# Questions about Windows 7
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [January 24, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194 "2010-01-24T04:10:27Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/1 "2010-01-24T04:10:27Z")
I installed Windows 7 today and I’m starting to regret it. Some of the things I used to love about Vista seem absent from this new operating system. For instance: the taskbar. On the Vista toolbar, if you had multiple windows open (Firefox, a movie playing, a folder with stuff in it, whatever) you could click a little button on the taskbar which put all the windows in this sort of diagonal, staggered, three-dimensional view. You could see all of them at once, and click on whichever you wanted. I used to use this all the time. Now, I can’t do it anymore. The button is no longer there. Is there a way of doing this in 7?
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### Author:  [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/2 "2010-01-24T04:23:02Z")
Try windows key + tab.
The windows 7 task bar is superior to vista in every way. I’ve got all my favorite apps pinned to it, multiple instances are stacked, instead of taking up the entire task bar. you can mouse over the stacked window icons and easily choose the instance you want. You can right click the pinned icons and automatically launch a recently used file, or access other mapped menus and options for the app, you can center mouse click to launch new instances of the app. It’s just way better than vista, you just have to get to know all your options.
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/3 "2010-01-24T04:48:16Z")
Do you mean the “3D alt+tab”? It’s window+tab. Also, there’s a button on the right of the taskbar that does window+d now, just in case anyone cares.
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/4 "2010-01-24T04:49:54Z")
Except that you need to hold down both the windows and the tab key at the same time in order to bring up the 3D view. In Vista you could just press a button on the taskbar and have it _stay_ up without straddling your thumb and index finger across the keyboard. Big pain in the ass.
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### Author:  [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/5 "2010-01-24T04:53:16Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#):
>
> Except that you need to hold down both the windows and the tab key at the same time in order to bring up the 3D view. In Vista you could just press a button on the taskbar and have it _stay_ up without straddling your thumb and index finger across the keyboard. Big pain in the ass.
Window+control+tab then.
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### Author:  [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/6 "2010-01-24T04:54:37Z")
Wow, I give you props for creative writing. If I had never used a keyboard before I would have thought windows + tab a herculean task!
You can add a shortcut however: [http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/4198/windows-7-put-a-flip-3d-shortcut-on-the-taskbar/](http://www.tech-recipes.com/rx/4198/windows-7-put-a-flip-3d-shortcut-on-the-taskbar/)
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/7 "2010-01-24T04:57:21Z")
> [@Jragon](#):
>
> Window+control+tab then.
This actually _is_ a huge pain in the ass. It’s virtually impossible to do with one hand. I think I’ll be using the shortcut linked.
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### Author:  [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/8 "2010-01-24T07:26:51Z")
Seems kind of the long way to go about it.
You still have a quick launch folder with the show desktop and window switcher tools. put “%userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch” (without the quotes) in folder explorer to access it.
You can readd it to your taskbar as a ustom toolbar, and have a classic quick launch. I did mine because I’m stubborn and feel the show desktop shortcut should be on the left, not way off in the freaken right corner. Any if you add it right click on it to uncheck the label options and make it just like the classic quick launch.
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### Author:  [@dogeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogeman)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 9:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/9 "2010-01-24T09:03:02Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#):
>
> Except that you need to hold down both the windows and the tab key at the same time in order to bring up the 3D view. In Vista you could just press a button on the taskbar and have it _stay_ up without straddling your thumb and index finger across the keyboard. Big pain in the ass.
It’s things like this that really amuse me about some people. I’ll hear someone carrying on till they are blue about how shitty Microsoft’s products and how this or that product is crap, and it turns out to be something trivial like this.
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### Author:  [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/10 "2010-01-24T09:38:07Z")
Makes me wonder what Argent Towers is doing with his other hand while at the computer.
I think Windows 7 is so much better than Vista.
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### Author:  [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/11 "2010-01-24T14:11:06Z")
Just create a new shortcut pointed at:
C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe DwmApi #105
Stick it where you want. Done.
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### Author:  [@Fake\_Tales\_of\_San\_Francisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fake_Tales_of_San_Francisco)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/12 "2010-01-24T15:16:58Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#):
>
> Except that you need to hold down both the windows and the tab key at the same time in order to bring up the 3D view. In Vista you could just press a button on the taskbar and have it _stay_ up without straddling your thumb and index finger across the keyboard. Big pain in the ass.
You have to straddle your thumb and index finger? I don’t know, maybe your keyboard layout is a bit different to the standard one. Is it anything like this [this](http://www.seoconsultants.com/windows/keyboard/images/keyboard4.png)? It’s a pretty natural position to me, don’t even need to stretch the fingers. Plus, using the mouse isn’t even necessary. Just hold the windows key with your thumb and tap the tab key with your middle finger to cycle through the windows to the one you want.
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### Author:  [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/13 "2010-01-24T15:57:07Z")
How can I pin a desktop shortcut to the taskbar?
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/14 "2010-01-24T15:58:27Z")
I won’t say I never use it any more but this thread has made me realise that I seldom use the old task switcher in Windows 7. I just hover my mouse over the icon in the task bar.
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### Author:  [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/15 "2010-01-24T16:14:34Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> How can I pin a desktop shortcut to the taskbar?
Well you could re-enable quick launch, if you scrolled up…
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### Author:  [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/16 "2010-01-24T19:05:44Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> How can I pin a desktop shortcut to the taskbar?
The desktop shortcut is already on the taskbar. It’s to the right of the clock. See that little vertical rectangle directly by the clock? Hover your mouse over it and shows the desktop. Click it, and it’ll minimize all your windows.
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### Author:  [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/17 "2010-01-24T19:13:24Z")
> [@lissener](#):
>
> How can I pin a desktop shortcut to the taskbar?
You drag-and-drop it.
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### Author:  [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/18 "2010-01-24T19:48:02Z")
> [@dogeman](#):
>
> It’s things like this that really amuse me about some people. I’ll hear someone carrying on till they are blue about how shitty Microsoft’s products and how this or that product is crap, and it turns out to be something trivial like this.
“Windows is so stupid, why can’t I do X?”
“Easy, like this. Or this. Or even this, if you prefer.”
“…Windows is so stupid! I don’t have a particular reason anymore!”
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### Author:  [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/19 "2010-01-24T19:57:30Z")
It’s not trivial to me. There’s a big difference between activating a useful feature with one click of a button on the taskbar, and activating it by physically holding down two different buttons on the keyboard simultaneously.
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### Author:  [@Discipline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Discipline)
#### Post date: [January 24, 2010, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-about-windows-7/526194/20 "2010-01-24T21:43:51Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#):
>
> It’s not trivial to me. There’s a big difference between activating a useful feature with one click of a button on the taskbar, and activating it by physically holding down two different buttons on the keyboard simultaneously.
Good thing you don’t have to do that then.
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