Display Mycomputer as Menu In Windows XP

Cause: By default, Windows XP will show Control Panel on the Start menu as a 'link'.

This means that you have to click Control Panel to open it from the Start menu. However, you can change this link behavior to a menu so that you can access Control Panel icons directly from the Start menu. When you point to Control Panel on the Start menu, a submenu will pop out showing the icons.

Drag and Drop Items in Start Menu

Cause

Windows XP allows you to drag and drop items on the Start menu.

For example: let's say you are working on a document. You want that document to appear on the Start menu so you can easily access it while you are working on it. No problem, just drag and drop the document on the Start button. This creates a 'shortcut' to your document, it does not actually move the document to the Start menu, but just creates a shortcut to it. If you can't drag and
drop items, then you simply need to turn on the drag and drop feature.

To turn on dragging and dropping on the Start menu, follow these steps:

Change the Default Browser in Start Menu

Start Menu Tips & Tricks

Cause:

Windows XP displays a default browser on the Start menu, which is Internet Explorer (of course). However, you can easily change this behavior so that Netscape (or any other browser setup on your computer) will appear there instead.

To make Netscape or Firefox appear on the Start menu, follow these steps:

1. Right-click on the Start button at the lower-left corner of your screen--> click Properties.

2. Click the Customize button that appears.

3. On the General tab--> make sure the Internet check box is selected--> Use the drop-down menu and select Netscape or Firefox instead of Internet Explorer--> Click OK. Netscape or Firefox should now appear on your Start menu.

Remove the Username From the Start Menu in XP

If you’ve ever wondered how to remove the username from the Start menu in Windows XP, follow the below steps:

This could also be used in reverse, if your start menu does not have the username you could check this registry setting.

Note that this only applies to the XP style menu, not the classic menus… since they don’t have the username anyway.

Open up regedit.exe through the start menu run box, and then browse down to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer

Create a new DWORD value on the right-hand pane with the following values:

• Name: NoUserNameInStartMenu
• Value: 1

To remove, either set the value to 0 or just delete the key. You will have to log off and back on to see the start menu without the username:

You could also remove the picture by deleting or renaming this folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\User Account Pictures\Default Pictures

Doing so would remove the picture from the login page as well, and it doesn’t remove the blue border across the top.

Change the Start Menu Font Size in Windows XP

When you open the "Start" menu in Windows XP for the first time, all of the fonts and icons you see will be represented in their default font size. Certain people may find this default too large or too small. Because of this, you can adjust the font size by changing the size of the icons using the "Start Menu" properties window. The size of the font and the size of the icons in the Windows XP "Start" menu are directly tied to each other, so changing one will also change the other.

Instructions

1. Right-click on the Windows XP "Start" menu.

2. Click "Properties."

3. Click on the "Customize" button.

4. Click on the "Icon Size" menu option. Adjust the size of the icons in the "Start" menu (either increase them or decrease them) as you see fit. Making a change to the size of the icons in the "Start" menu will also change the size of the fonts associated with them.

5. Click "OK" to save you're changes when you're done adjusting the font size in the Windows XP "Start" menu.

Add favorites to the start menu Win XP

One of the great features of Internet Explorer is the ability to bookmark websites in the Favorites folder. This allows quick and easy access to the most visited websites without having to remember the website address. In addition, to being able to access the Favorites from within Internet Explorer did you know that you could access your Favorites from the Start Menu and Taskbar allowing access without opening Internet Explorer?

Clear Recent Run Dialog Entries The Easier Way

Has it ever bothered you that there isn’t an obvious way to remove the previous items in the Run box in Windows? It’s often very useful, of course… but if you are just a little bit paranoid you might want to clean out that list on occasion.

Follow the steps below to accomplish the task:

• Right-click on the taskbar--> and choose Properties--> then choose Start Menu.

• Select the “Classic Start menu” option, and choose the Customize button. (Don’t worry, we’ll cancel out of the dialogs so you can keep the XP menu style)

Change Windows XP Start Menu to Classic View

To change the Start menu to the classic Start menu follow the below steps:

1. Right click on an empty space on the taskbar--> select properties

Or

   Click Start--> Click Control Panel--> double-click Appearance and Themes.