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The official music for this article is here, courtesy of The Rolling Stones. No, I am not really a big fan but strangely this great proggie by the name of Taskbar Shuffle reminds me of this long forgotten song. So turn up the volume and let Mick Jagger and gang take you back to a point in time when TVs rule and the internet was unheard of, while you read this short review.
Taskbar Shuffle v2.5
Type: Freeware
OS: Windows Vista/XP/2000/NT/9x
Note: Not for Windows 7, as taskbar shuffling is already a feature.
Homepage: http://nerdcave.webs.com/
Download: http://nerdcave.webs.com/
Size: 505KB (taskbar_shuffle_2.5.zip, portable version)
This program has 2 functions actually – shuffle the taskbar and rearrange the icons in the system tray.
The portable (non-installer) version’s zipped file is just 505KB, so it gets extra points for being small.
Do The Taskbar Shuffle: “You move it to the right, yeah!”
If you’re on Windows XP or Vista (Why?), and you are jealous of Ubuntu users who can switch programs on the taskbar at will while yours are stuck into place like a nail in the wood, then you should really have a look at this nifty thingie.
I’d been using it for a while now and it does its job well, doesn’t crash, doesn’t use much resources and doesn’t need a system tray icon to announce itself. All the signs of a very well written program.
It’s especially useful after a Windows Explorer crash when you notice that programs aren’t in the sequence you opened them. Don’t you just hate that? At least, I do. Which is why I got hold of this thing – to have it enforce a pecking order in my taskbar and make Windows Explorer crashes tolerable.
And it also makes my Windows XP a bit like Windows 7.
How to use it? Easy!
You click and hold the mouse button on the program you want to move in the taskbar, and then you move it to the left or right as Mick Jagger sang in the song. That’s why we have his song playing in the background.
Pros:
-It has non-installer version, ie it’s portable! (One extra Kong for this!)
-It is tiny
-It can also rearrange icons in your system tray (which I’d just notice, while writing this!)
Cons:
-It does not auto play Harlem Shuffle in the background.
Final Score:
Rating: 4.5 Little Kongs
Data Analysis
June 28th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Downloaded and now playing with this, thanks.
One comment is that when you reorder an app with a group of windows, the whole group moves, so it seems I cannot have outlook’s inbox separate from calendar, say…
Mark Nasri
June 29th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Nice Application
university student
June 29th, 2010 at 4:57 pm
Thanks for sharing this application.
aggelies
July 1st, 2010 at 4:35 pm
Have to try this out.. thanks for mentioning the application
webhosting
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:04 am
Downloaded and now playing, thank you
live green
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:06 am
Seems interesting, I will have to download this and give it a shot.
viral marketing
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:16 am
It refuses to work for some reason. I may need to update my frameworks.
sell your textbooks
July 2nd, 2010 at 2:59 am
Nice! I have wanted to do this for while! I can’t wait to install this and use it!
mobile phone
July 2nd, 2010 at 3:52 am
not a bad little app, but I hate how extra apps seem to clutter and hurt performance in windows.
TM
July 2nd, 2010 at 9:56 am
I’m so happy I use Kubuntu. It’s getting better and better and 10.04 with latest KDE is very stable and functional.
Escort Agency London
July 2nd, 2010 at 5:04 pm
Cool. Never imagine someone who could write a code for this wonderful app.
Mark Nasri
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:04 am
Clever!!!! Portable stuff two thumbs up.
aggelies
July 3rd, 2010 at 3:05 am
Knows someone a alternative to this app?
Installed this on my XP machine but keeps crashing for some reason.
monkey99
July 3rd, 2010 at 12:57 pm
@aggelies:
The alternative is to get Windows 7.
Or Ubuntu.
I’d tried it at at least 3 XP computers (running SP2 or greater) and so far it had been very stable for me. -_-
web applications
July 3rd, 2010 at 6:36 pm
Reasonably good application…nice that you shared it here…
Bidet
July 4th, 2010 at 10:06 pm
This is a great app, thanks for sharing it.
Data Quality
July 5th, 2010 at 1:42 pm
I’ve been using it for over a week now and seems stable here on Vista64. Funny thing is I don’t actually us it that much to move stuff around.
Laptop Briefcase
July 6th, 2010 at 2:14 am
Sounds like a cool program. I do hate it when I am working with taskbar items in a certain order only to have to adjust after a program crashes. My problem is that I just wouldn’t want to leave this program running despite how little resources it takes up.
used tires
July 7th, 2010 at 5:35 am
That’s a really sweet program, will definitely have to give it a go! I also recommend RocketDock, it’s like Mac meets Windows
Till then,
Jean
Computer Tips Tricks
July 15th, 2010 at 4:51 pm
This application is especially useful for geeks who like to play around with their screen.
Coder
September 8th, 2010 at 11:38 am
Note: Not for Windows 7, as taskbar shuffling is already a feature.
Sort of. With Windows 7 you can move your taskbar buttons around in groups, but you can’t reorder within a group. So if I have six Word documents open, they’re permanently stuck in the order I opened them. Something Taskbar Shuffle does not have a problem with.
So close, Microsoft, but not close enough. Hard to believe one lone guy in his nerdcave can out-program your well-funded army of developers.
car battery
October 8th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
I’ve been looking for a program like this for awhile. The thing I’m afraid of when it comes to small software like this is the risk of viruses or other intrusions but since you recommend it, I’ll go ahead with it.
Tej Kohli
October 29th, 2010 at 11:44 am
I will try this useful help soon
yogie
October 30th, 2010 at 2:47 pm
I didn’t know about this I going to give it a try
Computer Tips Tricks
November 4th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
Great tip, I’ve got this work!
Şarkı Dinle
November 4th, 2010 at 9:10 pm
I can’t wait to install this and use it. nice that you shared it here..
Tej Kohli
November 9th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
i liked your rating icons the most…very innovative and ofcourse you have kept it in sync with you blog
Microsoft Contact Management Software
June 15th, 2011 at 5:26 pm
i’ve just tested it.. pretty awesome !!
miko sato
November 1st, 2011 at 11:45 am
thank you very use ful
datadiary
April 3rd, 2012 at 6:13 pm
Its is interesting…
datadiary
April 30th, 2012 at 9:27 pm
wow its great
thanks for sharing it
used tires
May 1st, 2012 at 7:40 pm
I’d been struggling to get this software to work properly of late. Is there a good alternative that is as good?
-Jean
Mobile Reviews
May 2nd, 2012 at 6:39 am
Windows 7 does a much better job of managing the taskbar
Colocation
May 4th, 2012 at 4:29 am
Thanks for information I will have to check it out.