There are a ton of programs out there that can display your computer information in real-time right on your desktop. So the fact that Desktop Info can do this too is not very noticeable. That being said, this program tries to stand out among the others by “blending” in with your desktop. This gives the appearance that the program is almost part of your wallpaper.

WHAT IS IT AND WHAT DOES IT DO

Main Functionality

Desktop Info is a program that can display your system information right on your computer. This does include your CPU, IP Address, CPU temperature, RAM usage, and so on. However, the thing that makes Desktop Info different from other tools is the way the information is displayed on your desktop. It is almost as if the program is part of your wallpaper, which actually gives your desktop a “cleaner” look. Also, it is almost impossible to accidentally click on this program, as you have to right-click a small link at the top to bring up your options. This means, the program won’t get in your way at all.

Pros

• Developer of the program offers support for his programs through email (found on his website)
• Works much like other monitoring tools, except this one blends into your wallpaper but is still able to update its display in real-time
• Extremely light on system resources, you won’t even notice it’s running
• Won’t get in your way while you’re working on your desktop, because you can only click on the program by right-clicking a small link, located at the top of the program.
• Allows you to change its code to customize the program
• No installation required

Cons

• Provides the same information that most other desktop information tools display
• If your wallpaper has a lot going on, it can be hard to read the displayed information

Discussion

There are a lot of things to like about Desktop Info, but in the end there is just one thing that actually kills it for me. However, let’s go through the good things first so you can decide for yourself if this is a program worth using.

First, Desktop Info displays the same information that any other system monitor would display. This includes your CPU usage, RAM usage, CPU temperature, and so on. If you look at it from this point of view, it really does not seem like the program is even worth your time. However, the developer tried to make Desktop Info stand out by…well…making it “not” stand out.

Let me explain. Desktop Info is designed in such a way that it pretty much becomes part of your wallpaper. Once you open it (no installation required), system information will be displayed in the top right corner of your screen. It will almost look like it is “free-floating”, as it’s not in a separate Window. Thus, your wallpaper can be viewed from behind this program.

When the program is active, clicking on it does nothing. Thus, it will not get in your way while you’re working with other programs. The only way to bring up options for the program is to right-click a small link at the top of the program.

The blending effect is pretty cool, but this also brings us to our main problem. If your wallpaper is not dark, you aren’t going to be able to read the stats very well anyways. I have included two screens. The one at the top of this review shows the stats on a dark wallpaper, while the bottom one shows the stats on a bright, more busy wallpaper. As you can see, the busier the wallpaper, the more the visibility of the program is impaired.

CONCLUSION AND DOWNLOAD LINK

The program displays information correctly and is very easy to use. I also like the effect of blending into my wallpaper. That being said, I don’t like using programs that limit the type of wallpaper I can use with them. Having to stick to dark wallpaper whenever this program is active can be annoying. Overall, I believe you can find a better system display programs out there, but for the small file size, and the fact that no installation is required, you may want to give this one a shot and see if it works for you.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: 1.20

Supported OS: Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7

Download size: 235KB

VirusTotal malware scan results: 0/44

Is it portable?

Desktop Info homepage