Tweetdeck on Windows 7 Beta – it Works!

Just a quick note and a shout out for Tweetdeck and the crimageeator of Tweetdeck Iain Dodsworth. He took the time to respond to my  inquiry in a very timely manner and offered helpful suggestions that got Tweetdeck running on Windows 7 Beta. I’m his newest and biggest fan. Thanks Iain!

What Happened? I just loaded Win7 yesterday and as I went through the process of reloading all of my productivity appimages ---  of which Tweetdeck plays a central role – I found some odd behavior in the way Tweetdeck loaded. Or rather once it was loaded and minimized it did not seem to want to come back onto the screen. After a little testing I found that the “hover over” option that works with other apps did not work with Tweetdeck.

For more information on Tweetdeck I recommend just trying it. Download it here Tweetdeck or click on the icon.

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Look for the this icon on the website.

Clicking on it will load Adobe Air and Tweetdeck together. Very slick.



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I’m pretty sure this is not a Tweetdeck issue. My guess is that this is an Adobe Air issue and the way it interoperates with Windows 7. Since Windows 7 is still in beta there are bound to be a few kinks. I’m not pointing the finger at Microsoft, Adobe or Tweetdeck. However, since I was unlikely to get an answer from the first two I thought I’d drop a note to Tweetdeck --- the Tweetdeck contact info is easily found on the website. I asked if they had seen any issues with Win 7 and if they knew of any workarounds. Almost right away I received an e-mail back from Iain with a few suggestions. I tried them and figured out that there are ways to get Tweetdeck working with Win7. Yeehaw!

A few tips for using Tweetdeck with Windows 7 Beta

  • “Hover Over” does NOT work - On the main bar (I think the are calling it the Super Bar) you typically can hover the cursor over the icon to see the apps above (I know, I know --- this has been in Macs for years). This feature does now work on the Tweetdeck icon in Win7. Also, this does allow you to click to re-open Tweetdeck.
  • Task Bar – On the right side of the screenshot is the Task Bar most Windows users are familiar with. Look for a Tweetdeck icon next to this or click on the up arrow and select the Tweetdeck icon and Voila you are in business.

Below is a Windows 7 Beta screenshot. It’s not pretty (sorry). In the middle of the screen between the Firefox logo and the MS Messenger logo is a circled icon in red – this is the Tweetdeck icon – Hover Over does NOT work. On the right is the usual Task Bar. The Task Bar is the way to re-open Tweetdeck.

Win7 Toolbar

That the “Hover Over” does not work yet is not a big deal to me. I’m sure subsequent releases will correct this. I’m just happy the Task Bar works and allows me to keep my using Tweetdeck.

Want to become a RAVING FAN?

Try Tweetdeck and you just might become one. You can follow Iain on Twitter @iaindodsworth and you can follow @tweetdeck too. I’m a RAVING FAN on Tweetdeck. Are you?

Thanks for listening. If you have tips to share please post a comment or drop me a line. Good Tweeting!

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Comments

Anonymous said…
This seems to be a common issue among all apps that minimize to the status bar. I noted the same issue with Skype, Pidgin and Itunes. I think the issue is with hidden as opposed to minimized windows. It happens with Outlook as well if the window is hidden. The easiest workarround is not to minimize the windows but I keep forgetting that myself. I haven't looked into the issue but microsoft might have a suggested fix...
Anonymous said…
Jeff, I've been using TweetDeck v0.21b on 64bit Windows 7 beta for a couple of weeks now and the the thumbnail displays just fine when I hover my mouse over the app icon in the new larger task bar. It also displays the app in full-screen when I hover over the preview thumbnail. Maybe you've got a config problem with Aero or another display property?
Martin Fowmes said…
Hi Jeff, Thanks for the pointer on the taskbar. Now I know that I can use Tweetdeck on Win 7. And btw I love Win 7... Thanks again.
Jeff Shuey said…
I'm glad Martin found this --- so many weeks after i wrote it. Boo Yah! The persistence of blog posts is all goodness.
I'm seeing an issue where the Tweetdeck window stays minimised all the time under Windows 7 RC (build 7100). Restarting Tweetdeck does not force it to appear, it seems to be permanently minimised. Anyone know of a fix for this?
Anonymous said…
I can't even get Tweetdeck to install on Windows 7. Every time I try it just says it can't be installed because the air file is damaged. I'm stuck with Twhirl until I can get it fixed.
Jeff Shuey said…
To the comment yesterday about Tweetdeck not working with Win 7. I would re-download the file and try again. Also, try deleting the Adobe Air installation. With the new file it will re-install.

I have Tweetdeck running on (2) Win 7 machines and it works great.
I also use Tweetdeck everyday I update my twitter account.