Launch Programs from Explorer Bar

This post talks about an Explorer Bar which can be used just like taskbar of Windows to open documents or launch applications using shortcuts. The Taskbar serves lost of purposes such as display date / time, open task manager, cascade windows etc. The Explorer bar presented here can do lots of tasks just like default taskbar of Windows Explorer.

With this explorer bar you can launch programs from shortcuts, open existing document from any folder on your windows computer and you can even right click on it to use other features such as Windows Management like Cascade Windows, Tile Windows, Open Task Manager, Switch User, Lock Workstation, etc.

The bar will be launched onto last monitor of a multiple monitor windows computer. Let’s say you have a dual monitor windows computer and your second monitor is currently running in extended mode, then when you launch this bar it will be displayed at the bottom of the second monitor. It will take couple of seconds to load and displa itself, and it will display two panes. One pane will allow you to select any folder on your windows computer (from a tree like structure, just like windows explorer) and ther other pane will display the files and shortcuts found at the selected location. In order to open the document or launch the application, just double click on the respective icon.

Right click on the Tree Like Explorer will open the default right click menu and right right click on the second pane will display a custom menu which will allow you to open and control task manager, window and computer management features, etc. There will be upgrades to the application and possibly will provide all the features of Windows Taskbar soon.

Slideshow Manager to control Slideshow on Second Monitor

The Figure displays the Slide show Software in the MurGeeMon Software. The Slide show software can be used to run slide show in full screen mode on second monitor or a projector connected to a windows computer. The Slide show software will allow you to control the running slide show using a slide show control manager which you can run on primary monitor or anywhere you want.

In the Slide show Manager Software, just select the pictures folder and the slide show software will load thumbnails and will display a quick preview of the selected image. The selected image or slide can be displayed in full screen mode on second monitor or any other monitor on a multiple monitor windows computer.

In order to view the slideshow window, just double click on the slide preview window at the top of the software. The thumbnails at the bottom will allow you to select the slide you wish to be displayed onto the second monitor. You can configure the images folder location and time interval at which slides should be changed automatically.

There are keyboard shortcut keys available to start or stop the slide show and even to navigate to next or previous slide of a slide show. There is also a video tutorial in the Screen Saver tab of the MurGeeMon Software. Slideshow software integrated with this dual monitor software will give you complete control over running and managing slide show and connected monitors to a windows pc.

How to set second monitor as primary monitor

In Dual Monitor Windows Setup, both of the monitors are in a virtual space. Let’s say your primary monitor is in front of you and the second monitor is joined to the right hand side of first monitor in the virtual space. Also let’s assume for now that the dual monitors are placed on your desktop in the same manner, i.e. primary monitor is in front of you and the second monitor is placed to the right of the first monitor. With this setup when you move mouse cursor, you would move mouse cursor to the right to access programs or windows on the second monitor.

Let’s say now you set second monitor as primary, so your start menu and desktop icons will move to the right hand side monitor which was originally the second monitor and the windows or programs which were originally on your secondary monitor would be visible on the monitor which is in front of you as per the above assumption. An important thing to note here is that although the primary monitor has been changed, but still you will have to move mouse cursor in the same old direction. In case you want to change the monitors again, just initiate the change again and start menu and desktop icons will come back to the monitor on your front.

Windows Control panel does provides a check box which says something like This is my Main Monitor in Windows Vista. In other Windows Operating system such as Windows 7 or Windows XP, etc, you will find a check box saying the same thing but might be in different words. All you would need to do is open display settings, verify that you can see two black colored boxes depicting each of your dual monitors, one black box would be already selected, click the other one, check the check box saying This is my Main Monitor and click on OK to close the display settings.

There is an easy way as well as depicted in the figure here in this post to set the second monitor as primary anytime with only two mouse clicks. Click on the image and download the software and toggle start menu and desktop icons to any of the desired monitor with only 2 easy mouse clicks.

• First of all enable both monitors in extended mode and then launch the desired program or video game and look whether it provides the option to be started onto secondary monitor in full screen mode.
• Launch the application, move it to the secondary monitor, switch the application to full screen and then close it. Now start the application again, does it starts in full screen mode automatically on secondary monitor?
• Can a Maximize Shortcut Key combination serve the purpose?
• In case you are looking forward for a solution for an applications or software with window, it might be worth to give a try and force a window to open on secondary monitor. Full Screen Video games work differently and may not have a window and hence this option may not work for games.
• You can open Windows Media Center in full screen mode on secondary monitor irrespective of the monitor on which you close the Media Center application.

• The Second Monitor can display the same display as displayed by the First or Main Monitor referred to as clone mode.
• The Second Monitor or any other Display device connected as second display can display part of the Desktop Area and allow you to move application or document window onto second monitor. When a Monitor or other display device works in this way, it can be named as extended mode.
• The Second Monitor can be turned off and effectively providing display output to only one monitor, even though physically there are two Monitors connected to the Computer.

Now when the second monitor is turned off, it will remain inactive untill it is turned on. The Monitor can have electricity connection and the Monitor will go into low power mode and Windows will display desktop or any application or program Window only on main monitor.

Desktop Shortcut to turn off second monitor on a dual monitor Windows pc

Control Panel’s Display Settings can be used to turn off the second monitor. In Windows 7, you can right click on Desktop to display the Display Settings option and turn off the second monitor. However in Windows Vista or Windows XP, just open the control panel and look for Display Settings where you can turn on and off the second monitor.

In case you would like to have turn off the second monitor easily with various options such as Desktop Shortcut, System Wide HotKey combination or from System Tray, you can have a look at the inexpensive and free to try Dual Monitor Software. In the Software the term used to turn off second monitor is Disable Secondary Monitor and in order to turn on the monitor, the term used would be Enable Secondary Monitor.

• System Wide Hot Key Combination to be pressed on Keyboard to Turn Off Second Monitor.
• Turn Off Second Monitor by launching a Shortcut on Desktop, Start Menu or Quick Launch Bar.
• Right Click on blank space on Desktop and select Turn Off Second Monitor.
• Use Command Line to Turn Off Second Monitor.
• Right Click on Icon of the Dual Monitor Software and select the option to Turn Off Second Monitor.

 Now in order to Turn On the Second Monitor anytime you want, all you would need to do is follow the same process which you followed (any of the above) to Turn Off the Monitor. So effectively all the options above will work as a toggle switch, which would imply that all of the options above would check whether the Monitor of On or Off and when you initiate the change, the Monitor’s state would be toggled.

In a nutshell, when your Second Monitor is Off any of the options above would Turn it ON and vice versa.