Let me start off by saying that this is all perfectly legit. – What’s going on here is this: I’m sure that you’ve all by now heard of Windows 7 desktop widgets, yes? – Well there is, believe it or not, a Windows 7 desktop widget which allows the user to stream the UK Top 40 singles to their computer, courtesy of We7.com .

I’m not proposing to advertise their widget here; so if you’re a Windows 7 user and you want their desktop widget on your desktop then Google is your friend. – I am, however, proposing to create a desktop shortcut, which should work in Windows 7, Vista, and XP; 32 or 64-bit versions, which does, basically, the same job as the widget.

How do we, then, create a desktop shortcut that does what we’ve just discussed, above? – Well the answer is that all streaming media sources to a URL (Uniform Resource Locator.). – And what happens when you click the desktop widget? A stream flows from the relevant URL to your computer… and to the speakers – yes? OK, so in this design I’m doing away with the widget and source the stream from its URL via a desktop-shortcut instead.

So let’s begin the operation to create the desktop shortcut: -

1. Find a clear area of your Windows desktop; somewhere where there isn’t an existing desktop icon that is, and right-click on it.
2. In the menu that appears, mouse-over “New” and click “Shortcut”.
3. The New Shortcut Wizard appears: Enter the following URL in the relevant space, then click “Next”. (I suggest that you copy & paste it.) : -                                                         http://storage.conduit.com/MyStuff/52/e0/52c8ab1e-7081-4ede-ae19-38aed0b42ce0/BrowserFiles/c30b38a5-
4. The next part of the wizard asks you to name your new shortcut. Personally I called it “UK Top 40”, but you can call it anything you want – after all it’s your desktop.
5. …And, having named it, click “Next” again: The wizard vanishes and you’ll see a new shortcut on your desktop.

That was fairly painless, wasn’t it? Now click your new shortcut and enjoy the UK Top 40.