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Customize your Start menu

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The Start menu is the doorway to most of the programs on your computer. Taking some time to customize it to match your needs can be a good investment. Me? I was getting tired of searching through the list of programs on the Start menu. It always seemed to take too long to find the one I wanted. So, I figured out a way to alphabetize the programs in the list. In addition to saving me time, I no longer dread having to look through a long list. Anyway, I did a little research, and came up with these tips to customize your Start menu—including how to alphabetize the list of programs.

Keep your favorite programs near the top of the Start menu

Do you have a favorite program that you frequently use? Elevate its priority on the Start menu by putting it at the top of the list. This ensures that the program will remain on the Start menu and cannot be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently.

Right-click the link to your favorite program on the Start menu and click Pin to Start Menu. Your program will be moved permanently to the top part of the list, just below your browser and e-mail programs.

Alphabetize programs in your Start menu

If you're like me, you'd like all the programs in the Start menu alphabetized. Also, you may have found that opening the All Programs menu as a folder and rearranging the icons changes nothing on the menu.

To arrange programs by name

  1. Click Start, click All Programs, and then right-click on any folder or icon.
  2. Click Sort by Name.

That's it. Works like magic. Enjoy your refreshingly organized Start menu.

Speed up Menu Display

  1. Click Start, click Control Panel, and click System.
  2. Click the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click the Settings button.
  3. Clear the Fade or slide menus into view check box, and then click OK.

Now when you bring up a collapsed menu, it will expand without delay.

Change the Start menu style

Does the Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

  1. Right–click the Start button, and then click Properties.
  2. Click Classic Start menu.
  3. Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop.

—Jason Kozleski

Comments

  • Anonymous
    February 23, 2006
    My boss recently talked me into using the "Pin to Start Menu" option instead of having a zillion icons on my desktop. I couldn't be happier. I actually don't have any icons on my desktop anymore (except for the Recycle Bin which I can't seem to get rid of).I would recommend it to everyone. It gives me much faster access to applications than desktop icons and my desktop is sparking clean!

  • Anonymous
    March 05, 2006
    I want to know how to customize my Boot Start menu..there are a lot of things that open when I turn the computer on..Running Windows XP Home Edition

  • Anonymous
    March 15, 2006
    At last some explanation regarding the utilization of this.I have wondered since I got this computer how if it is possible to manipulate this section to my advantage.There never to me was any way to do this intuitively.What took so long?

  • Anonymous
    March 15, 2006
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    March 15, 2006
    Excellent! Also please tell me how I can get rid of certain screens that pop up while my conputer is starting up -- like a "Tray Ap" that keeps trying to install a program I no longer have or use and I no longer have the disks which Tray Ap asks me to insert. I can't find this (photo) program in my list of "Add or Remove Programs". Thanks, Dr. O.

  • Anonymous
    March 17, 2006
    Thanks for these tips. I had forgotten how to customize my start menu, etc. This blog refreshed my memory (taught me how to do it again). Your page was clear and to the point.

    WWM

  • Anonymous
    April 19, 2006
    I didn't know alphabetizing my "All Programs" list was that simple. Thanks for the tip.

  • Anonymous
    April 25, 2006
    Thank you for that, but how do I remove unwanted programs from loading every time I turn my computer on?

  • Anonymous
    April 25, 2006
    I found this tip very useful. "Repetitio est mater studiorum!". It is good to repeat some simple things from time to time. Instruction is very clear!

  • Anonymous
    April 25, 2006
    Fine - but the Sort By Name function seldom works properly: it sorts a few entries, but not all of them (five years using XP tells me this).You usually need to drag some of the entries to get them alphabetically sorted.

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    nice tip page.  How can I fix something... when I right-click anywhere on the ALL PROGRAMS list, the right-click-menu displays and disappears so fast I cannot see anything on the menu, let alone employ an option like SORT BY NAME.

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    Interesting. But speed up menu display changed my desktop button colors. These needed to be reteset

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    DO NOT TRY THIS WITH IE7 BETA 2. I did and had to do a system restore to get my interface back as well as connectivity of outlook to my ISP.

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    Very helpfull. My question is hown can I see whats runing in the "background". Programs that are slowing down my computers responce time, that I could eliminate.

    Thank You

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    Great refresher.  I always wanted to list programs alphabetically.   I did it manually before.  However, there is one opps.  Windows will sort alphabetically first the items with sub menues and then behind them the items that open from the start menue.  You can therefore, get two alphabetical listings.  

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    I am one of those who read "COMPUTER KNOW HOW FOR DUMMIES, XP FOR DUMMIES" and so on.  Your little blog just opened a door for me and I hope that it works as you say.  I will try what you say and see for myself.  Thank you.

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    Basically very informative. Except that it should point out that alphabetizing the programs in "All Programs" puts them into two groups: shortcuts to program folders and shortcuts to programs that are not in folders.

  • Anonymous
    April 26, 2006
    Nice tips. You could have included organizing the 'all programs' menu as that list gets HUGE and slow  sometimes.
    Right clicking the 'all programs' list or icon list and choosing "open" will get you to
    C:Docume~1<username>Start MenuPrograms
    or to:
    C:Docume~1 Settings<username>Start

    where you can create folders like Internet, Tools, Security, Audio etc and move your program shortcuts there. Doing this will greatly enhance the preformance of the start menu.

    Note: Norton Antivirus cannot be moved from this list as it behaves badly.

  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2006
    Thanks for these tips. I had forgotten how to customize my start menu, etc. This blog refreshed my memory (taught me how to do it again). Your page was clear and to the point.

  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2006
    How do you delete items on the start menu?

  • Anonymous
    April 27, 2006
    I am fairly computer literate, but thanks to your info, I have learned to smoothly use my computer. Thanks.

  • Anonymous
    April 28, 2006
    THESE SIMPLE SUGGESTIONS ARE NEEDED ON A REGULAR BASIC AS WE ALL FORGET SOME OF THE ITMES THAT MAKE THE USE OF THE COMPUTER PERSONAL AND FUN. THANKS RGG

  • Anonymous
    April 29, 2006
    it help me out a lot i didnt know any of this it was great.

  • Anonymous
    April 30, 2006
    can you remove the trash can from your desktop?

  • Anonymous
    April 30, 2006
    That's pretty neat, the Sort By Name thing. I have used a computer forever and I never even knew that was there. Thanks for the tip. I just never really right-click on objects in my Start Menu. I used to have to organize everything by hand.

  • Anonymous
    May 01, 2006
    Thank you very much.

    I have been trying to put my "All Programs" list in alpha order, but did not know how.

  • Anonymous
    May 01, 2006
    Thank you ,Thank you . I am a senior and new at this. I did not have a clue.Please keep up this informative work. I will watch for more helpful information.

  • Anonymous
    May 03, 2006
    I'm running xp SP2. I don't show " Pin to Start Menu " in my drop down to move a program.

  • Anonymous
    May 07, 2006
    Okay, to find out how many programs are running in the background, there is a very small program (not even 1 MB) called Startup, available from www.mlin.net, and it can tell you what is happening in the background and at startup, and gives you simple checkboxes to decide what you want and don't want. These programs can lag your computer during startup, and having a limit on those programs can greatly improve the startup time of your PC, especially older models. Another little program from www.mlin.net is StartupMonitor, which alerts you if a program has installed itself into the startup registry of your computer. It's less than 100 KB. Try it! And, it's FREE. There's no user interface, just a Stop StarupMonitor button. That's it. Idiot-proof.

  • Anonymous
    May 19, 2006
    It works OK for programs in the start menu. But for executables in an ordinary folder I can't set the initial directory for it ! How do I set the initial directory for these executables ?

  • Anonymous
    May 24, 2006
    Hi,

    Nothing happen when I do a right click on the Start Menu. Do you know what I should do to get it back to normal? I have Windows XP SP2.

    Regards

  • Anonymous
    August 10, 2006
    Thanks for the nice refrshment on the start menu.But there is an issue i do want addressed,that is on how to make the start menu to disply your name instard of the word start.

  • Anonymous
    September 04, 2006
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    September 29, 2006
    Hey thanks!! I had the same problem with the right-click disabled. You made my day! =)

  • Anonymous
    November 08, 2006
    I saw a few requests for instructions on removing the Recycle Bin/Trash Can from the desktop.  Unfortunately, it's not a real straight-forward process.  Be careful, but here is a link to the instructions: http://www.petri.co.il/delete_recycle_bin_icon_from_the_desktop_in_xp_2003.htm

  • Anonymous
    November 08, 2006
    I also, want to know how to customize my Boot Start menu..there are a lot of things that open when I turn the computer on..Running Windows XP Home Edition. There was no link to tell me the best way to accomplish this?

  • Anonymous
    November 12, 2006
    It is easier to hide the icons on the desktop, which will hide the recycle bin. Just right-click in a blank area of the screen, select Arrange Icons By > , select Hide Desktop Items. Easy to unhide.

  • Anonymous
    December 04, 2006
    We got a lot of feedback on the Customize your Start menu entry. Making your PC as personal—and it is

  • Anonymous
    July 14, 2008
    Remember Windows for workgroups and the nice way of placing icons into groups and the ability to display only those groups you needed. How do you do this in windowsXP ? I see there is a function called 'show in groups', mines greyed out and there seems to be no way of using it.

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