Windows 7 - Does Windows offer virtual desktop options?

Anonymous
2009-10-21T13:19:43+00:00

original title: Multiple desktops in windows 7 ?

Hi,

Why Windows 7 is not providing the virtual desktops like in Mac or Linux ? It helps a lot in arranging the applications into various groups like personal, office etc and placing them on different desktops.

Best regards,

Bins.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Accessibility

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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Anonymous
2011-03-27T20:25:33+00:00

Hello SanatTalmaki,

The download does not seem to be malware. I suggest you might scan the file with another Antivirus such as Microsoft Security Essentiasl and see if you come up with the same results.

You can download Microsoft Security Essentials from the link below:

http://www.microsoft.com/security_essentials/

Thanks,

Marilyn

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Anonymous
2010-10-18T18:38:31+00:00

I've developed an application because I wanted the same thing. My program is extremely lightweight and requires no configuring.

You install, or you can use the zip and just run it. Then use alt+ the number of the desktop to switch to it. Then alt+ctrl+number to send the active window to a desktop.

My program is open source and free.

The current desktop is shown in the tray on the icon, and the icon can optionally be hidden.

http://code.google.com/p/mdesktop/

Jason

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  1. Anonymous
    2011-06-11T03:07:06+00:00

    Am I being dumb?  I thought this would enable me to have different desktop icons with each "desktop". But any changes I make to one are visible on all desktops.  The only difference between "desktops" at the moment is that programs in the task bar are not visible on all desktops even if they are running.

    No you are not being dumb.  Jasons program is a window manager not a desktop manager.  I dont think he knows the difference.  I have actually seen this same type of code on sourceforge.

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  2. Anonymous
    2011-06-08T21:32:40+00:00

    To Rain: I forgot to mention, I use firefox on multiple desktops at once.  I have one desktop for my main work projects, one for recreation, one for programming (semi-work, semi-recreational), and one as an overflow for any of the above.  I have firefox windows open on multiple desktops at once, so mDesktop can do what you want in general.

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  3. Anonymous
    2011-06-08T21:29:23+00:00

    Rain: I don't know if you'll see this post several months after yours...but if you do, this may be due to one of two things

    a) A limitation of the software that you're trying to run in multiple desktops.  The software may lock itself so it can only call one instance so e.g. you can't overwrite something in one session with what you're doing in another.

    b) You may be running mDesktop in non-administrator mode and trying to run the program in single-user mode (or vice versa).  Apps will open on all desktops if they have a higher priority/access level than mDesktop.

    As to the virus warnings: for a while I used McAfee (or was it Symantec?) - in any case, it identified a file, legitimately part of windowsXP as being malware.  The reason: because it could be used by a virus to hide a window, because the windows program allowed you as an end-user to run it to hide windows.  In other words, the virus scanner thought something was malware using a "guilt-by-association" heuristic, which is utterly ridiculous.  As I understand how mDesktop works, it hides and displays windows depending on which desktop you have active.  It may use this core Windows file to do so or it's own method that may have very similar code (I don't know...I haven't looked in detail at the source code), either one of which may be tripping HitMan's heuristics.  I've been using mDesktop for a couple months now, and love it, despite having several bugs input to the system.  I haven't had any system problems on this system since I installed it, so if it's malware, it sure does a poor job doing malicious things;)

    This is my first post on answers.microsoft.com, but I've had this hotmail account since 1996:P

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