One of the nicer features of Windows 7 is that you can customize anything. A personalized appearance can be tailored to any style. For example, if you like the Mac OS X dock, there is a way to make the Windows 7 dock look similar, perhaps even better. Windows allows for desktop customization that is virtually unlimited. A plain default desktop simply screams boring from the first glance. A nicely customized desktop is attractive and just plain cool. This article will review two Dock applications that give Windows 7 an improved appearance
Rocket Dock
Rocket Dock features slick animation and custom skins on launch icons. Every item on the dock can be customized with this tool and the look is sharp. There is a pristine interface with a bit of glamour to it and you can easily organize it by dropping shortcuts on it. Download it, launch it and start using it. Be sure to create a desktop icon at first. You may be re-tweaking and then re-tweaking again and a shortcut makes for easy access.
You will see this styled dock at the top of your screen after Rocket Dock is launched. Right-click on an empty space in the dock and choose Dock Settings to customize the dock.
It is similar to the Mac OS X dock. Many options can be set, such as auto-hide so that the dock only appears when you move the cursor to the edge of the screen where the dock is located. You can choose the dock location as well. All of the features can be found in Dock Settings from the context menu.
Nexus
Another amazing multi-level dock system is Nexus. Featuring easy access to applications that you use on a regular basis, Nexus also includes the Leopard theme for tweaking the Windows 7 theme into a Mac Dock. Download Nexus from this link.
The setup is as simple as following the prompts. Extract the .zip file and double-click the application. After installation is complete, the Nexus dock opens at the top of the screen. There is still a Mac dock feel to it, but it is different than the Rocket Dock version. Anything you drag to the dock will remain there and it is easy to scroll through.
Right-click on the Nexus icon to open the context menu. Select Preferences to open the window pictured in the following screenshot. From here, you can adjust all settings and customize to your heart’s content. There are many features to choose from. It seems like the possibilities are endless.
There is a paid upgraded version of Nexus available if you want even more features. In the paid version, there are options for a Multi-Dock System or Multi-Level Docks. Essentially, that is the only difference. All other features are the same.
Rocket Dock is more simplistic and is for users who are not interested in too much customization, but still want to customize the dock to a Mac OS X format. Nexus, on the other hand is for those who want all of the bells and whistles. They are both free, so try them both out and decide which is right for you.
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I use Dell Dock that comes with my PC. For me is the best.
You know if we can install it on other PCs?
I want install it on my girlfriend PC.
odio, your question is a good one. The Dell Dock was made, incidentally, by Stardock especially for Dell..
Sorry, but Dell Docks will work only on Dell computers, and cannot be ported to other brand computers.
You do have a different dock available to you: Object Dock (the urls are available in my response, just after your question). :)
In this case, my girl’s PC its a Dell brand new, but it dont come with the Dell Dock, it came with a slide bar in the center of the screen… very ugly and appears to be more useful in tablets and touch screens.
Very informative, Melanie but you didn’t mention another very popular app: Object Dock (Stardock). There is a free Object Dock as well as the Object Dock 2+. Both are customizable and have a huge variety of skins available to them, many by the same artist (WebGizmos) who makes skins for Nexus and Nexus Ultimate.
Object Dock can be viewed here: http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock/
The skin Galleries can be viewed here:
Object Dock: http://www.wincustomize.com/explore/objectdock
Nexus in the Winstep gallery: http://www.wincustomize.com/explore/winstep
I included the links for your viewers.