How reduce number items listed 'start menu'

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

Every miniscule freeware program I add to my disk automatically augments the
start menu. Even when a program offers the choice omission from that
over-populated morass, I am reluctant, because nowhere can I find
documentation on how to initiate a program "off menu."

If I right click on a start menu shortcut to a program or a directory (NOT
the *pinned* items, they're under control), and delete the aliases of
programs and directories, a) how do I start the unlisted programs; is
Explorer the only way, or is even Explorer somehow dependent on the Massive
Menu; and b) how do I get some alternative list of the programs on my
computer.

I can't be the only one. I have a 19 inch lcd screen. What do people with
15-inch crts do when their start menus get too big?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

Create folders in the start menu. Name them appropriately. Stick the
corresponding start menu items in their respective folders. So it would
look something like this:
START>

ALL PROGRAMS>

Photo Editing
Productivity
Multimedia
Games
Business
Internet

And so on. Each of the folders like "Photo Editing" would contain the
various applications associated with photo editing, printing and
manipulation.

You get the idea.

"srdiamond" <srdiamond@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:6652D7A1-50E0-48CD-AC06-3BD15855B1E0@microsoft.com...
> Every miniscule freeware program I add to my disk automatically augments
the
> start menu. Even when a program offers the choice omission from that
> over-populated morass, I am reluctant, because nowhere can I find
> documentation on how to initiate a program "off menu."
>
> If I right click on a start menu shortcut to a program or a directory (NOT
> the *pinned* items, they're under control), and delete the aliases of
> programs and directories, a) how do I start the unlisted programs; is
> Explorer the only way, or is even Explorer somehow dependent on the
Massive
> Menu; and b) how do I get some alternative list of the programs on my
> computer.
>
> I can't be the only one. I have a 19 inch lcd screen. What do people with
> 15-inch crts do when their start menus get too big?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

In news:6652D7A1-50E0-48CD-AC06-3BD15855B1E0@microsoft.com,
srdiamond <srdiamond@discussions.microsoft.com> typed:

> Every miniscule freeware program I add to my disk automatically
> augments the start menu. Even when a program offers the choice
> omission from that over-populated morass, I am reluctant,
> because
> nowhere can I find documentation on how to initiate a program
> "off
> menu."
>
> If I right click on a start menu shortcut to a program or a
> directory
> (NOT the *pinned* items, they're under control), and delete the
> aliases of programs and directories, a) how do I start the
> unlisted
> programs; is Explorer the only way, or is even Explorer somehow
> dependent on the Massive Menu; and b) how do I get some
> alternative
> list of the programs on my computer.
>
> I can't be the only one. I have a 19 inch lcd screen. What do
> people
> with 15-inch crts do when their start menus get too big?



You have many choices for starting programs

1. Directly double-click its exe file

2. Set up a hot-key combination to start it

3. Have a shortcut to it on Start | Programs and double-click
that

4. Have a shortcut to it on the desktop and double-click that

5. Have a shortcut to it on any folder you want and double-click
that

One good choice that works well for many people is the last one
above. For example, create a folder for shortcuts to your small
downloaded programs. Then put a shortcut to that folder on Start
| Programs, instead of the many shortcuts themselves.

You can organize all your shortcuts this way.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

=?Utf-8?B?c3JkaWFtb25k?= <srdiamond@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
news:6652D7A1-50E0-48CD-AC06-3BD15855B1E0@microsoft.com:

> Every miniscule freeware program I add to my disk automatically
> augments the start menu. Even when a program offers the choice
> omission from that over-populated morass, I am reluctant, because
> nowhere can I find documentation on how to initiate a program "off
> menu."
>
> If I right click on a start menu shortcut to a program or a directory
> (NOT the *pinned* items, they're under control), and delete the
> aliases of programs and directories, a) how do I start the unlisted
> programs; is Explorer the only way, or is even Explorer somehow
> dependent on the Massive Menu; and b) how do I get some alternative
> list of the programs on my computer.
>
> I can't be the only one. I have a 19 inch lcd screen. What do people
> with 15-inch crts do when their start menus get too big?

Just as a note, 99% of the time, when an install program asks you if 'you
want to add a shortcut to the startmenu', it really means....

'do you want to add a shortcut to the top of the start menu so it will be
immediately accessible from the start menu without having to navigate
through the programs section of the start menu which is usually un-
organized and a total mess because most people do not ever maintain the
structure of it. a folder in the programs section of the start menu will
still be created though.'

start menu's are one thing that drive me nuts, and a full screen matrix of
icons on the desktop also drives me nuts. i fix pc's all the time for
people, and most of them are like that.

 

[srd]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

These were all helpful answers. I opted to create a hierarchy of
folders. The namesaking feature co-ordinating the display for various
users is really very elegant. On the other hand, I was disappointed
that after reorganizing the unpinned part of the start menu, the pinned
shortcuts no longer worked; Windows, moreover, didn't even ask me if I
wanted to try to re-establish the connection. You would think that
Windows has been around long enough that it would have by now been
imbued with the ability to decontexualize links, at least within its own
domain, as with the start menu. (My term, 'decontexualize links'; I
don't know how programmers refer to this ability.)

Stephen Diamond

Shenan Stanley wrote::

>"c:\documents and settings\your username" and "c:\documents and
>settings\all users" Then "\start menu".

>Create SUB FOLDERS. Move and arrange as you see fit.

>If you create a folder in the All Users\Start Menu with the same name
>as one in the Your Usernam\Start Menu folder, you will only see that
>folder once and all of each of its contents will look to be in the
>same folder on the start menu.

>Anything in the All Users\Start Menu folder will be available to ALL
>users of your computer. Anything in the Your Username\Start Menu
>folder, only YOUR user will see.

 

[Josh]

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics (More info?)

Try downloading microsoft antispyware beta:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/software/default.mspx

When its done downloading open it and on the top right corner select
Advanced Tools.
Select System Explorers
On the left tab select Startup Programs and there will be all the programs
that startup with your computer. You can block or remove the ones you don't
want to startup.

"srdiamond" wrote:

> Every miniscule freeware program I add to my disk automatically augments the
> start menu. Even when a program offers the choice omission from that
> over-populated morass, I am reluctant, because nowhere can I find
> documentation on how to initiate a program "off menu."
>
> If I right click on a start menu shortcut to a program or a directory (NOT
> the *pinned* items, they're under control), and delete the aliases of
> programs and directories, a) how do I start the unlisted programs; is
> Explorer the only way, or is even Explorer somehow dependent on the Massive
> Menu; and b) how do I get some alternative list of the programs on my
> computer.
>
> I can't be the only one. I have a 19 inch lcd screen. What do people with
> 15-inch crts do when their start menus get too big?