create a minimalist desktop?

[the_ultimate_evil]

i've been toying with the idea of trying to remove a lot of the clutter from my desktop and i wondered did anyone have any tips

i've seen a lot of people with no icons or folders and i'm not sure how its done, i've also looked into a dock but most just add a shortcut to a folder or program and dont remove it from the desktop

 

[strikezone89]

I don't have anything on my desktop and I use the autohide feature for the windows 7 toolbar

 

[Teelie]

I have a keyboard with macro functionality and customizable shortcut keys. I have only my recycling bin on there, excluding 3 gadgets for internet monitoring, a sticky note app and ram/cpu usage. Anything else is in the pinned start menu or the programs menu.

 

[Soapy]

1. right click
2. view
3. uncheck 'show desktop icons'

 

[Perfect Cell]

I have no icons on my desktop, and just use the program Launchy to quickly pull up folders and programs. In lieu of a dock launcher, launchy is a keystroke launcher that will pop up whenever you press a designated key combination. It'll catalog whatever folders or sections of your computer you'd like, which you can then search through and launch whenever Launchy is pulled up. It's very easy to use, and very lightweight. I may not have described it as clearly as possible, so you can check it out here for more information:

Launchy