I have windows vista with aero, the windows switcher works fine when I am using my regular desktop and the internet. In another words, it switches between my regular desktop and any window that is using the internet. But I can not open a new regular desktop. How can I open a new desktop? Is that possible with vista...?
Adding a new desktop
- Thread starter Edd
- Start date
Hello Edd, and welcome to Vista Forums.
It sounds like you may be getting Windows Switcher (aka: Flip 3D) and Switch User (aka: fast user switching) mixed up.
Windows Switcher allows you to flip through your open windows to quickly select one.
Switch User allows you to switch (log on) to a different user account (desktop) on your computer without having to close any programs and files first in the user account that you are currently logged on to, and then be able to switch right back to the first one where you left off.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
It sounds like you may be getting Windows Switcher (aka: Flip 3D) and Switch User (aka: fast user switching) mixed up.
Windows Switcher allows you to flip through your open windows to quickly select one.
Switch User allows you to switch (log on) to a different user account (desktop) on your computer without having to close any programs and files first in the user account that you are currently logged on to, and then be able to switch right back to the first one where you left off.
Hope this helps,
Shawn
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- Operating System
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
- Manufacturer/Model
- Custom
- CPU
- Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
- Motherboard
- ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
- Memory
- 64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
- Graphics card(s)
- ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
- Sound Card
- Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
- Screen Resolution
- 2560x1440
- Hard Drives
- 1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
- PSU
- Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
- Case
- Thermaltake Core P3
- Cooling
- Corsair Hydro H115i
- Mouse
- Logitech MX Master 3
- Keyboard
- Logitech wireless K800
- Internet Speed
- 1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
- Other Info
- Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
-
- Operating System
- Windows 10 Pro
- Manufacturer/Model
- HP Envy Y0F94AV
- CPU
- i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
- Memory
- 16 GB DDR4-2133
- Sound Card
- Conexant ISST Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 17.3" UHD IPS touch
- Screen Resolution
- 3480 x 2160
- Hard Drives
- 512 GB M.2 SSD
Lorien
Account Suspended
Hi Edd,
Welcome to Vista Forums!
To expand on what Brink explained (which I believe explains the basic problem here), it seems as if you have Windows Switcher working just fine. But that doesn't create a new desktop (in fact, you can't really create a separate desktop for the same user profile in Vista - by which I mean more than one desktop that you can switch between in the same user account - it simply can't be done). You need to create a separate user account which will have its own separate desktop. You do that logged in as an Administrator and go to Start / Control Panel / User Accounts and create a new user account (or you can login and use another existing user account (not one belonging to someone else or you'll be changing their setup, but a separate one for you if you have such an account), but you will then have the desktop applicable to that user profile - which you can change as you see fit to meet your needs).
Then you need to make that desktop the way you want it - adding and deleting icons and shortcuts and personalizations and taskbar attributes and contents and - well - essentially changing it to however you want that new user's desktop (including access to programs and data and such) to look like and be like. It is possible to copy some of the settings from one user profile to another, but very difficult without copying the entire profile - and then you'd need to delete much to avoid duplication which would soon cause you problems in terms of which account has what information or files or even emails. This can end up causing you some headaches and isn't worth the minor effort you would save setting it up. I suggest you not try this and instead, create what you want from scratch as if it were a totally new user.
Once you have the new profile as you want it (including how its desktop looks and functions), then you can use Switch User to move back and forth between the desktops. But remember, windows and such that were open in the other user will NOT be accessible to this new user - they are totally separate. To get back to the other windows, you need to switch users back to the other account and you'll be back where you were (but no longer have access to the desktop of the new user or anything you opened on it unless you again switch accounts - it cannot be done with Windows Switcher - that only works within ONE user account at a time).
I hope this helps.
Good luck!
Welcome to Vista Forums!
To expand on what Brink explained (which I believe explains the basic problem here), it seems as if you have Windows Switcher working just fine. But that doesn't create a new desktop (in fact, you can't really create a separate desktop for the same user profile in Vista - by which I mean more than one desktop that you can switch between in the same user account - it simply can't be done). You need to create a separate user account which will have its own separate desktop. You do that logged in as an Administrator and go to Start / Control Panel / User Accounts and create a new user account (or you can login and use another existing user account (not one belonging to someone else or you'll be changing their setup, but a separate one for you if you have such an account), but you will then have the desktop applicable to that user profile - which you can change as you see fit to meet your needs).
Then you need to make that desktop the way you want it - adding and deleting icons and shortcuts and personalizations and taskbar attributes and contents and - well - essentially changing it to however you want that new user's desktop (including access to programs and data and such) to look like and be like. It is possible to copy some of the settings from one user profile to another, but very difficult without copying the entire profile - and then you'd need to delete much to avoid duplication which would soon cause you problems in terms of which account has what information or files or even emails. This can end up causing you some headaches and isn't worth the minor effort you would save setting it up. I suggest you not try this and instead, create what you want from scratch as if it were a totally new user.
Once you have the new profile as you want it (including how its desktop looks and functions), then you can use Switch User to move back and forth between the desktops. But remember, windows and such that were open in the other user will NOT be accessible to this new user - they are totally separate. To get back to the other windows, you need to switch users back to the other account and you'll be back where you were (but no longer have access to the desktop of the new user or anything you opened on it unless you again switch accounts - it cannot be done with Windows Switcher - that only works within ONE user account at a time).
I hope this helps.
Good luck!
My Computer
System One
-
- Manufacturer/Model
- Dell Inc. MP061 Inspiron E1705
- CPU
- 2.00 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo 64 kilobyte primary memory
- Motherboard
- Board: Dell Inc. 0YD479 Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
- Memory
- 2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
- Graphics card(s)
- ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) [Di
- Sound Card
- SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
- Monitor(s) Displays
- Generic PnP Monitor (17.2"vis)
- Screen Resolution
- 1920 x 1200 pixels
- Hard Drives
- Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n SB2411SJGLLRMB, rev SB4OC74P, SMART Status: Healthy
- Case
- Chassis Serial Number: 5YK95C1
- Mouse
- Logitech HID-compliant Cordless Mouse
- Keyboard
- Standard PS/2 Keyboard
- Internet Speed
- 1958 Kbps download ; 754.8 Kbps upload
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- Optiarc DVD+-RW AD-5540A ATA Device [CD-ROM drive] Dell AIO Printer A940 Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem 6TO4 Adapter Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter Microsoft ISATAP Adapter Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface Router Linksys / WRT54G -01
Thanks for your help, I can see that it is not possible to use the windows switch to actually switch between windows! That sounds amazing, I actually tried to download and pay to a software company and it did not work either. Thanks anyway, I heard that if I link 2 or more monitors to my pc it may solve the problem, so I guess I will try to do that next, thanks again....
My Computer
Edd,
I think we may not be understanding exactly what you meant my opening another "new desktop" on your computer. Just to be sure, could you clarify for us?
Do you mean opening another user account's desktop from your computer on your user account's desktop?
Do you mean opening a remote desktop from another computer on your desktop?
Do you mean opening and running a virtual machine?
I think we may not be understanding exactly what you meant my opening another "new desktop" on your computer. Just to be sure, could you clarify for us?
Do you mean opening another user account's desktop from your computer on your user account's desktop?
Do you mean opening a remote desktop from another computer on your desktop?
Do you mean opening and running a virtual machine?
My Computers
System One System Two
-
- Operating System
- Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
- Manufacturer/Model
- Custom
- CPU
- Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
- Motherboard
- ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
- Memory
- 64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
- Graphics card(s)
- ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
- Sound Card
- Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
- Screen Resolution
- 2560x1440
- Hard Drives
- 1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2, 4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2, 8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
- PSU
- Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
- Case
- Thermaltake Core P3
- Cooling
- Corsair Hydro H115i
- Mouse
- Logitech MX Master 3
- Keyboard
- Logitech wireless K800
- Internet Speed
- 1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
- Other Info
- Logitech Z625 speaker system, Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam, HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn, APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI, Galaxy S23 Plus phone
-
- Operating System
- Windows 10 Pro
- Manufacturer/Model
- HP Envy Y0F94AV
- CPU
- i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
- Memory
- 16 GB DDR4-2133
- Sound Card
- Conexant ISST Audio
- Monitor(s) Displays
- 17.3" UHD IPS touch
- Screen Resolution
- 3480 x 2160
- Hard Drives
- 512 GB M.2 SSD
Hello Thread, what I meant was that I want to be able to have the option to use more than one desktop or screen with regular icons. Not an internet one, no, another desktop similar to the ones used on Linux I heard. Vista aero offers you a desktop switch but it only switches between your regular destop and an internet one. That you could do it yoursefl by just clicking on the window you want to use. I just run out of space on my desktop and it will be really good to have another one, or may be more available. Thanks for asking Thread, I wish somebody can help with this, bye bye...
Edd
Edd