Customize the Windows Desktop and Taskbar

By default, the Windows UI is fairly appealing. Themes, Aero and other features provided by Windows allow you to customize and personalize your desktop according to your own preferences. However, you can add even further customization and some awesome features to your existing Windows install by using some desktop enhancement apps.

There are a wide variety of different apps that can help you to customize and style the Windows desktop. We’ve previously recommended Rainmeter, which is tops as far as visual theming for Windows. However, the company Stardock also makes some quality Windows apps that are mostly based on customization and versatility.

To get started, jump to the Stardock homepage for consumers. There, you may notice that the company offers several Windows based apps, many of them being available as freeware downloads. Here are some programs that you can add to Windows for a better visual effect, but also more features.

Tiles

Tiles is a basic program that can help you to better track the running/open applications in Windows. By adding a visually appealing Tiles pane to the Windows desktop, this app allows you to view previews of the opened apps, and even navigate custom paths directly from the Tiles pane.

Blinds

Blinds is an advanced theming engine for Windows that allows you to customize nearly ever aspect of the Windows desktop. This program is not available as freeware, but it is available as a trial. With Blinds, you can go beyond what the default Windows skins and themes offer, and completely overhaul your desktop.

Fences

By default, Windows desktop icons are arranged rather plainly. Windows does allow you to sort and rearrange desktop shortcuts and programs, but this is about as far as it goes for out of the box Windows desktop customization. With the Fences app, available for free, you can actually build fences around desktop shortcuts and icons for better organization and desktop customization. The final design result will be more of a HUD look.

Object Dock

Object Dock brings a Mac OS X like dock to Windows. If the basic Windows taskbar is not for you, you can simply hide it from the desktop and instead use Object Dock to launch your favorite programs and apps. Aside from basic visual animation, this app also adds more features that help you to navigate around Windows more effectively.

Those are just a few of the great programs that the Stardock Windows customization company offers. Some other apps that you might be interested in are:

• BootSkin – Change Windows boot screens the easy way
• Cursor FX – Completely custom Windows cursors and pointers app
• Tweak 7 – Optimize Windows Performance using an app.

For a full list of programs that are available for free from Startdock, you can check out their products page.

Overall, all of these apps can add more functionality and customization to the Windows desktop. This article is not affiliated, but simply a review of some of Stardock’s best products. Because all of the apps listed in this article are from the same company, you can use a combination of Windows desktop and taskbar apps for extreme Windows theming and customization.