Clearing programs on start menu

[Rekn]

Can someone plz help me here. I just got my x30 and i love it, but i have one problem. The programs in the start menu bug me. I dont mind the main items just the ones of the programs that i open the most. If there is a way to get those off my screen plz let me know.

Yes - very easily ! With a file explorer go to Windows>Start Menu and simly delete the *.lnk files for any prorgams that you dont want to show on you Start Menu.

You cannot get rid of "Today".

[Rekn]

Thanks ill give that a try. Im not trying to get rif of the today menu i just want to get rid of the stuff that is in the most used programs list on the start menu. I hope im not being hard to understand.

[balloonchasers]

I believe your referring to most recently opened programs. If so, I have not seen any way to remove this. Good luck though, it would be nice to have that option.

I think a soft reset will clear the recent programs list in the Start menu.

Originally posted by Helmutk
I think a soft reset will clear the recent programs list in the Start menu.

No, unfortunately a soft reset doesn't clear the list. It's stored in the registry at \HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Shell\TaskSwitch.

Originally posted by Gdio53
No, unfortunately a soft reset doesn't clear the list. It's stored in the registry at \HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Shell\TaskSwitch.

Sorry, yes, you are correct, soft reset does not clear the recent list. Mine reset the other day and I thought it was a soft reset that did it.
Don't now what caused it now.

Actually, sometimes, at least in my case, when I soft reset the list is cleared, but sometimes not.

I don't why.....

[Rekn]

If anyone ever finds a way to clear this list (recently open programs) then please let me know. It drives me nuts to see the clutter. Thanks to all of those who have posted so far. :crooked:

Originally posted by Rekn
If anyone ever finds a way to clear this list (recently open programs) then please let me know. It drives me nuts to see the clutter. Thanks to all of those who have posted so far. :crooked:

Using a registry editor, you can delete the sub keys under \HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Shell\TaskSwitch, there are nine entries numbered 0-8.

I just deleted this key (after making an exported/importable version with Resco Explorer, just in case) and soft reset, and the result was seeing no icons there at the top of the menu, just a couple of words. The first time I opened a program, that icon appeared there, replacing the words. So it's safe to delete it, and one can even make a favourite sort of link to it for regular access using PHM's registry editor. Anyway, this is the one to delete, not the data inside it:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Shell\TaskSwi tch

[Rekn]

That worked great is there anyway to get that folder to never come back? Then i would be all set.

Originally posted by Rekn
I hope im not being hard to understand.

Not at all. When you install some programs, they insist on putting themselves in the Start Menu. I assume that it is these you want to remove and the method I described above will do it.

My Start Menu top section contains Today and then just three folders which I have called Games, Players and Utilities. The second section has Programs and Settings and the bottom one has Find and Help. These bottom two sections cannot be altered or removed, but I doubt if you would want to.

If this does not answer your problem, please come back and I will try to help some more.

Further to my post above, I think there is some confusion here. Are you referring to programs listed by name or simply shown by their icons ?

I am running PPC 2002 A04. It has no "recently opened programs" list. All it has is a small horizontal bar at the top of the Start Menu showing five icons for the most recently opened programs. This is so small and unobtrusive that it could not possibly be described as "clutter". Nor could it be described as "a list".

Perhaps WM 2003 or WM2003 SE does actually write a list by name of recently opened programs. If so, please ignore all that I have said as I do not have it.

[balloonchasers]

I guess that “clutter” is in the eye of the beholder. Some people would say my office is a mass of clutter, I say its random piles of resources waiting to be accessed.