[XP]Tutorial: 2 Start Menu Tweaks

[Wyzrd 12]

2 Windows XP Start Menu Tweaks

Before anyone asks, this tutorial is designed to work on Windows XP. (May look like Vista because I have a Vista start menu.) I think it is basically the same in Vista but as I do not have a computer in the house with Vista I can not test it for myself.

 

Tell Windows Not To Highlight Newly Installed Programs

This is a fairly easy and simple tutorial anyone should be able to follow. You know when you install a new program and windows automatically highlights it in the start menu. Annoying sometimes right? Well this is how you solve that problem.

1. First we are gonna right click on the start menu, and select properties.

2. Now you should get the "Taskbar And Start Menu Properties Box", make sure your on the "Start Menu" tab at the top.

3. Now this will only work on the XP start menu, not the classic start menu. So please select "Start Menu" and then hit the customize button next to it as showing in the picture below.

4. This will bring up the "Customize Start Menu" box. From here we will need to select the "Advanced" tab at the top.

5. Next you will un-check the box that says "Highlight Newly Installed Programs".

6. Then you will click "Ok".

7. Next click "Ok" on the "Taskbar And Start Menu Properties Box".

8. You are now done with this tutorial.

 

 

Speed Up Your Start Menu

Before starting this tutorial, I want to say please read the whole thing before attempting. It's a fairly simple tweak but clicking or doing the wrong thing could your system to mess up. The pictures should pretty well explain it. If you do not understand something feel frea to ask me about it. Lastly, what this tutorial does is makes your start menu respond faster.

1. First we are gonna click the start menu.

 

2. Next we are gonna click on run.

3. When the run screen comes up, type in "regedit" without the quotation marks.

4. Next on the left side find "HKEY_CURRENT_USER" and click the little arrow to the left side of it to expand it.

5. In the part that expanded we're going to search for "Control Panel" and click the black arrow on the left of it to expand it.

6. Now in the next section that expanded search for "desktop" and hightlight it.

7. Now we're going to move to the panel on the right and search for "MenuShowDelay"

8. Here we are gonna right click on "MenuShowDelay" and select "Modify"

9. You should get a "Edit String" box. The default variable is 400. In this tutorial we will be changing it to 5. But you can change it from 0-400 to fit your own personal likings. I choose 5 because I want it to respond fast.

10. We're almost done now, but click the "Ok" button.

11. Finally, we are gonna go to "File" then down to "Exit"

12. One last and final step, restart your computer, and you will be done with this tutorial. Hope you enjoyed.

[formlesstree4 18]

You need to be careful with the Regedit one. Manipulating the registry can be dangerous to your computer.

[rgangsta 43]

Yea. Once in a forum, a guy told another guy to delete all his registry values and he did. His computer never worked again. lol...that wasn't funny, was it?

No

...Oh...sorry. <_<

[Wyzrd 12]

You need to be careful with the Regedit one. Manipulating the registry can be dangerous to your computer.

That's why I warned of the dangers before hand if you read it. Also, that is a regedit that will not mess up the computer. I have done it on every computer I ever owned and even ones I don't own. It's 100% safe. I read it in a computer magazine once. I always remembered it, because it is a neat little tweak. It just changed how fast the start menu pops up. That is also why I demonstrated it with so many pictures.

 

Yea. Once in a forum, a guy told another guy to delete all his registry values and he did. His computer never worked again. lol...that wasn't funny, was it?

No

...Oh...sorry. <_>

That's kind of like if someone told you to jump off a bridge would you do it?

[Polraudio 122]

Nice speed tweek. I usually stay away from there but maybe i will start to mess with it and bring the full speed to my computer.

By using a Virtual Computer tho.

[Wyzrd 12]

It is a nice little one, simple not too much to it but it's good.