True Launch Bar

Current version is 4.4 March 21 2009   Windows 7 compatible!   Current beta version 4.4.6   February 07 2010

True Launch Bar has many flexible settings. You may configure just the way you like it. The "Auto popup menus on mouse hover" option (with adjustable time) allows you to run shortcuts with one click. Large icons make your work more comfortable on large screen resolutions.

True Launch Bar fully supports Windows Drag&Drop technology. You can easily create new popup menus. Simply right-click on True Launch Bar and select "Create menu". After creating the new menu you can easily drag your shortcuts to this new submenu.

You can use hot keys to launch applications from True Launch Bar. You can add separators into True Launch Bar also. Separators help you to group shortcuts inside menus or the toolbar.

Control Panel, Printers, Network... and any other folder. Now you can place them onto the True Launch Bar. Simply right-click True Launch Bar, select New and create a Virtual Folder. You can to control items in the Virtual Folders by using the context menu. This like in the explorer window. Try right-click on the printer and select Properties. Add your Favorites folder to True Launch Bar and if you add or delete some link, this changes take effect in True launch Bar too.

True Launch Bar support plugins. You can easy add buttons like Mail Monitor, Weather Forecast, Media Control and other. Visit our Plugins Library to find more plugins.

You can change the look of your True Launch Bar using skins. Visit our Skins Library to download new skins. And certainly True Launch Bar completely supports Windows XP Visual Styles.

True Launch Bar allows you completely forget about Start Button. We recommend you remove it from your task bar and free space for more useful things. Try our utility Start Killer. Start Killer is a free tool that removes Start Button from task bar.

True Launch Bar key features

Compatibility with standard Quick Launch

True Launch Bar is fully compatible with the standard Windows (TM) Quick Launch toolbar. It uses the same folder for shortcuts. If some program installs an icon into Quick Launch, then the program also installs the icon for True Launch Bar as well. True Launch Bar can be docked into the taskbar like just like Quick Launch.

Grouping links into popup menus

The huge advantage of True Launch Bar is popup menus. You can create menus on in the True Launch bar panel and place your shortcuts there. This will save space on your taskbar and give you another dimension in using the taskbar. True Launch Bar is Quick Launch on steroids!!!

Full support of Windows XP Visual Styles

True Launch Bar completely supports Windows XP Visual Styles. You turn on the Flat Menus option and TLB will begin to look like All Programs menu from the Start Button.

Virtual Folders

You can also create virtual folders on the True Launch Bar. When you create a virtual folder, you select the folder's content you want to see in the toolbar menu. It can be any folder on your disk or on a local network (Favorites, Programs, Recent, etc.); or you can add file system folders such as Printers, Control Panel, My Computer, Dialup Network or other similar folders. If you right-click on an item in the virtual folder, you can see a full context menu like in the Explorer window, and you can perform any action from this menu (Properties, Open, Delete...). In fact you can use True Launch Bar as small file manager. In addition you can add separators with titles into Virtual folders. This can greatly improve the grouping of items inside Virtual Folders.

Drag & Drop

True Launch Bar fully supports Windows Drag&Drop technology. You can simply drag your shortcuts onto the toolbar or menu. You can use the left and right mouse button to drag shortcuts to the True Launch Bar. Using the right button dragging you will see a context menu with common actions.

Skinable

True Launch Bar is skinable. This means that you can change the appearance of buttons, menu items... Visit our Skins Library to download new skins. If you want to make your own skins please read Skins specification.

Plugins

The main feature of True Launch Bar is its active content. Now you can use buttons not only for launching your applications but have button work like small applet. In most cases you will have a button to run your email client (like Outlook Express). If you add Mail Monitor onto the True Launch Bar this button can actually tell you when you have new mail and can run your email client. Visit our Plugins Library to find more plugins such as System Monitor, Media Control, Volume Control etc.

To see complete list of features visit TLB Features Page

Installation

True Launch Bar uses the same technology as standard Quick Launch. This means that True Launch Bar does not have executable file. To open True Launch Bar right-click on the empty space of the taskbar, point to the Toolbars and select True Launch Bar menu item. See the flash animation»

True Launch Bar also shows the title "True Launch Bar" of toolbar. This is standard feature of the desktop toolbars. If you do not like it, right click the title and select the "Show Title" menu item.

Initially True Launch Bar contains all button like Quick Launch. To add new buttons you can simply drag them to True Launch bar. To create menu right-click on True Launch bar point New and select Menu. In the right-click menu you can find other options for True Launch bar and access to the Settings dialog.