Tweaking the Start Menu in Windows

You can save valuable time by tweaking the start menu in your Windows operating system. The start menu in Windows is to computer operating systems what the table of contents is to a book. These days, many computers come with more than 200GB of free space. This is a large enough space to store so many eBooks, applications, videos, and photos. The start menu makes it easier to locate these files and software applications.

How important is the Start Menu?

Not only is the start menu useful in accessing applications, but it is also a gateway into the entire computer. From the start menu, you can access the control panel, network settings, computer settings, and other parts of the operating system. There are many things you can add to the start menu to make it customized to your preferences.

How to Add a Folder to the Start Menu

1. Start by opening the folder.
2. On the top of the opened window, click on the view tab.
3. Click on the folder icon; Next, drag and drop the folder on top of the start menu icon.

Add a Link to the Start Menu (Use this tip to access a website without opening a browser first)

Windows 7

1. First, navigate to the web page whose address you want to add to your start menu.
2. Once the page has loaded, drag its icon towards the start button (the button in the taskbar that bares the Windows logo). This technique works for any browser supported in Windows 7, including Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, Safari, etc.
3. Once you have dragged the web page icon above the start button, Windows may display a "Pin to Start Menu" message.
4. At that point, release the mouse button to drop the website shortcut on to your start menu.
5. Now, to verify that the URL was indeed added to your start menu, click on the Start button.
6. You will see the website added to your start menu, now listed below any pinned programs you already had.

Windows Vista

1. Click on Start menu -> select explore.
2. On the explorer menu, right-click on an empty space and then select new shortcut.
3. A dialog box will appear, enter the URL on the text box.
4. A second dialog box will pop up. Name the link and click finish.

How to Pin Applications to the Start Menu

You may be interested in pinning Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel or some other icons to the start menu. Luckily, this is very easy to do.

1. Click on the start button.
2. On the start menu, click on All Programs.
3. Scroll up and locate the icon of the application.
4. Right-click the application and then click on "Pin to Start Menu".

The start menu makes computer navigation easier. Without it, searching the computer for a file or program would be much tougher. Both Windows Vista and Windows 7 can be tweaked with similar techiques. There are just few differences between the start menus of Vista and Windows 7.

If you enjoyed this post, please Tweet or

-By Dominic

Web site and all contents © Copyright ComputerTooSlow.com 2012, All rights reserved.