Probably Windows 7’s Superbar is the major change that you will notice when you install Windows 7 for the very first time. The new Superbar has many new features that you will find useful once you get used to it.
If you have come from Windows Vista then you will may take few days to get used to the new Taskbar(Superbar).But you can also get back the old Vista style taskbar in Windows 7 by changing the following settings in the Start menu properties.
1. Right-click on the Taskbar and select Properties.
2. Here you need to change three options. Let us do it one by one. First, check the box named “Use small icons”.
3. Next select “Never combine” option for the Taskbar options.
4. Lastly, uncheck the box named “Use Desktop Preview”. Desktop Preview option temporarily minimizes open windows when you place mouse on the far end button of the taskbar.
5. Click “Apply” to make changes you have done in the above three steps.
daman says
I sort of agree with john but in some i don’t…. i very much like the size of the icons and you can change it but you are correct in the retarded fact that the area around the icon is like 3 inches long…..
hotshot says
JohnR,
I agree wholeheartedly. Quicklaunch was great but now it has been ruined. And on top of all that, they STILL can’t get the autohide to work consistently on the taskbar. After a short period, it refuses to hide, but it does a “great” job of hiding the status bar at the bottom of IE, FireFox, and other programs. Now with Win7, you can not even collapse it down completely for a short while. I find myself having to drag it to the left side and back to the bottom when I want to see specific areas of the screen.
imnotgiventhemmyemai says
no duh everyone knows how to do this crap how can u actually get it to look like the old one? any working programs other then the broken one from door2windows?
zarnaik says
I too hate the w7 taskbar!
I had a great setup in vista and xp and even older versions..
They ruined the idea of the “quicklaunch” buttons!
Everything is cluttered and big. I used to have my taskbar set to smallest possible and now it’s this huge ugly thing.
Not to mention you can’t tweak it..
Dimmie says
The Meanager, so WHAT is it exactly that you like about the superbar?
John is right – you are a perfect example of someone saying that W7 is cool, but having no argument whatsoever!
Andy K says
I have to agree with John. The Windows 7 taskbar is really badly done. The new superbar functionality I don’t have *too* much of a problem with, since you can easily get it close to Vista/XP functionality wise, but the UI design is just plain AWFUL. The use of space is extremely wasteful. Why is there so much padding around every icon? A double height taskbar should be able to fit at least three rows of small icons, not two. Superbar icons are at least 50% wider than they need to be. Don’t even get me started on the system tray.
And on top of that, I can’t pin multiple taskbars to different sides of the screen any more.
The Meanager says
John you’re stupid. Windows 7 and the superbar are better than the vista taskbar. The vista taskbar sucks and it is old. If you wanted the old taskbar, then why didn’t you just go to the dump and pick up your copy of Windows? Why am I here? It’s good to know. John, dig a hole and die in it. :)
lessname lol says
Man thanks very much!!!!
You are the KîNG!
JohnR says
These steps do NOT give you back the Vista taskbar. IT is as close as you can get in 7, but sadly many things are missing.
1) a double height taskbar in Vista will efficiently triple-stack notification icons. A double height taskbar in 7 gives you a very poorly spaced double-stack arrangement.
2) a double height taskbar in Vista allows you to designate one row for quicklaunch, and another for active program windows. In 7, it’s all one big goulash.
3) in Vista, you can fit TWICE as many quicklaunch icons into a row. In 7, each icon has a glob of wasted space around it.
4) in Vista, you can launch a second instance of a program by clicking your quicklaunch icon again. In 7, your icon becomes the active program bar, making launching a second instance require a different process from the first (that is truly stupid and probably breaks some philosophical design law somewhere).
5)in Vista, your quicklaunch icons are always in the same place. In 7, they move around based on what you have open.
6) In Vista, you can make pretty much anything you want into a quicklaunch icon just by dragging the icon there. In 7, certain things are not “pinned” the way you might expect them to be, depending on what they are.
7) In Vista, the taskbar and associated areas are functional. In 7, they’re just pretty.
I have yet to find any redeeming qualities about the 7 taskbar. In fact, I HATE IT. I see people lauding it everywhere, but I have yet to hear someone say exactly what it is that they like about it. Yes, it is “cool looking”, but how is it more functional? As far as I can tell, it’s just a pain in the ass. I use the hell out of quicklaunch, and now it is ruined.
admin says
Hi, Romano.
If I have mistaken you question, you can do it easily. Just unlock the taskbar and then enlarge it. :-)
Romano M. says
I have but 1 question,
In Windows XP and Vista you can place the taskbar up so that you can place the windows that you have open under the icons
Could you please explain how to do that because when i put the lock off the taskbar it only lets me replace the windows AND icons you cant only draw the windows under the icons, wich i think is really sad…
Greybat says
Does anyone know how to get Windows 7 Explorer to default to “Computer” on launch, rather than “Libraries”?