Adjusting the All Programs Menu

[W. Watson]

Over the years, many programs have been added to the All Programs menu. They
have gotten out of alphabetic order, and in some cases the alphabetization
has begun again. ABCD ABC ABCDE AB. Is there a simple way to re-organize
them in alpha order? Is it possible to group some items under a new label?
For example, DVD Tools, as in All Programs->DVD-Tools where the last allows
me to choose from Audacity, DVDFabDecrypter, Nero, and other similar
programs now spread through the main itemsn. I'm aware of the drag-drop
facility, but not much else for moving items around.

Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet
--
"This spring I knew we had a good bunch of players. When
they won the American League title they became a team."
-- Jim Leyland, Detroit Tiger manager, 2006.

Web Page: <home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews>

 

[Tom Porterfield]

Over the years, many programs have been added to the All Programs menu.
They have gotten out of alphabetic order, and in some cases the
alphabetization has begun again. ABCD ABC ABCDE AB. Is there a simple way
to re-organize them in alpha order? Is it possible to group some items
under a new label? For example, DVD Tools, as in All Programs->DVD-Tools
where the last allows me to choose from Audacity, DVDFabDecrypter, Nero,
and other similar programs now spread through the main itemsn. I'm aware
of the drag-drop facility, but not much else for moving items around.

To get them back in alpha order click Start->All Programs and then right
click on an area of the start menu and select Sort by Name.

To reorganize into sub-folders right click on the Start button and select
Open or Explore. Go into the Programs folder and create your own folders
and move items into them as you desire. Note that many programs install
themselves to the "All Users" section which can be accessed by right
clicking on the Start button and selecting Open All Users or Explore All
Users.

 

[W. Watson]

To get them back in alpha order click Start->All Programs and then right
click on an area of the start menu and select Sort by Name.

To reorganize into sub-folders right click on the Start button and
select Open or Explore. Go into the Programs folder and create your own
folders and move items into them as you desire. Note that many programs
install themselves to the "All Users" section which can be accessed by
right clicking on the Start button and selecting Open All Users or
Explore All Users.

Thanks. I had no trouble getting the list (frequently used) into alpha
order. All the menu items associated with folders are first, then followed
by pgms. Accessories and Adware SE Personal are the first two folders.
Folders are in alpha order, followed by pgms in alpha order.

This order seems wrong to me. The All Programs list order is:

Accessories
Adware SE
Admin Tools
ASCOM Tools
....
I cannot descend into Adware SE, nor does a Search find it. It seems like
the four items above should be nested inside one another as folders.

When I tried to use Explore with All Programs, I couldn't descend into the
list very well. For example, if I click on Start, then right click on All
Programs, then Explore, I get a folder with Programs, FocusMax(pgm) and
Winzip (pgm). However, on the menu, the order is Accessories, Adware, ...
There is no Adware in the folder mentioned above. If I try to descend into
the Programs folder, I get nowhere fast. The Accessories, Start Up folders
and Admin Tools are under the Programs folder, along with two other folders
and Internet Explorer with a few other programs.



Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet
--
"This spring I knew we had a good bunch of players. When
they won the American League title they became a team."
-- Jim Leyland, Detroit Tiger manager, 2006.

Web Page: <home.earthlink.net/~mtnviews>

 

[alanglloyd]

The Start Menu contents and arrangement mirror the folder & file
contents in ...

<root drive>\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu

...and ...

<root drive>\Documents and Settings\<username>\Start Menu

Actual names replace the idents in angle brackets above. The display
menu items are a conjoin of the above Start Menu folders. Same-name
folder contents are also conjoined within the Start Menu folders

Empty folders & non-program files seem to be ignored. I'm not sure how
the sorting is maintained, it may be by sorting the disk file directory
entries.

Alan Lloyd

 

[Tom Porterfield]

When I tried to use Explore with All Programs, I couldn't descend into the
list very well. For example, if I click on Start, then right click on All
Programs, then Explore, I get a folder with Programs, FocusMax(pgm) and
Winzip (pgm).

You want to choose "Explorer all users" when you right click on All
Programs. If that option is not on the right click menu for you, that
means you are not an administrator on the machine.

 

[W. Watson]

You want to choose "Explorer all users" when you right click on All
Programs. If that option is not on the right click menu for you, that
means you are not an administrator on the machine.

Finally got back to this. The trouble now is that the menu shows one order
and the Exporer (all users) shows another. For example. I sorted and got all
menu items with submenus first and in alpha order. Next are the single
programs. I then moved some menu/submenus to the end of the programs. I then
moved on the start menu a single program, Audacity, to the end of the
single program list. If I go into explorer, everthing is in alpha order, but
certainly the start list is not.
It sort of looks like this:
Accessories >
Ad-Ware >
....
WS_FTP >
(Audacity ... started here, moved down)
Adobe Photoshop
....
Window Messenger
Audacity
DVD Shrink >
....
DVD Tools > (empty now)


Somewhere along the line I created a menu/submenu entry (DVD Tools) as
above. Each time I try to drag another menu/submenu item under it, it
refuses to accept it. Same with trying to drag a simple program to it, for
example, Audacity.

Maybe this is the limit of what a user can do at the Explorer level.

Wayne T. Watson (Watson Adventures, Prop., Nevada City, CA)
(121.015 Deg. W, 39.262 Deg. N) GMT-8 hr std. time)
Obz Site: 39° 15' 7" N, 121° 2' 32" W, 2700 feet

 

[NewScience]

The Start Menu and all submenus are maintained with a bit-map in the
registry. After you sorted, then re-arranged, the snapshot is contained for
the final menu order.

Windows Explorer does not use this menu-order array. It is based on how you
set up the Windows Explorer View for each folder. That, in turn, is
contained in another bit-map in the registry.

Depending on the permissions for what you are dragging/dropping, you may not
be able to move items from one area to another, e.g., All Users/Start
Menu/Programs to [USERNAME]/Start Menu/Programs and vice-versa. That is in
essence what you are trying to do.

You may try opening Windows Explorer, C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Start Menu\Programs and cut/paste items to where you want them (or
C:\Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\Start Menu\Programs).

 

[W. Watson]

Thanks. I'll try the last approach you mentioned. Messing with the registery
isn't my idea of fun.

The Start Menu and all submenus are maintained with a bit-map in the
registry. After you sorted, then re-arranged, the snapshot is contained for
the final menu order.

Windows Explorer does not use this menu-order array. It is based on how you
set up the Windows Explorer View for each folder. That, in turn, is
contained in another bit-map in the registry.

Depending on the permissions for what you are dragging/dropping, you may not
be able to move items from one area to another, e.g., All Users/Start
Menu/Programs to [USERNAME]/Start Menu/Programs and vice-versa. That is in
essence what you are trying to do.

You may try opening Windows Explorer, C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Start Menu\Programs and cut/paste items to where you want them (or
C:\Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\Start Menu\Programs).

Tom Porterfield wrote:


the

All


Finally got back to this. The trouble now is that the menu shows one order
and the Exporer (all users) shows another. For example. I sorted and got
all

menu items with submenus first and in alpha order. Next are the single
programs. I then moved some menu/submenus to the end of the programs. I
then

moved on the start menu a single program, Audacity, to the end of the
single program list. If I go into explorer, everthing is in alpha order,
but

certainly the start list is not.
It sort of looks like this:
Accessories >
Ad-Ware >
...
WS_FTP >
(Audacity ... started here, moved down)
Adobe Photoshop
...
Window Messenger
Audacity
DVD Shrink >
...
DVD Tools > (empty now)


Somewhere along the line I created a menu/submenu entry (DVD Tools) as
above. Each time I try to drag another menu/submenu item under it, it
refuses to accept it. Same with trying to drag a simple program to it, for
example, Audacity.

Maybe this is the limit of what a user can do at the Explorer level.