There's a spiffy new desktop bar from JRiver that gives you quick access to your music (and lots of other useful stuff) at any time.
The latest version of the JRiver Deskbar can be downloaded here:
http://www.musicex.com/mediacenter/mc_data/tmp/JRDeskBar.mjpUpdate 3 Changes / Improvements:1. NEW: Added auto-complete system that allows typing any part of any command so you don't need to learn shortcuts. (see documentation below)
2. Fixed: System could beep when pressing enter in the box.
3. Fixed: Calculator could show too many 0's on non-US locales. (i.e. 1+1=2,00000)
4. NEW: Added Rate Playing command for rating the currently playing song in MC.
5. NEW: Added Reshuffle command.
Installation:1) Ensure that you have MC 10.0.134 or later installed.
2) Disable the JRiver Deskbar if you've previously installed it, then restart your computer.
3) Install the above component (right-click > Save As > then run the downloaded mjp)
4) Right-click on taskbar / start menu area and choose Toolbars > JRiver DeskBar (some computers may require a few clicks or a restart for this to show up)
5) Turn off the system clock to save space since the JRiver bar doubles as a clock
6) Use it (right-click on the bar to see commands -- note that you can also just type the commands once you learn them)
Uninstallation:1) Turn off the toolbar like when you turned it on.
2) Optionally unregister JRDeskBar.dll in the MC directory with regsvr32.exe /u C:\Program Files\J River\Media Center\JRDeskBar.dll then delete JRDeskBar.dll.
3) Restart computer
Enjoy
DISCLAIMER: This component is a beta. It may not work. It may not be available at a later date. It may not remain free. It may not be included with MC 10. Use it at your own risk. Copyright (C) 2004 JRiver, Inc. All rights reserved.