I have an old laptop which does not have a Windows key, and while
CTRL-ESC works, I would prefer to use a different keyboard shortcut.
Is there any way to assign a keyboard shortcut to the WinXP Start menu?
No. It's fixed and can't be reassigned to a different shortcut.
As a workaround, you can add a new shortcut that simulate the CTRL-ESC or
WINDOWS key strokes using the built-in VBScript. Use below VBS file:
***start of StartMenu.vbs file (don't include this line)***
set obj = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
obj.SendKeys("^{ESC}")
***end of StartMenu.vbs file (don't include this line)***
Create a shortcut file for the above VBS file using below command line:
Place the VBS shortcut into the Start Menu or Desktop. Finally, assign the
shortcut you want for the VBS shortcut (e.g.: CTRL-ALT-INSERT). Do this only
after the VBS shortcut is already in the Start Menu or Desktop.
With above method, when the keyboard shortcut to the VBS shortcut is
pressed, there will be a delay since Windows has to execute the VBS file to
simulate the CTRL-ESC keystroke. The usable keys you can assign to a
shortcut file is also limited.
Alternatively, you can use AutoHotkey third party program to simulate the
CTRL-ESC key stroke. The program is also scripting oriented, but with
slightly different scripting language. There'll be no delay, but the
AutoHotkey program will need to be run and active at all time.
