How to Customize the Start or Programs Menu

This article describes how to customize the Start menu, the Programs menu, or any other menu below the Programs menu (such as the Startup menu, which contains programs that are started automatically when you start Windows). The following topics are discussed:

• Adding a program to a menu
• Removing a program from a menu
• Changing a program name on a menu
• Moving a program to a different menu
• Creating a new menu
• Removing an existing menu

Adding a Program to a Menu

To add a program to a menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab, click Add, and then click Browse.
3. Locate the program you want to add, click the program, click Open, and then click Next.
4. Click the menu on which you want the program to appear, and then click Next.
5. Type the name that you want to appear on the menu. If a Finish button appears at the bottom of the "Select a Title for the Program" dialog box, click it. If a Next button appears at the bottom of the dialog box, click it, click the icon you want to use for the program, and then click Finish.

Removing a Program From a Menu

To remove a program from a menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab, and then click Remove.
3. Locate the program you want to remove, click the program, and then click Remove. Note that this deletes the shortcut to the program on the Start menu, but it does not delete the program from your hard disk.

Changing a Program Name on a Menu

To change the name of a program on a menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab, and then click Advanced.
3. Locate the program whose name you want to change in the Contents Of 'Start Menu' pane in the Windows Explorer window.
4. Use the right mouse button to click the program whose name you want to change, and then click Rename on the menu that appears.
5. Type the new name for the program, and then press ENTER. Note that this changes the name used to identify the program on the Start menu, but it does not change the name of the program on the hard disk.
6. Close the Windows Explorer window.

Moving a Program to a Different Menu

To move a program to a different menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab, and then click Advanced.
3. Locate the program whose name you want to change in the Contents Of 'Start Menu' pane in the Windows Explorer window. Use the right mouse button to click the program, and then click Cut on the menu that appears.
4. In the All Folders pane, use the right mouse button to click the menu on which you want the program to appear, and then click Paste on the menu that appears.
5. Close the Windows Explorer window.

Creating a New Menu

To create a new menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab, and then click Advanced.
3. In the All Folders pane of the Windows Explorer window, click the menu on which you want the new menu to appear.
4. On the File menu, point to New, and then click Folder.
5. Type the name for the new folder, and then press ENTER.
6. Close the Windows Explorer window.

Removing an Existing Menu

To remove a menu, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, point to Settings, and then click Taskbar and Start Menu.
2. Click the Start Menu Programs tab, and then click Advanced.
3. In the All Folders pane of the Windows Explorer window, use the right mouse button to click the menu you want to remove, and then click Delete on the menu that appears.
4. Close the Windows Explorer window.