Windows Start Menu TIPs

The Start menu is actually a Folder within the Windows folder. All menu items are simply "shortcuts" saved within this folder. A "shortcut" in Windows is a special kind of file, that contains "directions" to where to find a program, but not the program itself.

   To manage the Start Menu...
   Click on the Start button
   Goto Settings and then
   Taskbar & Start Menu

           you should now have the
      Taskbar Properties Window displayed,
            as shown below...

The Taskbar Properties Window
provides control of how the start menu looks and allows you to Add programs, Remove programs, and to change where they are displayed.
The first screen, shown right, offers Taskbar Options.
By clicking in one of the white check boxes,
you can...

Check Box	Result
Always on top	Keep the Taskbar displayed at all times
Auto hide	Make more room to display your program by hiding the Taskbar when not in use. Moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen will cause the Taskbar to reappear.
Show small icons in Start menu	Show "small" icons on the Start menu, when checked. This can help to fit large menus on the screen, but you may need your glasses :-)
Show clock	Display or not Display the "clock" on the far right end of the Taskbar.

..........................

Clicking on the "Start Menu Programs" tab
displays the Window shown on the left,
and offers the tools to Add, Remove, and perform Advanced management of your Start menu.

You can also empty the contents of the Documents menu item, using the Clear button at the bottom. The Documents menu is on your Start menu and displays "shortcuts" to your most recently accessed files.

Having this on the Start menu provides a quick way to pick up where you left off, but occasionally you might not want the next user to see a history of your activity,
perhaps the birthday card you were creating?

Using the Clear button does not delete any actual files, only the menu item that provided a shortcut to the file.

The Add and Remove buttons lead you through the process of adding or deleting a program in your Start menu and allow you to "browse" to the desired program.

Clicking the

button will prompt you to enter the location and name of the program to add,
and will offer a Browse button,
which when clicked launches the Windows Explorer
to help you find the program.

Once you find the program you want to add to the menu, double click on its icon, and you're asked to Select a folder to place the new "shortcut" in.
You can also create a new folder, or place it directly on the Start menu. To place this new menu item in an existing folder, click on the desired folder and then click the Next button. The final step will be to type in a name for the new menu item, allowing you to control what is displayed on the menu...
helpful since most program file names are cryptic shorthand.

Clicking the

button
displays a Window like that shown to the right,
prompting you to select the menu item you wish to remove. You can expand any menu folder
by clicking on the

symbol beside it.
This will display the menu items available
in that folder, as shown for the
Communications folder in the example.

Once you've found the item you wish to remove,
Click to highlight it, as I've done with Phone Dialer,
and then click the Remove button.

Using the Remove button does not delete
any actual files, only the menu item that provided a shortcut to the file.

If you would prefer a faster, but less guided,
method to manage your start menu,
click on the Advanced button.

The Start menu is actually a Folder within the Windows folder, and all your menu items are shortcuts. A shortcut in Windows is a special kind of file, that contains only "directions" to where to find a program, but not the program itself.

Clicking the Advanced button will launch the Windows Explorer, with the Start menu folder already opened.
Here you can drag and drop to move shortcuts,
Right click and add to create new shortcuts,
or Highlight and delete to remove.

and more TIPs, GUIDEs, INFO & FUN...