Win Start menu

Win Start menu

The Start menu in Windows is a launching pad for applications, because it contains pointers to the programs that are stored on the hard disk. These pointers are called "Shortcuts."

When you install a new application for the first time, it is customary for the install program to put an icon in the Start menu's Programs section (the Programs submenu of the Start menu). You can rearrange the contents of the Programs submenu and any of its submenus, and you can also add Shortcuts to the main part of the Start menu above Programs. Putting a Shortcut in the main part of the Start menu provides you with the fastest way to launch an application, because it is immediately visible when you click the Start menu.

ADDING SHORTCUTS (WINDOWS 98/2000/XP)
You can drag an icon from the desktop or from Explorer and drop it over the Start menu button. If you hold the icon over the button for a moment, the Start menu will open, and you can drag and drop the icon to the location that you desire. The original file will still remain where it is, and a pointer to it will appear in the Start menu above the line (above Programs).

You can also rearrange items in the Start menu by dragging them to a new location, even from the Programs submenu back onto the main Start menu. An icon can be dragged off the Start menu onto the desktop or into the Recycle Bin if you want to delete it.

ADDING SHORTCUTS (WINDOWS 95/NT4)
You can drag an icon from the desktop or from Explorer and drop it over the Start menu button. The original file will still remain where it is, and a pointer to it will appear at the top part of the Start menu above the line above Programs.

You can rearrange icons in the Start menu by dragging them to a new location, even from the Programs submenu back onto the main Start menu, but you cannot do this directly from the menus themselves. You first have to open the Start menu by right clicking Start and selecting OPEN. Then you can cut, copy and paste icons in the order you desire.

CLEARING DOCUMENTS LIST
One of the Start menu options is Documents, which contains the last 15 documents worked on by all your applications. To clear the Documents list, right click the Taskbar, select Properties, then the tab marked Start Menu Programs and finally Clear.