- Personalizing Windows
- Changing the Look of Your Desktop
- Organizing Shortcut Icons
- Changing the Way the Start Menu Works
- Resetting the Time and Date
- Setting Up Additional Users
Changing the Way the Start Menu Works
You use the Start menu every time you launch a program. Windows offers a few ways for you to customize the way the Start menu works for you.
Displaying Fewer Programs on the Start Menu
By default, the Start menu displays the ten most-recent applications you’ve run. If this is too much for you, you can reconfigure the Start menu to display fewer applications at a time.
To display fewer programs, follow these steps:
- Right-click the Start button and select Properties from the pop-up menu.
- When the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box appears, select the Start Menu tab.
- Click the Customize button to display the Customize Start Menu dialog box.
- Select a new number from the Number of Recent Programs to Display list.
- Click OK when finished.
Adding a Program to the Start Menu—Permanently
If you’re not totally comfortable with the way programs come and go from the Start menu, you can add any program to the Start menu—permanently. All you have to do is follow these steps:
- Click the Start button to display the Start menu.
- Click All Programs to open the Programs menu.
- Navigate to a specific program.
- Right-click that program to display the pop-up menu.
- Select Pin to Start Menu.
The program you selected now appears on the Start menu, just below the browser and email icons.
To remove a program you’ve added to the Start menu, right-click its icon and select Unpin from Start Menu.