Rocket Dock is a free Mac dock clone for Windows that is easy to setup and configure [Thanks Download Squad]. If you are looking for something similar that you can really tweak like mad, then you might want to check out ObjectDock ($19.95 USD) from Stardock, but if you are primarily interested in the dock-like feature like me then give RocketDock a try.

Keeping both my physical and vitual desktops clean is a chore. My physical desktop is made of glass and requires frequent cleaning to rid of smudges. By week’s end I often end up with tons of icons on the desktop which is where I find the most handy place to temporarily store items before filing away and/or using.

With RocketDock I dragged the shortcuts used most often over to the dock. I found that I liked the dock placed on the far right instead of atop, left or the bottom. In the dockbar settings I changed so that the dock was always behind other windows instead of atop and also made the icons smaller using the slider, so they wouldn’t underlap the systray and clock.

I removed most of the default RocketDock icons including My Document, My Pictures, My Music. I’m used to using Windows + E to access Windows Explorer quickly and navigate from there. The only default icons I kept were the Recycle Bin, Dock Settings and Control Panel. The only duplicate I left on my desktop was the Recycle Bin as the topmost screenshot shows.

Using folders on the desktop for additional organization
I also have five folders on my desktop that I drag shortcuts and files into periodically, in an effort to keep the desktop clean: screenshots, icons, ebooks-write, software-try and SLPics.

SLPics - screenshots I take while in Second Life. I prefer to keep this separate from other screenshots
software-try - downloads I plan to check out as time permits
ebooks-write - I keep various text files and eBooks I’m reading here
icons - all shortcuts that would otherwise mess up the desktop, I’m two clicks away from every program I want to use.
screenshots - all screenshots and captures I’ve taken except for Second Life

What tips, tricks and tools do you use to keep your desktop clean and tidy?

Did this post make you go hmm?

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