GET A TASKBAR ON YOUR SECOND MONITOR

I'm back after a short break following the birth of my son. Everyone is healthy, and I'm excited to be back to blogging.

If your desktop computer has the capability of displaying two monitors, it is well worth your time to set it up. I keep my email client (Outlook) on the right monitor and work primarily on the left. In reviewing discovery, drafting briefs, etc., it is incredibly convenient to be able to put the document I am typing to on one screen and documents I'm reviewing on the other.

Unfortunately, your taskbar in Windows 7 will only show on your main monitor. If you have a program open on the secondary monitor, when you minimize it, it will show on the taskbar on the main monitor. Personally, I find this behavior annoying, as I would prefer to have a taskbar on both monitors.

Fortunately, there is a free solution to this problem: Dual Monitor Taskbar. This open source project will display a start button, taskbar, and notification area. It even includes the show desktop button. You can set it to auto-hide, just like the regular task bar. You can also set it to appear on any edge of the screen, even if it is not the same edge as the main taskbar. 

I have become so accustomed to using Dual Monitor Taskbar that I forget that it is not a part of the standard Windows 7 set up until I use someone else's computer. If you have Windows 7, I highly recommend installing this free program.