Deleting system folders from Start Menu

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ayric
  • Start date Start date
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Ayric

I am going insane with this, so I promise to build a 12-foot statue of
the person solving my problem.

I just bought a new computer and find myself in tidy-mode. I want to
clean up my start menu and delete some of the folders that are there,
such as Applications and Startup. Attempting to delete results in this
annoyance, "Startup is a Windows system folder and is required for
Windows to run properly. It cannot be deleted".

I can't find the answer anywhere. Some people say it can't be done, but
I refuse to believe that. Everything can be tweaked, I'm sure. Does
anyone know? And if someone knows for absolutely certain that it CANNOT
be done, please tell me why so I can learn to deal with it. ;-)

Thanks in advance!
 
Ayric said:
I am going insane with this, so I promise to build a 12-foot statue of
the person solving my problem.
Click to expand...

What problem?
I just bought a new computer and find myself in tidy-mode. I want to
clean up my start menu and delete some of the folders that are there,
such as Applications and Startup. Attempting to delete results in this
annoyance, "Startup is a Windows system folder and is required for
Windows to run properly. It cannot be deleted".
Click to expand...

Removing that "startup folder" does not make sense because it's a
combination of startup items being located in physically different
startup folders: the current user and all users. These folders are
system folders and therefore no subject to tamper. Startup items may
be disabled in particular via Start > Run: MSCONFIG.
 
"tidy-mode?"

There are several ways for programs to auto-load when you boot or login.
The Startup folder in the Start Menu is one such. (This folder is actually
a compilation of the contents of two Startup folders--the one for your login
and the one in the All Users Start Menu.) It is indeed a required
component. Although it is probably possible to delete it, there may be some
undersireable consequences for doing so. If you right-click on Start and
select Explore, Windows Explorer will open to your Programs folder. You
could try deleting the Startup folder in there and then doing so again after
selecting Explore All Users on the Start context menu. I do not know what
the result of this operation will be, but you would be deleting the actual
file-system objects that feed the Startup folder in the Start Menu. You may
also have to delete the registry key
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\MenuOrder\Start
Menu2\Programs\Startup. Other keys may be involved as well. Do this at
your own risk. It may require a reboot, and it may not be easy to recover
if it hoses your system.

Opus
 
The "Startup" folder is certainly a system folder, and it's not possible to
delete it. However it's possible relocate the "Startup" folder by modifying
the shell folder paths in the registry.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
Windows® XP Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


I am going insane with this, so I promise to build a 12-foot statue of
the person solving my problem.

I just bought a new computer and find myself in tidy-mode. I want to
clean up my start menu and delete some of the folders that are there,
such as Applications and Startup. Attempting to delete results in this
annoyance, "Startup is a Windows system folder and is required for
Windows to run properly. It cannot be deleted".

I can't find the answer anywhere. Some people say it can't be done, but
I refuse to believe that. Everything can be tweaked, I'm sure. Does
anyone know? And if someone knows for absolutely certain that it CANNOT
be done, please tell me why so I can learn to deal with it. ;-)

Thanks in advance!
 
Why did you buy a computer? Tidy mode? Perhaps, "mental mode"
would be more accurate.


Doug
-
 
Here is a very round about way to remove a system folder so it depends
how much you want it gone
I had a duplicate of my Administrative Tools Folder in my start menu
and than it though of this and it work so here it is
First you need truecrypt http://www.truecrypt.org/
Then create a new text file on your desktop
Then you create a standard truecrypt volume
Then you select that new text file you created to create your new
volume
Then you create like a 500KB volume
Then mount the volume and move the folder into it
Then dismount the volume and delete the new text doc
 
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