Cause Windows XP remembers documents and programs that you open and puts icons for them on the Start menu. This way, you can get to those items by simply clicking Start the next time you want to use them. In other words, the Start menu tries to learn what you use and keep it available to you. However, this behavior may get on your nerves or cause too much stuff to be listed on the Start menu.
The Pain Killer To stop or control Windows XP putting popular items on the Start menu, follow these steps:
- Click the Start menu.
- Any item that has been added can be easily removed by simply right-clicking the icon and clicking Remove from This List.
- There is no way to keep the XP Start menu from putting popular items on the Start menu, unless you change the Start menu to the Classic style. This makes the Start menu look and act as it did in older versions of Windows. To use the Classic Start menu, right-click the Start button in the lower-left corner of your screen and click Properties. On the Start Menu tab, click the Classic Start Menu radio button.
What, exactly, are the items on the Start Menu?
Start menu items are shortcuts. They are simply icons that provide the operating system with a “link” to the real item. For example, let's say that a program called “My Program” is on your Start menu. The My Program on the Start menu is not the actual program–it is a link to the program, which is in your folder structure on the operating system. No item on the Start menu is a real item–they are all links to items stored in other places. Because of this, you can add and delete items from the Start menu in any way you want without actually deleting the real item on your system or moving it. As you are working, remember this important tip–there is never any danger of harming programs, documents, files, or anything else by adding or removing them from the Start menu.
