Windows Vista/Start menu

Windows Vista used a Start menu design different than, but functionally similar to, the one used by Windows XP. (Windows 7 used this same design, before the Start menu was removed in Windows 8.)

The left pane: Programs and shortcuts

The left pane is used to display a list of frequently accessed programs, as well as the All Programs list. When All Programs is clicked, the left pane of the Start menu would change to display a list of all programs installed on the computer, like the similarly named feature in Windows XP. Unlike Windows XP, which used pop-up menus that sometime require precise mouse movement to keep open, Windows Vista’s All Programs menu appears as a scrolling list that stays present until the Start menu is closed, a program is selected, or the Back button is clicked.

The left side of the Start menu when the All Programs link has not been clicked contains a number of pinned programs. At the top are the user’s preferred Web browser and email program (Internet Explorer and Windows Mail by default). Below that are a number of program links that have been pinned to the Start menu, and below that a list of the programs that have been most recently launched through the Start menu. A user can remove a pinned program from this area of the Start menu by right-clicking it and choosing Remove From This List.

Search in the Start menu

A search box appears at the bottom of the left pane of the Start menu. As you type, the text entered in the Search box will be matched against the names of programs installed on the computer. A command to search the files on the computer for the entered term was provided (Search Everywhere), as well a link to open a search engine in Internet Explorer for this string (Search Online).

The right pane: Special folders and power options

The right pane contains a number of links to places such as Documents, Games, Recent Items, Control Panel, or Help and Support.

At the bottom of the right pane is a button with three segments. The left one is Sleep and the middle one is Lock Screen. To log out fully or shut down the computer, the user would need to hover their mouse cursor over the arrow on the right and select an option from the small menu that appears. Sometimes, the Sleep button would be replaced by a Shut Down command with a small badge icon on it. This occurs when updates for Windows Vista are ready to be installed. Clicking this button would perform the first half of the update process, then shut down the computer. When rebooted, Windows would perform the second half of the update process before showing the login screen.

Customizing the Start menu

The Start menu can be customized by using the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog. To open this dialog, right-click on the Start button and click Properties. If you then click on the Customize button on the Start Menu tab, a scrolling list of options will appear.

Customizing the left pane

Enable dragging and dropping controls whether or not you can move shortcuts within the All Programs list by dragging them into and out of folders, and if you can manually reorder shortcuts by dragging them.
Highlight newly installed programs controls if the Start menu displays the shortcuts in the All Programs list that have been newly installed programs with a beige background. If any programs are displayed as such, the All Programs link will have similar coloring.
Open submenus when I pause on them with the mouse pointer determines if you must click on the All Programs button to open the All Programs menu, or if it should open automatically when you rest the mouse pointer over the button.
You can choose whether the search box should be displayed.
Search Communications controls whether or not text entered in the Start menu’s search box is matched against the user’s emails, contacts, instant messages, and the like (if the respective programs support this feature).
Search Files determines if searches from the Start menu should return the names of files on your computer that match the query.
Search Programs, similarly, determines if shortcuts to installed programs are displayed as part of a Start menu search.
Sort All Programs menu by name is rather self-explanatory.
System Administrative Tools is a folder in Windows that contains advanced tools for low-level tasks (such as formatting a disk or reading Windows’s event log). By default it is not shown at all. The user can select if this folder appears in the All Programs List, or on the right side of the Start menu as well.
Use large icons refers to the links for the Web browser and email program, as well as the pinned and recently-used programs lists.

Customizing the right pane

Computer is the new name for Windows XP’s My Computer feature. It is displayed on the right pane of the Start menu automatically as a button, but can be hidden or set to display as a pop-up menu.
Control Panel is displayed as a button by default, and can be hidden or set to display as a pop-up menu.
Default Programs is a section of the Control Panel where the user can configure their default Web browser and email application, or change file associations (which determine what program opens a specific file when it is double-clicked). It is displayed by default, but can be hidden.
Documents, formerly My Documents in Windows XP. It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden, or to open a menu containing the contents of this folder.
Favorites is an older method of storing frequently accessed files. It is hidden by default, but can be displayed as a pop-up menu if desired.
Games is a Windows Vista-specific feature that displays information on Windows Vista’s built-in games, and any third-party games that have been installed. It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden. (This option cannot be displayed as a menu.)
Help opens Help and Support. It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden.
Local User Storage is a rather confusing name for your user profile folder. (All of your personal files — those that you do not want other users on the PC to access — should be placed in the user profile or its subfolders.) It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden or displayed as a menu.
Music, known as My Music in Windows XP, opens the corresponding folder. It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden or displayed as a menu.
Network is the new name for Windows XP’s My Network Places dialog. It displays the names of other computers on your local network and allows you to access them remotely (should those be enabled on both computers). It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden.
Pictures, known as My Pictures in Windows XP, opens the corresponding folder. It is displayed as a button by default, but can be hidden or displayed as a menu.
Run is an older way of launching programs that may not be listed in the Start menu. It is hidden by default, but can be enabled.

Customizing the All Programs list

The locations of programs in the All Programs list can also be customized by editing shortcut files directly in Windows Explorer. Each user has a folder under their user profile that contains shortcuts to items displayed in the Start menu. You can access this folder by right-clicking the Start button and clicking Open. The files and folders here match the structure of the All Programs list. You are free to add, move, remove, or rename shortcuts here. Changes here will be displayed on the Start menu immediately.

The other location programs are looked for in is the public Start menu folder, which is shared between all users on the computer. This folder can be accessed by right-clicking the Start button and clicking Open All Users. Because changes here effect more people than just you, administrative access is required to add, move, remove, or rename shortcuts here. A User Account Control dialog will appear when you attempt any changes in this folder.