Deskbands

Note: Deskbands are no longer recommended for Windows 7. Use a taskbar button with a thumbnail toolbar instead. Your program may support both mechanisms for backward compatibility.

Display deskbands only if users opt in. Offer to show deskbands in your program's setup and properties, but the option must be turned off by default.
Keep deskbands compact and simple. Don't include any features directly on deskband windows that aren't accessed by most users in most scenarios. However, you can use menus to access less commonly used features.
Don't display programs in the taskbar that minimize to deskbands. Minimize to a taskbar button or a deskband, but not both.
Make sure that deskbands use screen space efficiently in both horizontal and vertical orientations. Doing so usually requires having orientation-specific layouts.