Microsoft: Moving Windows 11 taskbar may never be an option again (More features removed, apparently permanently)

Bleeping Computer ^ | April 11, 2022 | Lawrence Abrams

[dayglored]

If you are waiting for Windows 11 side-taskbar support before upgrading to the latest operating system, you may be waiting for a long time, according to a recent Microsoft Ask Me Anything (AMA) session.

When Windows (11) was first released, the most controversial changes were the new centered Start Menu and the reduced functionality of the Windows taskbar.

In the past, the Start Menu was left-aligned on the taskbar, and it was possible to move the taskbar, so it was pinned to the top, sides, and bottom of the screen.

However, with Windows 11, Microsoft took away the ability to move the taskbar, which is one of the most requested features on the Microsoft Feedback Hub, with over 17,500 upvotes.

As first reported by Neowin, in a recent Microsoft Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, a user asked whether Microsoft would be bringing back the ability to move the sidebar to the sides.

The response was not very promising, with Tali Roth, Microsoft's Head of Product, explaining that a small amount of Windows users use the feature and that it is unsure whether the feature will ever be brought back...

[ducttape45]

CPU prices are too high these days to build your own

Not if you know what to purchase and where to get it. I can build a tower for around $500. That is a good price to pay.

[ducttape45]

Windows 10 is much better than Windows 7

I'm gonna have to disagree. I like simplicity. Windows 10 makes it more complicated to do many tasks that were much easier to do with XP and 7, and so far support for W7 has not been cut off.

[Basket_of_Deplorables]

Thanks!!!!

Anyone know a decent, free, cpu and memory monitor for W10? Simple, not some complicated lunacy with 50 skins?

[Still Thinking]

Yeah, my new laptop came with Win11, and there were a number of things there I’m not willing to put up with, so I upgraded to 10 (still not as good as 7, but at least livable).

[Still Thinking]

It does more than you’re asking for, but I use and like Process Explorer, a Task Manager replacement from SysInternals. (now part of Microsoft)

[Still Thinking]

I use Open Shell on all Win10 boxes, so I tried it, with partial success, on W11. I also (throwback to XP), use a Quick Launch toolbar, rather than the idiotic pinning stuff to the taskbar. This works fine in 7 and in 10 with Open Shell, and kind of worked in 11, but it kept screwing up the setup and I’d have to correct it on every reboot (messed up the toolbar order and I think maybe turned name display back on). No dice, and also no dice to those stupid tiles or whatever the current name is for those square shortcuts on the desktop.

[Still Thinking]

Oh dude, Notepad sucks. Notepad++ is MUCH better and also free. In fact, there are many text editors for free and I have yet to ever see one that didn’t beat Notepad.

[Still Thinking]

I am fine with the Windows 11 taskbar at the bottom centered. Though one option is to shift taskbar icons to the left, which I do half the time. It would be nice if you could make Win 11 taskbar icons larger. Perhaps one can? _________ Yes, via a registry hack, which I don’t like to do.

Bad news, even the registry hack didn't work for me (I wanted them smaller). No matter what I set the registry value to, I got the same default size icons. I think it's the middle size. Can't believe Microsoft built something that doesn't work.

[Still Thinking]

Yeah, and it’s just churn. They change a bunch of stuff just for the sake of changing it, so people will feel like they’re getting something when they “up”grade, but it’s no better and often worse than what it replaced.

Agree too about the licensing. AutoCAD is rental only now (motto: you will own nothing and WE’LL be happy), so I’m using BricsCAD instead which is 100% compatible, with all my Lisp, same degree of customization, will run DCL but I don’t really have any anymore, etc. FUAD.

[dennisw]

“No matter what I set the registry value to, I got the same default size icons”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHaunqOcntg <<<<< This registry hack gets favorable comments, so maybe it will work for you. There are others at YouTube.

[Still Thinking]

Thanks! If I’m ever back on W11, I’ll give it a shot. I despised 11 so bad I upgraded to 10.

[dennisw]

“Not if you know what to purchase and where to get it. I can build a tower for around $500. That is a good price to pay.”

The HP desktop + monitor deal I mentioned above....
It cost me $237 last Christmas
Added 500GB Western Digital Blue NVMe drive + 8GB more RAM for $73.
So total was $410 not including taxes + included a 24” IPS monitor
The CPU is i3-10100 with 4 Cores/ 8 Threads -— which gets a Passmark score of 8803, which will easily push through Windows 10 and 11. Especially with 16GB RAM.

What this $410 system will not do is gaming. You need a real graphics card for this.

[ShadowAce]

CPU prices are too high these days to build your own

This statement doesn't even make sense. The systems you buy pre-built are also buying those CPUs you are complaining about--except they can charge a lower price because they are using lower-tier CPUs. Find a CPU that you would build a system around, and then find an off-the-shelf system that uses that CPU, and you'll find that you'd save money by building your own.

[ducttape45]

Not a bad system. Here's the thing with me. I used to do in home computer repair for a warranty company. Anything you could buy in Best Buy, Circuit City, Walmart, etc, etc, I worked on it. What I found out is that most of the PCs/laptops you could purchase in those stores were filled with the lowest quality parts the manufacturer could put into them, and most of them had to be returned within weeks for replacement.

It was then that I started making my own PCs. Sure, it may cost a little more, but like the PC I have now, they last for a whole lot longer. I've had my current PC (I think) 11 years, and folks who've done the same generally have the same experience.

So, while I know you may find the occasional diamond in the rough, most of the PCs purchased at bargain outlets do not withstand the test of time. Just my experience.

[dayglored]

> ...so I upgraded to 10 (still not as good as 7, but at least livable

I've gotten pretty used to 10, and it's a better OS under the hood in many important ways. But I still vastly prefer the user interface of 7. Now if Microsoft was smart, they'd offer a graft of the Win7 user interface over Win10 as an option.

But no.....

As for 11, I'm not in any hurry whatsoever.

[Still Thinking]

Or shipped the 7 UI as the default with screwed up being the option where you have to opt in.

[minnesota_bound]

NoteTab Light (free)
https://www.notetab.com/notetab-light
https://www.notetab.com/images/NoteTab-main-window.png
I was using this for making webpages till I switched to HTMLPad 2022

NoteTab Light has many extra tabs of useful menus like HTML-CSS code and Utilities - conversions and Smilies and all sort of other tools.
The only thing missing is an X on each tab that Notepad++ has.

[daniel1212]

"Anyone know a decent, free, cpu and memory monitor for W10? Simple, not some complicated lunacy with 50 skins?"

Well, off hand while it provides more than you want, HWINFO64 can provide that and more, by the grace of God.

[daniel1212]

For above: Install and run HWinfo64 + then check Sensors only and then Run. Then hit Configure Sensors at the bottom, + then scroll and (if you want) click on Physical memory load and then hit “Show it in tray” and below that you can choose colors, then do the same for Total CPU usage. Then check your system tray and place your cursor on the icons. If you like it then right click on your desktop and hit Personalize, and then scoll down and hit Taskbar (hit > to the right to expand) and then hit Taskbar overflow (which MS decided to call the System tray) and find the HWiNFO icons and hit ON. Next, make a shortcut to the HWiNFO64.exe file, and leave that window open, and then open %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup (paste in Run command) and then copy the shortcut and paste it in the Start menu You may have to choose Sensors only and then Run at logon. Screenshots of © 1995 - 2022 HWiNFO

[daniel1212]

"I use Open Shell on all Win10 boxes, so I tried it, with partial success, on W11. I also (throwback to XP), use a Quick Launch toolbar, rather than the idiotic pinning stuff to the taskbar. This works fine in 7 and in 10 with Open Shell, and kind of worked in 11, but it kept screwing up the setup and I’d have to correct it on every reboot (messed up the toolbar order and I think maybe turned name display back on). No dice, and also no dice to those stupid tiles or whatever the current name is for those square shortcuts on the desktop."

Yes, and forget about arranging your own desktop icons, but your issue is why i posted "there is Explorer Patcher that restores the Windows 11 taskbar to be exactly like Windows 10, while Windows 7+ Taskbar Tweaker (I am using the beta ver.) provides more customization."

Good to know another "tweaker" is here.