications, documents, and tools in specialized desktops for work, leisure, gaming, and so on. You can instantly toggle between desktops using programmable hot keys or a System Tray icon. Most desktop multipliers show active windows and hide the rest, but Desktops uses separate objects for each desktop, so they're truly customized and personalized. Desktops is portable and works in all versions of Windows from 98 to 7, including server editions.
When you first set up Desktops, you must specify the hot key modifier keys (Alt, Ctrl, Shift, or Windows) and choose either numbers or function keys to specify commands. We liked the number of choices and combinations because it made it easy to set up Desktops without having to change previously configured hot keys already associated with other programs. Desktops also remembers each application's unique association with that desktop, so you need to remember to configure programs you plan to use each time you set up a desktop. You can choose to have Desktops run at log-on or to activate it at need, too. We right-clicked the program icon in the System Tray, clicked Select Desktop, and small pop-up window appeared, divided into four sections with our current desktop displayed in one and the other three blank except for messages stating Press to Create Desktop 2 and so on. We clicked the second desktop image, and a new copy of our familiar desktop appeared, ready for customization. The program saved our new desktop automatically, just like Windows does, and we were able to leave it and return to it with a few clicks. It's easy to make changes to saved desktops, too: just open one and make the change.
Desktops lets you create genuine customized Windows desktops for highly specific uses and toggle between them at will. Few organizational tools we've tried can match that capability.
Publisher's Description
From Microsoft:
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.
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.
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All versions:
3.3 starsout of 10 votes
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Current version:
3.3 starsout of 10 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-10 of 10
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"Works Ok I Guess"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
Does what it says
Cons
no configuration available at all
Summary
I thought it was strange that I was unable to configure this program in any way. There is also no way to exit the program without logging off the system or killing the process (if you can find it--I couldn't, even with ProcessExplore).
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"Seems to work fine at first"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
Win 7, it works - at first
Cons
-Doesn't allow different wallpapers or icons.
-Cannot run a browser twice.
- All Drivers deleted after a cold re-boot claimed the drivers had....uninstalled (!)
- Mega issue: After re-start USB card had to be re-installed
- Firefox incompatible.Summary
It doesn't really work.
Needed to remove from display confidential information in a public setting by changing the displayed screen.
Advised all staff to use CONTROL + M instead, the nosy can still find the info - a desktop change would be brilliant - if the damn thing actually worked.
It is not worth the hassle.
AVOID. -
"Toggles back to Desktop 1"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
It is free and one is able to organize processes in different desktops.
Cons
For some reason the Desktop goes back to Desktop 1 after going to one of the other Desktops. It is annoying and seems to be a bug. There was a problem running Firefox and Netscape browsers in different desktops
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"Doesn't work with Kensington Trackball"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
Slick, easy to install
Cons
Too limited for me.
Summary
My Kensington Expert Mouse Trackball only works in Desktop 1. In the others, none of the buttons work. I suspect this is Kensington's fault, not Sysinternals. They have great hardware, but sucky software.
Win7 Pro64 on Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 -
"Great if you use IE but not if you use Firefox"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
allows you to have different programs open in different desktops which is very nice.
Cons
I can only open firefox in one desktop which is really frustrating. I can ope IE in mutiple desktops but I prefer to use firefox.
Summary
If you prefer IE to firefox then this is great. If you prefer firefox then it's not so great.
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"Reliable, not so sexy"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
Not crashing, computer can sleep and wake up properly.
Cons
Cannot invoke a program from different desktop (excep Explorer). Must remember each set of applications in different desktops.
Summary
Reliable, work as promised, light weight.
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"Good Software"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
very easy to use and setup switching between desktops very simple and adjustable
Cons
none found
Summary
for people that need multiple desktops a good small piece of software
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"Really fast, but often buggy in Vista and Windows 7"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
Desktops is faster than any other WIndows virtual desktop manager that I've tried. It's fast like all of the X-Windows virtual desktop managers that have been around for decades.
Cons
It seems to have problems with at least some Nvidia drivers. Because of deficiencies in the MS Windows API, it has limited capability compared to others.
Summary
Super fast if it works for your setup.
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"Reasonable program"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
It's FREE! Best bit about it but it does do the job okay, though not as well as the free one that works with XP (Virtual Desktop). You can certainly have up to 4 desktops and run different programs on each which is primarily the whole point.
Cons
It doesn't allow for different backgrounds on each desktop, so it can leave you a bit confused at times as to which one you have a particular program on. Not many options. Doesn't cope well when the background changes automatically on the main one.
Summary
Overall, it's better than nothing and being free I suppose you can't really complain heavily. But it is somewhat frustrating with so few options provided. And if you are using all 4 and switch from 2 to 3 for e.g., it will change the background on 3 to the same as 2. When the primary background changes automatically (if you're running Themes etc) the image doesn't fully change on the other 3 until you maximise or minimise a program or undertake some other task that has an action on the desktop itself (if that makes sense).
If it could sort out these problems I'd be more than happy to give it a 5. -
"Nice little program!"
Version: Sysinternals Desktops 1.02
Pros
Nice little program!
Cons
Nice little program! None so far..
