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Create (and Keep) a Perfect Icon Layout with Shock Desktop
Posted by Kevin Purdy at 2:30 AM on December 21, 2007
Windows only: Free application Shock Desktop caters to those who have their own idea of a perfect icon layout on their desktop and dislike applications (or people) that mess with it. After creating one or more desktop "profiles" with the taskbar-nested application, you can restore them at any time, regardless of any auto-arrange or grid alignment settings you have in place. The program also offers the ability to hide all your icons—useful for taking screenshots—and doesn't have to constantly run, though it installs as a start-up application. Shock Desktop is a free download for Windows XP, 2000 and (at least on my system) Vista only.
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alvaromartin
Posted 7:52 AM 20/12/07
I spent some time looking for an app that would let me keep my icon's layout on the desktop. There is an old program that was hosted by pc magazine that also lets you arrange the icons in many different ways (like an spiral or a rectangle along the borders of the screen), i forgot the name (probably have it in another computer, will check) but i can recommend a very simple one, icon restore ([users.rcn.com]) thats very light and does the work (just right click on any system icon like my documents or my computer and select save layout)
alvaromartin
Woodsyx
Posted 8:46 AM 20/12/07
If you just want the hide all icon option it comes built into windows. Right click > Arrange Icons > Show Desktop Icons.
Woodsyx
lauriek
Posted 8:44 AM 20/12/07
I've also been using icon restore for ages now, its lightweight and it just works. It sounds like the one mentioned in the article above can save many different desktop layouts whereas icon-restore can only save one layout per screen resolution, but that's enough for me!
lauriek
cJw
Posted 9:16 AM 20/12/07
What are icons?
Quicklaunch and/or ObjectDock for the icon-free win.
cJw
5h17h34d
Posted 8:11 PM 20/12/07
OK, wasn't lazy after all. I upped the zip this time instead of the installer .exe and it came up clean. Seems like a very useful tool if in fact the online scanner is doing what it says it is.
5h17h34d
5h17h34d
Posted 8:03 PM 20/12/07
Heading a bit off topic here, and this could very well end up being a new story for Lifehacker, but I have recently been scanning anything I download online at [virusscan.jotti.org] This online scanner claims the Shock Desktop installer contains "Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Banload.TN". Or I should say 2 of the many engines it claims to use does anyway. What do you'all think? Someone else scan the zip version there and see what it says for kicks. I'm too lazy. :)
5h17h34d
mmbb
Posted 2:34 PM 21/12/07
Why install/run bloatware when you can just backup/restore the registry for your icon layout?
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
mmbb
5h17h34d
Posted 11:02 PM 21/12/07
Crazy. Why horse around with the registry manually when a small app will do?
5h17h34d
mattc
Posted 2:59 AM 26/12/07
@alvaromartin: The app you're thinking of is called WinTidy. It lets you save the a layout for each different screen resolution, plus also lets you use 'small icons' which I find immensely useful for my work laptop which is jammed with icons.
mattc