Is there anything I can do to Organize the Taskbar?

Let me start by saying I'm pretty OCD when it comes to my desktop and computer in general. I like it clean and with as few icons on the desktop itself as humanly possible, preferably none.

I have Windows 7, I like the taskbar but I have a tendency to overfill it with random things that I use from time to time and enjoy the convenience of having a mere click away (CCleaner, Google Earth, the various programs in the Microsoft Office suite, audio editors, video editors, music and movie players, web browsers, games, programming software(s), etc). I want it to have a lot of things in it, having to navigate the start menu, Explorer, or work to the desktop to open a single program is an unnecessary inconvenience in this day and age. Some might say I don't need to have all of those things a click away, and I don't, but it'd be nice!

However, when it gets overfilled, it gets kind of ugly and eventually moves to a new row, incredibly inconvenient and terrible for my OCD lol. This, coupled with the fact some programs can take up multiple icon spots on the taskbar (for example, multiplayer games where I need to pin the updater to the taskbar, but the game itself takes up another spot). Drives me crazy! I'm almost ready to go back to Vista solely because I have ways to keeping my desktop nice and organized that were conveniently removed in 7. Right now I'm being handcuffed by this new taskbar lol, it desperately needs a way to allow me to group items together as I wish so I can put updaters and games in the same spot so they don't take up unnecessary space... and so on.

Help! Is there anything I can do to alleviate these annoyances?

Every new Windows OS is a matter of adjusting to a new "learning curve", to be honest. It's merely a matter of adaptation.

All of us Windows 7 users have had to change some of the ways we interface with this new OS. The vast majority truly enjoy its features.

It's probably time to decide which programs you want to keep in the Taskbar and which ones you don't really need all the time.

I just go to the Start Orb for the ones I use every so often.

Hi Dreakon - Welcome to w7forums

I agree with Nibiru 100%

I will pin only the applications I use everyday to the Taskbar.
The applications I use once a week or so, will be pinned to the Start Menu.
The applications I rarely use are the ones that I will hunt for when the time comes.
All other temporary links, I might decide to place on desktop for a day or two.
In general, I don't want anything on my desktop. I hate the look when I close all the applications.

As a side note: There are applications for organizing icons. I've not used any of them. Other members have mentioned a few in the past. The only one I can think of off the top of my head is "Rocket Dock".

Back to VISTA??? Wash your mouth out with soap!

If you haven't tried this already........
Right click the Taskbar > Properties > Taskbar tab > check Use Small Icons
And while you're there,try Auto-hide The Taskbar.
You said you didn't like the way it looked when you overfilled it, so try the Autohide. That would keep it out of sight till you want it.

I think it is advanced design by Microsoft. It is widely spaced to accomodate touch screens, which 98% havn't got yet. It would have been nice to have the option to make them closer.

I don't like the new "superbar" much either. I prefer Gnome's simple, minimalistic, and efficient approach. I don't like icons on my desktop, and I really don't like having to browse through the start menu to get to things. For the most part, I prefer to use the start menu as little as possible.

The new taskbar isn't all bad, but I just can't get on board with the way they redid the quicklaunch buttons. There is too much space between them, and even at the smallest size they still take up too much room for my liking.

I use WinStep to allow me to modify the taskbar to suit my needs a bit better. See attachment for example of how I have my taskbar set up currently.