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Judy G. Russell
August 5th, 2006, 12:16 AM
Help help help... I've forgotten how to tell XP I really really don't want to be protected from the horror of seeing programs I don't often use. Classic menu option already chosen, but where's the option to turn off the "don't show programs I don't use" default?

Thanks!!!

Peter Creasey
August 5th, 2006, 09:23 AM
Judy, This may not be helpful to you...

How to Prevent a Program from Being Displayed in the Most Frequently Used Programs List WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
1. Start Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
2. Add an empty string value named NoStartPage to the following registry key, where Program name.exe is the name of the executable file that is used to start the program:
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Applications\Program name.exe
3. Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.

Dan in Saint Louis
August 5th, 2006, 11:14 AM
where's the option to turn off the "don't show programs I don't use" default?
Would TweakUI help?

http://landiss.info/graphics/Shot0001.jpg

Jeff
August 5th, 2006, 01:01 PM
Help help help... I've forgotten how to tell XP I really really don't want to be protected from the horror of seeing programs I don't often use. Classic menu option already chosen, but where's the option to turn off the "don't show programs I don't use" default?

Thanks!!!

I have XP Pro, SP2, and all updates. I've never seen what you're describing. The only annoyance that XP displays is wanting to clear unused desktop icons about one a month. What are you describing; what am I missing?

- Jeff

Judy G. Russell
August 5th, 2006, 04:37 PM
Aha! TweakUI! That's probably it! Thanks, Dan.

Judy G. Russell
August 5th, 2006, 04:45 PM
I'm not sure how to describe it so I'll show it to you. The image on the left is what appears when I go to the Start menu. The image on the right is what I want to appear.

Judy G. Russell
August 5th, 2006, 04:56 PM
Thanks, but I'm trying to do the reverse! (I want to see things, not hide them!)

Judy G. Russell
August 5th, 2006, 04:58 PM
Hidden in the Properties for the Start menu is a selection called "Use Personalized Menus". Sounds like a good thing, right? It's not, not if you like to see your menu choices. I turned that off and, shonuff... now I can see my program list again!

Jeff
August 6th, 2006, 12:49 PM
I'm not sure how to describe it so I'll show it to you. The image on the left is what appears when I go to the Start menu. The image on the right is what I want to appear.

Oh yeah, mine does that. The very few times I need the start menu; I have most everything major in icons on the desktop, I just hit the double down arrows. A secondary reason for the icons is to remind me of what pgms I have available... senior moment medicine.

- Jeff

Jeff
August 6th, 2006, 12:57 PM
Hidden in the Properties for the Start menu is a selection called "Use Personalized Menus". Sounds like a good thing, right? It's not, not if you like to see your menu choices. I turned that off and, shonuff... now I can see my program list again!

Hay! Thanks for that. As I remember XP used to act like that when HAL was new, before much more in pgms than IE was on the machine. At some point adding stuff must have caused the list to contract.

- Jeff

Judy G. Russell
August 6th, 2006, 01:11 PM
I don't use the desktop; I prefer the Start menu except for a handful of programs I use regularly, which I keep on my PowerDesk launchbar. So I was really annoyed by this Start menu behavior until I figured out how to turn the $%^#$ "feature" off!