My desktop is a mess. I like downloading files right to the desktop so I can find them without digging through folders. If I took the time to move them into a folder after I finished testing new files, I might have a clean desktop. But, you guessed it, I don't take the time.

Thanks to Chad from Phelan, California, for recommending Simply Transparent. This free download keeps your icons from getting in the way of your desktop wallpaper.

Good things about Simply Transparent

• Makes that annoying bar of color behind the text below your icons transparent.
• Changes the color of the text below your icons.
• Gets rid of the text altogether and lets you just use your icons.
• Makes your desktop icons disappear and then reappear when you move your mouse on the desktop.

You can customize all these features, or pick and choose only the ones you want.

Not so good things about Simply Transparent
If you don't like extra icons in your system tray, this may not be the program for you. Simply Transparent sits in your system tray. You can remove it by right-clicking and choosing Exit, but when you do, all the features you've changed will revert to their original state.

In my opinion, that's a strange feature for a program that's intended to keep your desktop clean.

Also, if you're using Windows NT or 2000, Simply Transparent can suck up CPU cycles.

How much does it cost?

Simply Transparent is free, but the author, Jonathan Grimes, says he would certainly appreciate support.

Download Simply Transparent

Up next: Keep the spyware out of Windows XP