I realize that by hovering your mouse on the far right of the taskbar without a click shows you the desktop. Can anyone explain to me what its usefulness is?

It allows you to look at any open program or the desktop. This is useful to check widgets or a quick 'peek' at anything else you are running. Want to check the sport scores but still want to see most of the movie you are watching, mouse over IE and look...

Like Whalertly said it lets you see the desktop, and clicking on the box, itacts the same way as the show desktop button in earlier versions of Windows.

I don't see any open programs when I hover, I just see the aero outline of what was there before hovering. I guess there is some usefulness as you can quickly see the gadgets.

explain this in more detail pleaseyou should see the programs in a preview mode, the little box, and that will be changing based on what they are doing... If it is the same program (say multiple versions of IE or FF) then you can actually fullpreview one by going over it (moves to that in front as a preview)

Hi stuigiThe button is called the Show Desktop button.If you click the button, this minimizes all open windows and you are left with the Desktop.What you are describing is the Desktop Peek feature that allows to see the Desktop, when you hover the cursor over the button.When you use this, if a window is maximized it will disappear, briefly. If a window is not maximized, it will simply turn transparent and you will still be able to see the outline of that window.Hope this helps. Ronnie Vernon MVP

Hi Whalertly You are describing a different feature from the one being discussed here. What you are describing is the Taskbar Peek. Ronnie Vernon MVP

And if the pee does not work? When I hover, it does nothing. Click and and it shows desktopAnd I do have the box checked to use desktop preview

Hey daveycrowder: I have the same problems. Maybe we have a bug?????