Start Menu\All Programs Questions

  • Thread starter Thread starter Jim McGowan
  • Start date Start date
J

Jim McGowan

Hello all!

I am running XP Pro and have noticed that Start>All Programs appears to
contain the contents of two separate folders:
* C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs, and
* C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Start Menu\Programs

My questions:

1) Is this standard behavior for XP Pro?

2) Is there a Policy or Registry setting that I can change to have just one
of these folders serve as the basis for the Start>All Programs menu?

3) How did some installed programs end up in the All Users Start Menu
Programs folder and others in the <user name> folder? Is it dependent on
whether the program is installed from a CD versus a download/Windows
Installer link?

4) Based on the name "All Users", one would think that ALL programs from all
users would be in the Start Menu\Programs folder here. Is there any reason
why all of the programs in my user name's Programs folder didn't end up
there?

I am the only user of this PC, so there are no other users to consider when
changing which folder is used.

Thanks for all help with this!
 
Jim McGowan said:
Hello all!

I am running XP Pro and have noticed that Start>All Programs appears to
contain the contents of two separate folders:
* C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs, and
* C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Start Menu\Programs

My questions:

1) Is this standard behavior for XP Pro?
Yes


2) Is there a Policy or Registry setting that I can change to have just one
of these folders serve as the basis for the Start>All Programs menu?
Click to expand...

Not that I am aware of. Best option would be to move all of the
shortcuts from the All Users folder to whichever user you want to have
use that program.
3) How did some installed programs end up in the All Users Start Menu
Programs folder and others in the <user name> folder? Is it dependent on
whether the program is installed from a CD versus a download/Windows
Installer link?
Click to expand...

No. It depends on how the install routine was programmed and
configured. Multi-user profiles on one computer was not a common
occurrence until Windows XP came along, and most programs just
installed for whichever user did the actual install.

Properly written installers (and these are few and far between) have
an opening Window that gives you the choice of installing program for
all users or just for the current user. Hopefully more and more
programs will include this option in their installer configuration.
4) Based on the name "All Users", one would think that ALL programs from all
users would be in the Start Menu\Programs folder here. Is there any reason
why all of the programs in my user name's Programs folder didn't end up
there?
Click to expand...

There are circumstances where installing a program for one user only,
and not having the other users able to access it, would be a desirable
choice. That is why the option exists, at least in some installers.
I am the only user of this PC, so there are no other users to consider when
changing which folder is used.

Thanks for all help with this!
Click to expand...

Hope this is of some assistance.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca

In memory of a dear friend Alex Nichol MVP
http://aumha.org/alex.htm
 
Ron said:
Not that I am aware of. Best option would be to move all of the
shortcuts from the All Users folder to whichever user you want to have
use that program.


No. It depends on how the install routine was programmed and
configured. Multi-user profiles on one computer was not a common
occurrence until Windows XP came along, and most programs just
installed for whichever user did the actual install.

Properly written installers (and these are few and far between) have
an opening Window that gives you the choice of installing program for
all users or just for the current user. Hopefully more and more
programs will include this option in their installer configuration.


There are circumstances where installing a program for one user only,
and not having the other users able to access it, would be a desirable
choice. That is why the option exists, at least in some installers.


Hope this is of some assistance.
Click to expand...

Windows XP is and will remain a MultiUser OS. If you delete some of the
users in the Documents and Settings directory, you will affect your user and
possibly other things. It could cause things you had set to go missing and
the directories, in most cases, will recreate themselves.

HOW TO: Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;279783&Product=winxp

HOW TO: Set, View, Change, or Remove Special Permissions for Files and
Folders in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;308419&Product=winxp

Doug's Windows XP Security Console
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_securityconsole.htm

Windows XP is a multi-user OS, even when used by one person only, the
fundamentals don't change.

Documents and Settings is the directory that contains your user
information/documents/etc. It also contains a few extra directories used by
Windows.

One is "Default User" - This is used whenever a new account is created. It
bases the initial setup of that account off this directory.

Another is "All Users" - This is used by.. all users. If you want something
to appear on the desktop of every user of the machine, you put it on this
users desktop (in the desktop folder.) Etc.

You may also see "Administrator" - depending on your setup, this is the
original administrator user and if you know that account's password, you
should leave him alone and use him only in an emergency.

You could also (if you have it where you can see ALL files) see
"LocalService" and "NetworkService" folders. These are service accounts,
normally unused by the standard user.

Should you erase any of the above? No. No reason to. The only ones that a
single user will really ever use is the one under their username (ie:
whatever username you log in with) and the "All Users" account. If
something goes wrong(or you add a new user), the default user will be used
(recreated if not there) to create the new account needed. The
Administrator account will hopefully never be used and would just be
recreated if you logged in as administrator (assuming you even have the
user - which you do.) Sometimes your account may be listed as "owner" or
"administrator" under the documents and settings folder.. This all depends
on how things were setup. The name you use and the name of the folder do
NOT have to correspond if the name was changed manually after the account
was created initially.
 
On Sun, 3 Apr 2005 03:03:57 -0400, "Jim McGowan"

|Hello all!
|
|I am running XP Pro and have noticed that Start>All Programs appears to
|contain the contents of two separate folders:
| * C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs, and
| * C:\Documents and Settings\<user name>\Start Menu\Programs
|
|My questions:
|
|1) Is this standard behavior for XP Pro?

YES

|2) Is there a Policy or Registry setting that I can change to have just one
|of these folders serve as the basis for the Start>All Programs menu?

Not sure but u can move then where u want but there
location determines their availability to users.

|3) How did some installed programs end up in the All Users Start Menu
|Programs folder and others in the <user name> folder? Is it dependent on
|whether the program is installed from a CD versus a download/Windows
|Installer link?
Depends on whether app installed thinks it is used by
all users. ZA would most likely, AV too, games probably
not.
|
|4) Based on the name "All Users", one would think that ALL programs from all
|users would be in the Start Menu\Programs folder here. Is there any reason
|why all of the programs in my user name's Programs folder didn't end up
|there?
|
|I am the only user of this PC, so there are no other users to consider when
|changing which folder is used.
Me 2- I have a Install Proc that has these shortcuts
16-MoveAppsPtrFolderFromLL
17- Or 'ALL USERS' to this Folder
 
Jim McGowan said:
2) Is there a Policy or Registry setting that I can change to have just one
of these folders serve as the basis for the Start>All Programs menu?
Click to expand...
In Group Policy, under:

User Config -> Admin Templates -> Start Menu & Taskbar

there is an option named: "Remove common program groups from Start Menu"

Enabling it will cause only those programs under your user profile to appear in the Start Menu. The equivalent registry entry is under:

"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer"

Name: NoCommonGroups
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 1 | 0

Keith
 
Back
Top