Windows Vista Tip -
New Start Menu - Vista Tech Support!
WebTechGeek.com - Windows Vista Web Tech Support!

 

 

 

Windows Vista New Start Menu Tech Support Tip Page: In Windows Vista, the Start button is no longer called Start as in Windows XP, and the Start menu looks completely different from the menu you may be used to in XP. However, it’s still there at the bottom of the screen, and you may find it a bit better organized.

The old Start button has been replaced by a lighted sphere that displays the Windows flag logo. Instead of submenus that fly out to the right of the main menu, Vista displays your most recently used programs in a primary window.

If you click All Programs, the Start menu switches to a display of collapsing folders. You can expand each folder to show you all available programs, but the Start menu keeps the list within the primary window.

Your Start menu will change as you add more programs to your computer. That’s why the Start menu on your friend’s computer is probably arranged differently than the Start menu on your computer.

The Windows Vista Start menu works great, that's until you’re looking for something that’s not listed on the menu, or something you rarely use is just getting in the way.

Windows Vista New Start Menu
By Raymond Garcia
WebTechGeek.com

 

 

TIP: To add a favorite program’s icon to the Start button’s menu, rightclick
on the program’s icon and choose Pin to Start Menu from the
pop-up menu. Windows copies that icon to your Start menu’s left
column. ( you may drag it to the All Programs area, if
you want.)

To purge unwanted icons from the Start menu’s left column, right-click
on them and choose either Unpin from Start Menu or Remove from This
List. Removing an icon from the Start menu doesn’t uninstall the actual
program from your computer.

 

TIP: If you don’t like the new look, you can get the old Start menu back by reverting to the familiar Windows XP submenu system. Just Right-click the Start Button, click Properties, select Classic Start Menu, and then click OK.

When you install a program in Vista the program almost always adds itself to the Start menu automatically. Then the program boldly announces its presence by displaying its name with a different background color.

You can customize the Start menu even more by changing its properties. To start playing, right-click the Start button, choose Properties, and click the Start menu’s Customize button. Place a check mark by the options you want or remove check marks to remove the options. Messed up your Start menu somehow? Click the Use Default Settings button, click OK, and click OK again to start from scratch.

 

The RUN Menu, So What Happened to the Run Menu?
One thing you won’t find on the default Start menu is the Run option, which generations of Windows users have employed to start programs that may not appear on any menu. The omission isn’t a problem—if you know the secret. Simply type the name of the program you want to run (such as notepad) into the Start Search bar just above the Start button and then press Enter. WebTechGeek.com Tip Page.

 

Yes you can make Windows Vista look and feel like Windows XP:

Some people crave Vista’s new interface; others feel like they’re looking at a unfamiliar dashboard. Follow these steps to make Vista look almost like Windows XP:

1. Start by changing the Start menu: Right-click the Start button, choose Properties, select Classic Start Menu, and click OK.

2. Next, bring back the desktop: Right-click a blank part of the desktop and choose Personalize. Choose Theme and then choose Windows
Classic from the Theme pull-down menu. Click OK.

3. Finally, put the menus back on top of each folder: Open your Documents folder from the Start menu. Then click the Organize
button, choose Folder and Search Options, and choose Use Windows Classic Folders. Click OK.

These steps not only bring back the look of Windows XP, but may also speed up an older PC that’s struggling to keep up with Vista’s fancy layers of graphics. Remember to come back to WebTechGeek.com for more How To Tips.

 

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