Get Vista like Thumbnail Preview of Taskbar Items in Windows XP

In Windows XP whenever you hover the mouse on a minimized window in the taskbar, a simple text preview is shown. Whereas in Vista thumbnail preview is shown for the taskbar items which enables us to view within the opened windows even when they are minimized by just hovering the mouse over them. Let us see how we can get a similar thumbnail preview of minimized windows in XP too.

How does the thumbnail preview help us

It minimizes the pain of maximizing the idle windows to view what is happening within & again minimizing them in order to resume with the other windows that you are currently working on. This terms happens when we have to check the scanning status or copy status window.

Thumbnail preview in XP can be achieved by using a free utility called Visual Task Tips. This tool enables a Vista like thumbnail preview to your Windows XP. The difference is quite visible from the screenshot shown below.

Follow the simple steps below to enable it on your computer.

1. Download Visual Task Tips.

2. Now follow the next steps for installation.

3. Start the installation & proceed by clicking Next.

4. In the following step check the “I accept the terms in License Agreement” & press Next.

5. Now select the Destination folder where you want to Install the app(or leave it as the default on) and proceed clicking Install.

6. Now after Installation is complete, in the last step make sure to check the two boxes as shown below

7. That’s all. Now press Finish to complete the installation.

NOTE : Windows opened & minimized prior to installation may not show the thumbnail preview try closing them & re-opening them to get the changes done.

Now I hope you will be quite pleased to have the thumbnail previews working for you in Windows XP. Feel free to share your views on this tool via comments.