Using and Modifying the Start Menu

The Start menu is a list of options that is your central link to all the programs installed on your computer, as well as to all the tasks you can carry out with Windows Vista. You open the Start menu by clicking the Start button at the left end of the taskbar, or by pressing the Windows logo key found to the left of the Spacebar on most keyboards. The menu looks similar to the Microsoft Windows XP version, but its functionality has been streamlined.

You can quickly access your favorite programs by inserting shortcuts to them in a special area at the top of the left side of the Start menu called the pinned programs area. Links to your default Web browser and e-mail program are pinned here by default. You can rearrange pinned programs by dragging them into whatever order you want.

Below the first horizontal line (the menu separator) on the left side of the Start menu are links to the last nine programs you started. (You can adjust that number, or remove the list entirely.) When you first start Windows Vista, this recently opened programs list displays links to some of the programs that come with Windows Vista, including Windows Media Player, Windows Photo Gallery, and Windows Meeting Space, as well as links to a Web site from which you can download Windows Live Messenger (the replacement for Windows Messenger and MSN Messenger) and to other programs, depending on the edition of Windows Vista running on your computer.

Below the recently opened programs list, the All Programs link provides access to a list of most of the programs installed on your computer. You display the list by clicking or pointing to All Programs. You can find and start almost any installed program from this list. (Most program setup utilities put a link to the program on the Start menu.)

The right side of the Start menu is divided by menu separators into three sections:

• The top section displays your user account picture and a link to your personal folder, as well as links to the folders where you are most likely to store your files.

• The middle section displays links to the Search Results window; to the 15 files you most recently opened; to a window that displays the contents of your computer; to a window that displays the computers, programs, folders, and files you can access on your network; and if you have created network connections, to those connections.

• The bottom section displays links to Control Panel, from which you can access all the Windows Vista settings; to the default settings for opening various types of files and media; and to Windows Help And Support, where you can find a variety of information and troubleshooting resources.

At the bottom of the Start menu are the Start Search box and the commands you use to log off from or shut down your computer.

You can customize the Start menu and change the way things work. For example, you can:

• Display or hide lists of recently used programs and files, and control the number of programs (up to 30, depending on your screen resolution) shown.

• Display or hide links to the Computer, Control Panel, and Games windows, as well as to your Documents, Favorites, Personal, and Pictures folders. By default, clicking a link displays the contents of the item in the associated window or folder. Alternatively, you can display its contents as a menu from which you can make a choice. (This can be more efficient than clicking items within windows.)

• Display or hide the Administrative Tools and Favorites menus.

• Display or hide links to the Connect To, Default Programs, Help, Network, Printers, and Search windows. These links aren't available as menus because they don't contain other groups or folders.

• Control the items and areas available for the Search function.

• Change the size of the icons that appear on the Start menu, activate the display of context menus when you right-click a Start menu item, rearrange Start menu items by dragging them, highlight newly installed programs, open submenus by pointing to them rather than clicking, and arrange the All Programs list in alphabetical order.

In this exercise, you will hide and redisplay the recently opened programs list and change the number of programs it shows. Then you will start a program from the Start menu. You will also add shortcuts to the pinned programs area, rearrange them, and remove them. There are no practice files for this exercise.

1.	Click the Start button to display the Start menu, and note the programs that appear in the recently opened programs list. Start Tip If your recently opened programs list is empty, you can still follow along with this exercise so that you know how to clear the list later.
2.	Right-click the Start button, and then click Properties. The Taskbar And Start Menu Properties dialog box opens, displaying the Start Menu tab. On this tab, you have the option to change to the Windows Classic Start menu, or to remove lists of recent files and programs from the Start menu.
3.	With the Start menu option selected, click Customize. The Customize Start Menu dialog box opens.
4.	Scroll through the list to view the ways in which you can customize the menu, but don't change any of the default settings at this time.
5.	In the Start menu size area, type or select (by clicking the arrows) 0 to clear the list of recently opened programs. Then click OK.
6.	In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click Apply.
7.	Click the Start button. The recently opened programs list is empty, and the horizontal line separating it from the pinned programs area is no longer visible.
8.	With the Start menu open, click the Start button to close the menu and return to the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box. Then click Customize.
9.	In the Start menu size area, type or select 6 and then click OK.
10.	In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, click OK to put your change into effect and close the dialog box. Then click the Start button. Six programs appear in the recently used programs list. Note that removing the list did not clear its contents; it only hid them.
11.	On the Start menu, click All Programs. The All Programs list appears in the left pane of the Start menu, displaying your currently installed programs. [View full size image] Programs you have recently installed might be highlighted.
12.	In the All Programs list, click the Accessories folder. The folder expands, pushing items at the top and bottom of the list out of view. All the programs in this folder come with Windows Vista. [View full size image] You can still access the hidden parts of the All Programs list by using the scroll bar on the right. See Also For information about scrolling, see "Information for New Computer Users" at the beginning of this book.
13.	At the top of the Accessories list, click Calculator. The Start menu closes, the Calculator program starts and displays a representation of a calculator on the screen, and a Calculator button appears on the taskbar.
14.	Display the Start menu, and then on the right side, click Games. Troubleshooting In certain editions of Windows Vista, the Games link on the Start menu and the contents of the Games folder do not appear by default. You can complete this exercise by substituting any other window. If you want to add the Games link, follow Steps 2 and 3 of this exercise, and in the Customize Start Menu dialog box, under Games, click the Display As A Link option, and then click OK. To populate the Games folder, see "Turning Windows Features On and Off" in Chapter 11, "Optimizing Your Computer System." When you point to Games, the icon at the top of the Start menu changes from your user account picture to a representation of a deck of cards. Then the Games window opens on top of the Calculator, and a Games button appears on the taskbar. The Games taskbar button appears pressed to indicate that it is the active window. See Also For information about the performance ratings shown on the right side of the Games window, see "Improving Your Computer's Performance" in Chapter 11, "Optimizing Your Computer System." [View full size image]
15.	In the Games window, right-click Solitaire, and then click Pin to Start Menu.
16.	Display the Start menu. The pinned programs area now includes a link to the Solitaire game.
17.	On the Start menu, drag Calculator from the recently opened programs list to the pinned programs area, and drop it above Solitaire. Tip You can also pin programs to the Start menu by dragging them from the All Programs list. You can delete a link from the pinned programs area by right-clicking the link and then clicking Remove From This List. While you are dragging the link, a thick black line indicates where it will appear if you release the mouse button.
18.	In the pinned programs area, right-click Calculator, and then click Unpin from Start Menu to return Calculator to the recently opened programs list.
19.	In the pinned programs area, right-click Solitaire, and click Unpin from Start Menu. The Solitaire link disappears from the pinned programs area and (because it was never on the recently opened programs list) from the Start menu.
20.	Click away from the Start menu to close it.
21.	On the Windows taskbar, click the Games taskbar button to minimize the Games window, and then click the Calculator taskbar button to minimize the Calculator. You will learn more about windows and taskbar buttons later in this chapter.