WinXP tip of the day #7

brainsoft

Co-founder/alumni
Every enjoyed the thought of a new feature, but didn't quite like the way it was implemented. For me, the grouping of multiple common windows, like IE ones, was a nice idea, but it wasn't functional enough for me. Maybe I couldn't appreciate it fully, running at 1600x1200 res, but this tweak is great none the less!

7) Grouping multiple open windows
WinXP will group multiple open windows (IE windows for example) into one group on the task bar to keep the desktop clear. This can be annoying at times - especially when comparing different web pages because you have to go back to the task bar, click on the group and then click on the page you want and then you only get one page because you have to click on each one separately. I think the default for this is 8 windows - any combination of apps or utilities open.

You can modify this behavior by adding this reg key at:

Change number of windows that are open before XP will start
grouping them on the Taskbar

HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\
add reg_Dword "TaskbarGroupSize"

modify "TaskbarGroupSize" entry to be the number of windows you want open before XP starts to group them on the task bar.
A value of 2 will cause the Taskbar buttons to always group

Another tweak is to disable or enable recent documents history. This can be done at:

HKEY_CURRRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer\
this key should already be present - if it isn't you'll need to add it:
reg_Binary "NoRecentDocsHistory"
modify it so that value reads 01 00 00 00
 

fury

Administrator
Staff member
I run at 1600x1200 and have a vertical taskbar, so taskbar grouping hasn't happened to me yet :o

I'll keep this tweak in mind though, if I ever have that many windows open :eek:
 

a13antichrist

Moderator from Hell
I also have a vertical taskbar but at work with a horizontal taskbar I open up 20+ windows at once & I've never had them group up.. ??
Plus with Dual monitors there isn't really a need.. ;)
 

fury

Administrator
Staff member
I think it just doesn't group them when your resolution is high enough. I've had enough windows open to have 4 different columns of buttons on my task bar (to get a good idea of how wide it is, 6 quicklaunch icons fit on one row) and it never grouped them.
 

brainsoft

Co-founder/alumni
Yea, the higher the res, the more windows will be needed for them to start grouping by default
 

fury

Administrator
Staff member
Wonder how many I'd need to open... oh well, too late to try now, I installed 2k :D
 
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