DockBar

There are multiple methods through which applications and games can be run on Windows, letting you customize your workspace the way you see fit. However, there are also an abundance of third-party alternatives like DockBar that want to help you keep a clean desktop, and taskbar, running programs from a custom launcher.

Comes with several predefined shortcuts

After a short installation process, you’re free to run the application to see what it’s all about. Once done, a compact toolbar fitted with a few buttons covers the tray and clock area, so you might want to move the taskbar, because the application’s toolbar can’t be moved from its default location.
The visual design might not exactly be what you’d expect, with a simple layout holding shortcuts to a few predefined locations like the Floppy disk, WinZip, PowerShell, Registry Editor, and Winamp, if installed. In addition, there’s a shortcut to the Start Menu as well, so you can completely forget about the taskbar, especially if you have a clock gadget on your desktop.

Add shortcuts to apps and commands

DockBar might look like it can’t be customized, because regardless of the buttons you press, there’s no built-in settings menu to stumble upon, even by accident. The way this works is by editing a settings file from the location the application is installed.
Although some might find this method difficult, it’s actually quite basic. Most effort requires you to write down a set of three info fields, one for the name you want to appear on the launch bar, another for the icon file and path, while the last is the command you want the application to execute when the button is pressed.
However, you need to be extra careful when selecting the icon file. This is because image files larger than a 32x32 resolution overlaps the whole launcher, making all the other buttons inaccessible.

A few last words

All in all, DockBar comes with good intentions and pretty much works as intended. Although it looks and feel a little rough around the edges, spending some time to customize it and add all buttons or commands you frequently use can help you keep a clean desktop, and depend even less on the taskbar.