Cleaning up the Start/All Programs mess

[Bob Newman]

I am trying to organize the mess when I click the Start menu, then All
Programs. I have several folders made there, i.e.: Utilities, Multimedia,
Communications, etc.. Many programs have put their crap all over the place
and I would like to straighten it out. In Explorer when I go under my user
name (the only one on the computer)/Start Menu I see a few of the basic
items but about 85% of them are not listed. When I go to All Users/Start
Menu (which is where I figure the rest should be) I get an error message
that says "access denied".

Help please.

 

[Charlie42]

I am trying to organize the mess when I click the Start menu, then All
Programs. I have several folders made there, i.e.: Utilities, Multimedia,
Communications, etc.. Many programs have put their crap all over the place
and I would like to straighten it out. In Explorer when I go under my user
name (the only one on the computer)/Start Menu I see a few of the basic
items but about 85% of them are not listed. When I go to All Users/Start
Menu (which is where I figure the rest should be) I get an error message
that says "access denied".

You need to run as administrator in order to change the contents of the All
Users Start Menu folder.

Charlie42

 

[BDole]

Turn off UAC!!!
Gawd....I can't believe how much trouble/confusion UAC causes!

 

[Cameron Snyder]

You could right-click the item on the start menu, or click and drag from
there too. You don't have to go to start folder.

 

[Bob Newman]

Thank you. Your answer made the most sense. Can I create a subfolder in
the Programs menu in a similar fashion?

Thanks again... Bob

 

[Cameron Snyder]

For that level of manipulation (why??) it would be best to go the folder.

I assume you are on an upgraded Vista from XP, because the items you were
clicking on and getting the access error are old XP constructs. They
actually point to nowhere. You could have God permissions and it wouldn't
help you.

And why were you looking there for the start menu? You'll find your start
menu at c:\programdata\Microsoft\windows\start menu. You see, your problem
had nothing to do with UAC. If you had "hide System files" enabled in your
folder options, as you should have, they would not have been there to tease
you, begging to be messed with . So many posting here have screwed up their
systems assuming that because they knew XP they know Vista.