I'm looking for a program similar to i3 or Dell Desktop Manager because organizing windows on my laptop and the options accessible via the task bar aren't doing it for me.
Can anyone recommend me something? (preferably free or at elast with a trial version)
You can't really replacr the window manager on Windows as the display server and window manager are closed source... In theory it would be possible to virtualize a display server and window manager on top of what's already running but that would consume a fair bit of CPU power and RAM...
It is possible to replace the explorer shell. http://www.astonshell.com/ is one such possibility.
I used it with XP, but haven't bothered recently.
1 Like
there is a version of the KDE plasma desktop for windows.
but i never used it and i dont know how stable that is.
It's a bit of a hangover from my Amiga days but I always liked Directory Opus http://www.gpsoft.com.au/
@Zippy_Parmesian My laptop is not that weak (i5-5200U, 4GB RAM, Intel Graphics HD 5500) but I want to keep the resource use as low as possible :/
@DeusQain I don't really want to replace the whole shell, just manage the windows. Damn, I really start to miss Linux :( Really need to figure out how to get my laptop to recognize my stick with Ubuntu/Gnome as a boot device.
@bennyc500911 That looks nice. I'll look into that. Thanks!
@BGL Thanks, but I'm looking for a window manager, not file manager ;)
If your laptop has thunderbolt you could get an external GPU housing and use KVM with pass through.
I use Total Commander Ultima Prime
@Grim_Reaper Not what I am looking for (window manager for re-/arranging windows on the desktop) but interesting.
It has decent specs for the price, but no thunderbolt (only 2x USB 3.0, 2x USB 2.0, Ethernet, HDMI and VGA).
is there an update for the bios? a laptop of that spec I would think can boot from a usb.
Aida64 (I use the trial version) shows me these specs for the BIOS but I can't find where and even if there even are updates for my BIOS. The OEM of my laptop told me via email that the laptops they make are intended for use with the OS they ship with and they only can say for sure that it works with the recovery disc that came with my laptop.
Field Value
BIOS Properties
BIOS Type AMI
BIOS Version 204
System BIOS Date 11/18/2014
Video BIOS Date UnknownBIOS Manufacturer
Company Name American Megatrends Inc.
Product Information http://www.ami.com/amibios
BIOS Upgrades http://www.aida64.com/bios-updates
Going to the website of the BIOS manufacturer show no support for my BIOS and the firmware update tool does nothing (BIOS not compatible with AFU).
That sounds like a typical response from a OEM, so that they don't have to help you. Sometimes, OEM's have updates because they had something wrong in the BIOS. But I guess you are not one of them.
I'm sure you have but did you try all the usb ports? are there any options in the BIOS that mention booting from usb?
I tried every USB port, enabled/disabled secure boot, disabled the Winows boot manager (only took me back to the BIOS after restart).
The second picture lists the boot options I have. When I did a fresh install on my SSD I had to disable the IP4 and IP6 options so the disc drive would be recognized for booting.
I don't really want to mess around with the BIOS that much because I sure as hell would have no clue how to repair it and I still have 3years warranty on my laptop (that doesn't cover self-induced defects/damages).
Ya, that's fair enough, I am not able to help any further, I'm not all that familiar with windows 8 bios on oems but perhaps someone else can with these screen shots.
perhaps also post in https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/new/ they might be able to help.
Nah, that's okay. If it needs more than just flipping a switch in the BIOS to work I'm not bothering any more. The risk of me screwing up is too high^^
But thanks!
Still....eventhough I have no problems with using Windows, not being able to install Linux (or at least having the OEM making me jump through hoops) is a bummer :(
Man I wish I could do GNOME style window switching on windows, if any one knows a way to do this then please let me know.
Managed to figure out why I couldn't boot from a USB flash drive and it turned out to be as simple as flipping a switch: I forgot to enable CSM support after disabling secure boot, duh....I feel stupid. Right after I did that I restarted, hit F10 to enter the boot menu and was able to choose the USB flash drive, next to some other options. At least this is solved.
NICE! I hate secure boot shit.
1 Like
http://www.litestep.net/
i used to use litestep back in the day don't know if it runs on current windows.
3 Likes