Start Menu > All Programs items missing

[Matthew Weymar]

Hi,

My Start Menu > All Programs items are missing - except
for those app's which I have installed since whatever
caused this caused it.

Also, my "recently used programs" list seems no longer to
be populating with my most recently used programs.

Also, many of my Desktop icons are "shaded out."
Similarly, when I view C:\Documents and Settings\All
Users\Start Menu\Programs, all of the icons are still
there; they're just shaded out.

It has been suggested that I reinstall (or "repair?")
Windows.

However, 1) we moved recently, and so I am not sure where
our Windows disk *is*, and 2) I am concerned about other,
unintended effects of reinstallation / repair.

Is there some other way to recover, or "re-add" programs
to my Start Menu > All Programs menu?

If reinstalling Windows is the only way to return to
normal behavior, how concerned should I be about other
unintended effects of reinstallation?... (C.f., e.g., KB
article #312368 "Data loss occurs after you reinstall,
repair, or upgrade Windows XP")

Thanks,
Matthew

PS - As for the cause of this, I have seen KB artcile
#286721, but take it that this concerns only the ">" and
not the missing Program items.

In any case, I *have* installed a third party theme for
this user (Windows login - which is the *only* login that
is experiencing this problem(!)), but changing back to
Windows XP theme does not solve the problem. - Would
uninstalling third party theme do it???...

Tks again,
Matthew

 

[Matthew Weymar]

Aha!!!

*Somehow* - dramatic pause - C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start
Menu\Programs was marked "Hidden." This prevented their display.
Unchecking "Hidden" under Properties resulted in their (immediate)
display.

Matthew