Chapter 10: Setting Up Your Start Menu and Taskbar

What Is the Start Menu?

The Start menu, shown in Figure 10-1, appears when you click the Start button on the taskbar. In Windows XP, the Start menu appears in two columns--the left column contains links to programs, and the right column contains links to folders, the Control Panel, online help, the search feature, and the DOS-style command prompt. If you prefer the classic style of the Start menu, you can switch back to it using the Customize Start Menu dialog box. If your Start menu looks nothing like the one shown in Figure 10-1, you probably have the Classic Start menu configured (the old Windows Me/98 Start menu).

Figure 10-1: The Windows XP Start menu

The following items are usually on the Start menu (since the Start menu is customizable, your Start menu may look a little different):

• All Programs Displays the Programs menu, a menu of programs you can run. This is the Start menu option that you are likely to use the most because you can use it to find and start programs. You can change the contents of the Programs menu by changing the contents of that folder.
• Frequently used programs Above the All Programs command, lists programs that you have used recently. Windows selects these programs based on how frequently and how recently you have run them. Click a program to run it.
• Pinned programs: At the top of the left column, lists programs that are pinned to the Start menu--they always appear in this position so that they are easy to run. You can remove pinned programs and add new ones so that you see the programs that you use regularly.
• Folders (My Documents, My Pictures, My Music, My Computer, My Network Places, My Recent Documents) Lists these special folders. If your Start menu hasn't been customized, you can click any of these Start menu options to display the folder in an Explorer window. If Start menu options have been changed, you may see a submenu displaying the contents of the folder.
• Control Panel Displays the Control Panel, which helps you install software and change your Windows settings.
• Help and Support Displays online help.
• Search Opens an Explorer window with the Search taskbar.
• Run Enables you to run a program by typing the name of the file that contains it.
• Log Off Enables you to log off from one user account and to log on using another.
• Turn Off Computer Displays the Turn Off Computer options: Stand By (or Hibernate or Suspend), Turn Off, and Restart. Choose Turn Off if you are ready to turn off your computer. Choose Restart to restart your computer. Choose Stand By, Hibernate or Suspend to put Windows in a power-conserving Standby or Hibernate mode. The power-conservation options available to you depend on whether you have turned them on and your computer supports them.