Move location of "Desktop" toolbar in Windows 7 task bar?

Question

Having used XP for something like a decade, while I much appreciate almost everything about Windows 7, it's been hard to let go of the cascading menus from the start menu for finding my commonly used applications. I've been using this little app called 7stacks for a while, which is very close, but it seems to be not quite up to snuff with Windows 7 in that it sometimes lags for a while before the menus will pop up. It's pretty good but can be annoying sometimes.

I recently realized that I can get much the same thing by putting shortcuts in folders on my desktop, and activating the "Desktop" toolbar.

Before clicking:

After clicking:

This is great, except that I would really much prefer the "Desktop >>" link be at the left, where the other "quick launch" icons are. It's mostly annoying because when the cascading menus pop up, the first one is to the right, then successive ones must go to the left, because there's no room to the right. And besides I'm just used to launching stuff from the lower left!

Is there any way to change the location of these "toolbars"?

Answer 1

If you right-click the taskbar you can toggle the Lock the Taskbar option. When it's turned off then you can drag toolbars around. You need to drag the Desktop toolbar all the way to the left so that it is next to the Start button. Then resize it so that it is as small as it can go.

Answer 2

This may, or may not, be perfect for you. The only rub is that the new Windows task bar is replaced with the traditional XP taskbar. In other words, the OLD quick launch. Frankly, I hate the new taskbar, so I love this program.

You can download the Free Launch Bar here:

http://www.freelaunchbar.com/

Here is a view of what you are looking to do:

Here is a screenshot of my Quick Launch, although not grouped as you wanted and as in the link above:

Once installed, you enable it by right-clicking the Taskbar>Toolbars>Free Launch Bar.

From there, to create your sub-menus, you right-click the Quick-Launch area>New and then either Menu, Separator or Shortcut.

I also have never had any lag using it. So if you don't mind, or even like, the old XP Quick Launch, this is your tool.