Manage updates with the Download AppCNET Editors' review
We've seen a lot of docks for Windows in our day, and they're usually not very good. We regarded XWindows Dock first with skepticism, then with guarded excitement, and finally with a sense of not being as disappointed as we usually are. But yes, we were still disappointed.
One thing XWindows Dock gets right--to some extent--is the dock's appearance. It comes with icons for My Computer, Control Panel, and Trash, and all three of these are sleek and attractive. Adding other programs to the dock is a bit problematic; the icon for Firefox became pixelated and ugly. Users can set open windows to minimize into the dock, which displays a preview of each open window. Nice in theory, but in practice it's not very attractive. Controlling the dock is even more problematic. It's hard to find the right place to right-click in order to access the preferences, and the preference menus are not intuitive. There are plenty settings, but it's unclear what many of them do. Adjustments to the interface that should have been simple, like having the dock hide and reappear, were confounding. The program has a built-in Help file, but it's brief and vague. We suspect that there's nothing functionally wrong with the program at all, it's just severely lacking in intuitiveness and guidance. Patient users may find that it's not so bad.
XWindows Dock is free. It installs and uninstalls without problems. We recommend this program with reservations; although there's plenty of room for improvement, it's far from the worst dock program we've ever seen.
Publisher's Description
From Vladimir Likhonos:
XWindows Dock or XWD is the newest free Windows Vista and XP program of the class Application Launcher and Desktop Organizer. But it's not just another one: it's the result of years of use and observation of the many dock programs on the market, plus all functions you only dreamed that your dock would offer.XWindows Dock has for turning your user experience more productive and fun! Besides,XWD is in active development so that new functionalities are added at each new release.
Features:Reserve screen area for the dock,Option to show dock on mouseover,Two options for what to do when an icon is dragged out of the dock: create shortcut or removal and Preview of video and images.
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All versions:
3.2 starsout of 10 votes
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Current version:
3.2 starsout of 10 votes
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My rating:
Write review
Results 1-10 of 10
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"Amazing and beautiful dock for window!"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
Beautiful skins, easy to change icons by dragging and dropping, icon shadow, stacking, and ability to move it to any location.
Cons
There is a learning curve. I had to tinker with it to find the options. It needs a how to video or manual but I can't complain because it's free and awesome.
Summary
It's worth giving a try. I've used Object Dock and Rocket Dock but I love XWindows Dock more even though I'm still discovering all it's functions.
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"I had to restore my pc after installing this."
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
NONE that I could find
Cons
I never got to use it. My computer froze several times. When I managed to get back on I restored my computer to a point before the install.
Summary
I don't recommend this to anyone.
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"Lack of support and update."
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
- Visually pleasing
- Themes are fairly easy to install
- Low resource usage, compared to other docks.Cons
- Lack of feature to minise Windows to the Dock.
- Themes are very difficult to find
- A major lack of support since there has been no "real" updates.
- You have to place the EXE file on the dock, shortcuts on the desktop do not work.Summary
This dock is not the worst dock application I have seen or used but it sure is close.
While the dock icons and themes are visually pleasing I had a hard time adding more icons to the dock, since you have to drag the actual EXE file to the dock, since dragging the desktop icon to the dock does not work.
I do however praise XWD for it's low resource usage, and it's bulit in visual aspects are also very pleasing.
I do think XWD is worth a try, but I was really put off my its limited features compared to other docks for Windows.
Sadly the application has not been updated in about two years, and it feels like the developers have abadonded the application, as it's still in beta from two years ago. -
"DO NOT DOWNLOAD--NO UNINSTALL"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
Try rocket dock or something else, I saw a utube on rocketdock that showed exactly how to make a dock like snow leopard.
Cons
There is no uninstall option with this, had to do a system restore from earlier and it seems to be gone now. CNET should not rate a program with no uninstall so high, just my opinion.
Summary
skip this one!!!
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"Ambitious, but too Broken to Use"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
Feature rich. Experiment with almost all the features you wish you had in a dock.
Cons
Buggy, Performance Lacking, and Confusing to use.
Summary
I have been a fan of Object Dock for years -- The by-far-most popular windows dock and to-my-knowledge the first. With the new Object Dock 2.0 coming out, they have made it more amazing - Advanced task management very similar to Windows 7 (hiding or grouping similar items), but with beautiful animated zooming. It also has other nice touch features like mirrored bottoms and live "Aero peek" of your minimized windows if you MS Aero.
xWindows Dock has many of these features including an underused feature in docks (which Object Dock $20 pro has) -- stacking icons. Click one icon and see a stack of what is in the folder. xWindows Dock also does animated genie minimizing (a feature like this is in OD pro and in xWindows dock.
I will have to concur with the CNET review that the settings are confounding. There are tons of them, but few of them will seem to add significant improvement; you just have to fish around for what you want (the ability to have it not be covered up by the Windows Task Bar was buried in there somewhere. And did it really install without putting a shortcut to itself in the start menu or on the desktop?
The main downfall I experienced on a system that runs Object Dock at top settings fine (CPU 1.8 Ghz Solo Core, NVIDIA 256MB Graphics Card, XP) was performance. Almost everything including large icons zoom and the minimize effects looked terrible -- the animation was choppy and obviously flawed. If you have a great system, you might be ok, but if you could afford that, wouldn't you just get Object Dock Pro?
I really did like the stacking feature which is what I presume most people try this dock out for. The fan option does look nice and can be useful. I would have liked to see the ability to browse in this mode (go from subfolder to subfolder like in the Start Menu), but I did not see this feature.
The product is very ambitious, and they really tried to cram all the features people complain they wish they had about docks into their dock. However, they do it sloppily and confoundingly. It is truly unfortunate. If this product were fixed and developed further, it could be the top Dock on the market. -
"Not the best Window"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
Its a reliable windows tool bar
Cons
no drag and drop
Summary
Still needs work
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"Best dock so far..."
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
Easy to use, low footprint, Free.
Cons
getting skins & docklets is slightly convoluted.
adding some programs can be problematic (no Drag & Drop)Summary
I love the Apple dock & have tried a number of solutions, [rocket dock dell dock], This is by far the best So Far, and when you find them some of the best skins of any dock Software.
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"1 or 2 knockout features, 1 or 2 dealbreakers"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
The 'Gallery' stack is genius: just navigate to a folder and the media in it will show in a resizable stack. The UI on this app is also a breeze to use. Full marks here.
Cons
What? You can't put it anywhere but on the bottom? Also, it's another of those apps that forces its own font on you, whether or not it corresponds to your Windows theme.
Summary
The gallery stack feature is a 'wow', and the user interface is brilliantly simple. Now, if they could make it moveable to any screen edge, allow multiple docks, AND make the default font configurable, I'd happily send them money. If you can live with the fixed position and the font, this is definitely the dock to go for.
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"Best dock for windows ever"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
*Cool
*Many features like:
*Minimize to dock with genie effect
*Mirror icons
*StackCons
Comes with a bit weird setups but if you go trough all tabs it's quite easy to change them.
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"better than Object Dock from Stardock (free version)"
Version: XWindows Dock 5.6
Pros
it's even better than Object Dock and Rocket Dock, much more customize options, a better interface. If you want, it has very nice sound effects. And it's developed recently.
Cons
I can't figure out how to put it somewhere else than on bottom of screen. Maybe the position can't be changed. Frustrating. Maybe next release will add this option (or make it more visible, if it has it alredy).
