Start Menu MRU changes not saving

[Craig Hulett]

I've got a very strange problem with a laptop running XP Pro with SP2. First
thing that bugs me is the 'Start' menu is *always* popped up when I boot it
up, just as if I've already clicked on the 'Start' button. That I've been
living with, but the problem that brings me here is my inability to have any
customizations to the 'MRU' (left hand) side of the menu survive a shutdown.

I can uncheck the standard 'Show on Start menu' Internet and E-mail options,
I can then 'pin' to the start menu newly run programs and see all of the
'normal' behaviour I expect from the menu - while I'm logged on. My MRU
list gets updated and all is fine until I shutdown and restart, at which
point - when the darn menu pops up again - my LHS of the menu is back to
some sort of default config:

Pinned: Internet Explorer and Outlook Express
MRU: Windows Media Player, Tour Windows XP, Windows Movie Maker, File and
Settings Transfer Wizard

Every time I turn it on, this is where I start from. Can anyone tell me
what in the heck is going on? A couple of more points - I am logging on as
the Administrator and this isn't a new behaviour that's just started, the
laptop has always exhibited this behaviour. Thanks.

-craig

 

[Kelly]

Hi Craig,

The behavior you are describing is for first time booters (Start Menu).
However, what is different and preset within laptops is the equivalent to
X-Mouse. Check those settings.

Question: Why would you remove OE and IE from the top part of the Start
Menu, yet try to pin them?

Comment, get rid of Tour Windows, that can be the cause of the Start Menu
pop-up.

Note: Never run XP under the System Admin account, that is a reserve for
emergencies. Create another user with Admin privileges and take it from
there.

How to:

How to Copy or Remove a User Profile
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm#usercopy

HOW TO: Create a Custom Default User Profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q305709

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Craig Hulett]

Thanks for the reply, Kelly. Let's see now...

Hi Craig,

The behavior you are describing is for first time booters (Start
Menu). However, what is different and preset within laptops is the
equivalent to X-Mouse. Check those settings.

Make sense about the first time booters - and it even mentioned it in the
darn Tour, now that I've bothered to go through bits of it. <g>. I know
there is an X-Mouse PowerToy that emulates X-Windows behaviour of bringing
focus to windows as the mouse passes over them, but I don't have that
installed. Nor do I see any equivalent option in the touchpad settings... so
I'm not sure where to check.

Question: Why would you remove OE and IE from the top part of the
Start Menu, yet try to pin them?

Actually, I'm trying to pin something else to the top of the Start Menu,
Word and Excel, and I don't need the normal Internet and Email options there
on this laptop.

Comment, get rid of Tour Windows, that can be the cause of the Start
Menu pop-up.

How? I can't find any official way to do so, not even amongst the 'Windows
Components'. Do I just go somewhere and start deleting?

Note: Never run XP under the System Admin account, that is a reserve
for emergencies. Create another user with Admin privileges and take
it from there.

Thanks. Didn't realise I was doing that. So, now more oddness - I create a
new account and my only choice is one with Admin privs as it is the first
account I've specifically added. Fine. However, when I boot the laptop it
automatically goes into the 'real' administrator logon without asking me
which one to login as. If I then 'Logout', my only choice to log back in is
the *new* Admin account! A two step process to get there. Oh, and it (the
new account) exhibits the same pop-up-and-reset-the-start-menu behaviour as
the real Administrator does. Doh!

How to:

How to Copy or Remove a User Profile
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_logon.htm#usercopy

HOW TO: Create a Custom Default User Profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;Q305709

Not quite sure what to do with all this information... perhaps a little more
guidance? Thanks again.

-craig

 

[Kelly]

Hi,

Actually, I'm trying to pin something else to the top of the Start Menu,
Word and Excel, and I don't need the normal Internet and Email options
there
on this laptop.

Either right click Word/Excel, Send To/Create desktop shorcut (then drag) or
simply drag the one under all programs and drop it where IE and OE would
have been.

To remove the Tour: Line 303 (right hand side):
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

However, when I boot the laptop it
automatically goes into the 'real' administrator logon without asking me
which one to login as. If I then 'Logout', my only choice to log back in
is
the *new* Admin account! A two step process to get there. Oh, and it (the
new account) exhibits the same pop-up-and-reset-the-start-menu behaviour
as
the real Administrator does. Doh!

That is because when you added your new account and didn't select/use the
drop box to set the auto logon and it is being set to the System Admin
account.

1. Go to Start/Run and type in: control userpasswords2 and press ok.

2. On the Users tab, left click your user name then clear the Users Must
Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer check box and then click
OK.

3. In the Automatically Log On dialog box that appears, type the "user name
and password" for the account you want to be logged on each time you start
your computer.

Added note: (Alex MVP)

If you want to logon to one of the other users, hold down shift as the
system boots up.


As for the pop-ups/tour via the new Account, it is doing as it should by
default for a new user. )


All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Craig Hulett]

Either right click Word/Excel, Send To/Create desktop shorcut (then
drag) or simply drag the one under all programs and drop it where IE
and OE would have been.

To remove the Tour: Line 303 (right hand side):
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

I know how to pin/unpin things, just trying to illustrate one of the things
I'm doing that goes away every time I boot. And technically your tweak
doesn't remove the Tour, it disables it. I'd already done the 'RunCount'
regedit thing to disable it by default and it hasn't helped my issue. I was
hoping I could actually just delete the darn thing, ain't never going to
need it.

That is because when you added your new account and didn't select/use
the drop box to set the auto logon and it is being set to the System
Admin account.

1. Go to Start/Run and type in: control userpasswords2 and press ok.

2. On the Users tab, left click your user name then clear the Users
Must Enter A User Name And Password To Use This Computer check box
and then click OK.

3. In the Automatically Log On dialog box that appears, type the
"user name and password" for the account you want to be logged on
each time you start your computer.

Added note: (Alex MVP)

If you want to logon to one of the other users, hold down shift as the
system boots up.

Thanks. I'll work through this the next chance I get on the laptop.

As for the pop-ups/tour via the new Account, it is doing as it should
by default for a new user. )

No, that's not what I meant. I understand that the menu should "pop up" on
the first boot and you get three prompts to "Take the Tour". I was saying
that even the new user I created exhibited the same inability to save
anything in the MRU side of the start menu. My new user loses all of the
changes between boots just like the Administrator. And popped up the menu
each logon. Over and over. It's like Groundhog Day or something - every day
is the first day.

Hope we can get this worked out. At some point I'm just going to reformat
the hard drive and reinstall Windows... see if that helps!

 

[Kelly]

Craig,

1. I didn't say to pin it, I said to drag it.

2. Policyisable user tracking Descriptionrevents the system from
remembering the programs run, paths followed, and documents used. Registry
Value:"NoInstrumentation"

Policy:Remove frequent programs list from the Start Menu
Description:Removes the frequently-used programs list from the Start menu.
Registry Value:"NoStartMenuMFUprogramsList"

Policy Settings for the Start Menu in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q292504

Frequently Used Programs Not Automatically Added to Start Menu
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q282/0/66.asp

Check your settings here: Start/Run/Regedit

Note: This setting only applies to the Windows XP Start Menu, not the
Classic Start Menu.

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Policies\Explorer

If you have this Value Name: NoStartMenuMFUprogramsList change the Value
Data to 0 or delete the Value Name.

Another option would be to check the number of programs to be listed: Right
click the Start button/Properties/Customize/Number of Programs...

The settings are also listed here: Start/Run/Regedit

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Explorer\Advanced. In the right pane, check the Value Data under
Start_MinMFU.

My new user loses all of the
changes between boots just like the Administrator.

3. Save Settings on Exit (Line 54)
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

To use the Regedit: Save the REG File to your hard disk. Double click it
and answer yes to the import prompt. REG files can be viewed in Notepad by
right clicking on the file and selecting Edit.

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com

 

[Craig Hulett]

Thanks again for your patience. This is frustrating the crap out of me, I
usually solve my own problems but this is a new one on me.

1. Sorry, gotcha. Didn't notice the distinction.

2. More things to check!

I'll let you know how it all works out.

 

[Kelly]

Good luck!

--

All the Best,
Kelly (MS-MVP)

Troubleshooting Windows XP
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com