#DESKTOP GROUPS WINDOWS 7 HOW TO#
#DESKTOP GROUPS WINDOWS 7 WINDOWS#

Once you’ve settled on a layout, you’ll need to align the icons horizontally and vertically according to the desktop’s internal spacing grid. As you do so, write down some names that you can assign to each of the categories. Next, you’ll simply drag the icons around on the desktop and arrange them into categories. To begin, you’ll want to remove any existing wallpaper and set the background to a solid color. The first step in implementing the virtual program groups technique is to plan the desktop layout. You can then teach this technique to the people you support, who in turn will benefit from a more organized approach to launching their applications.

#DESKTOP GROUPS WINDOWS 7 HOW TO#

I’ll show you how to create virtual program groups and use them to organize icons on the desktop. You can then arrange icons on the desktop according to the grouping structure displayed on the wallpaper. The result is a technique I call virtual program groups.Įssentially, the virtual program groups technique is an organizational system in which you use a graphics application to create a wallpaper image that displays grouping structure on the desktop.

#DESKTOP GROUPS WINDOWS 7 WINDOWS#

With this in mind, I set out to find a way to combine the structure provided by Program Groups with the openness of the current Windows desktop to create a better icon management system for those people who seem to hate the Start menu. While Program Manager had its drawbacks, it did provide a very nice organizational structure, called Program Groups, for organizing icons, as shown in Figure A.Įven with all its faults, Program Manager did provide you with a nice desktop-based organizational structure. In fact, back in the days of Windows 3.x, the main application-launching platform, Program Manager, was basically a bunch of icons on the desktop. The idea of placing icons on the desktop is not a new one. However, I’ve discovered that once people become addicted using icons on the desktop, it’s difficult to break that habit. In these situations, my first instinct is to play up the virtues of the Start menu and encourage people to use it as the main application-launching platform rather than the desktop. And that definitely reduces productivity. However, I’ve often encountered desktops that are so cluttered with icons that it’s quite difficult for the user to locate the one icon that they’re looking for. Of course, having the icons appear on the desktop can make launching applications a snap. Find out how to organize your desktop icons into logical groups.ĭuring my years of supporting Windows users, I’ve noticed that even though the Start menu provides an excellent place to keep application shortcuts, many people prefer to store the application shortcuts as icons on the desktop-this is true even in Windows XP, with its new and improved Start menu. Keeping icons on the Windows desktop can be more convenient than using the Start menu, but an overabundance of icons can reduce efficiency. Organize Windows desktop with virtual program groups

Desktop groups windows 7