Question

In Vista you can create a 'Magic' toolbar thus:

Go to the desktop and create a plain folder, then, when you drag it to the edge of the desktop a miracle takes place, the folder transforms into a toolbar.

Is it possible to re-create this effect in Windows Server 2008 R2, or in Windows 7?

Answer 1

Sort of. These are called DeskBands, and "floating" deskbands (that is, ones not directly attached to and docked within the primary TaskBar) are deprecated as of Windows Vista. (I haven't tried these on Server 2008 R2; unknown if they work at all in that environment.)

As of Windows 7, DeskBands must occupy the same space as the taskbar itself. This is a shame, and a personal annoyance to me, because I used this trick to create shortcut bars with all my apps in the past. (I didn't need it in Vista, where I had a Sidebar gadget for launching; but with Sidebar no longer occupying the far-right and able to be always-on-top, that option is useless now to me as well.)

See my answer here for more information.

Answer 2

Thanks, Guy, for raising this question for me - I'd already raised this question in the MS Technet forums and, despite over 60 views, it had no responses...

Thanks very much John for taking the time to answer this, despite the fact there was a similar thread that you'd already responded to...

Not the answer I was hoping for, but at least I can stop raking around config trying to get it to work! Now to find a suitable replacement! :-)

Thanks again.

Regards,

Andy B.