Organize the Start Menu

This is a huge thing for a very retentive person like myself. Since about Window 95 I've been able to right-click on the start menu and 'explore all users'.

I use this to then go into the start menu for all users and organize the crap out of it into folders. In Windows 7, it's gone. OK, so I found where the start menu items are stored in:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

I can move items around to existing folders with 'administrator permission', I can create a new folder, but not rename it. There error I receive is something to the effect of 'The action can not be completed because the folder or file is open in another location'

Any thoughts?

Turn off User account control. That should let you rename folders and such.

Open control panel and then click on the user settings. then click on user accounts and click change user account controls.

I don't have this path in Windows 7. Do I have to adjust settings to unhide these folders or something?

The open/explore all users is available if you right click on the all programs entry at the bottom of the main start menu or on individual folders in the all programs menu.

And yes these are hidden system folders

See: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/296-start-menu-all-programs-add-delete-shortcuts.html

Thanks Barman, that did the trick.

There is a long list of annoying icons for programs over the folders in all programs. When I click on all programs, I'm generally looking for a folder and do not want to have to scroll through a list of chaff to get to the start of the folder list. Using the information above, I got rid of most of it. There are still several however that will not go away. I don't see them in the directory to move them. The ones I cannot find are: Default Programs, New Office Document, Open Office Document, Sierra Utilities, and Windows Update. How do I move them to a storage folder. I don't want to delete them, I just want to get them out of the way.

cbleman said:

There is a long list of annoying icons for programs over the folders in all programs. When I click on all programs, I'm generally looking for a folder and do not want to have to scroll through a list of chaff to get to the start of the folder list. Using the information above, I got rid of most of it. There are still several however that will not go away. I don't see them in the directory to move them. The ones I cannot find are: Default Programs, New Office Document, Open Office Document, Sierra Utilities, and Windows Update. How do I move them to a storage folder. I don't want to delete them, I just want to get them out of the way.

Click to expand...

You'll find all the start menu items in these locations.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Windows Update is located here.
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

ProgramData and AppData Are hidden use Step 3 this tutorial to unhide them http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/56005-file-folder-hide-unhide.html
Jerry

Bongo said:

cbleman said:

There is a long list of annoying icons for programs over the folders in all programs. When I click on all programs, I'm generally looking for a folder and do not want to have to scroll through a list of chaff to get to the start of the folder list. Using the information above, I got rid of most of it. There are still several however that will not go away. I don't see them in the directory to move them. The ones I cannot find are: Default Programs, New Office Document, Open Office Document, Sierra Utilities, and Windows Update. How do I move them to a storage folder. I don't want to delete them, I just want to get them out of the way.

Click to expand...

You'll find all the start menu items in these locations.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Windows Update is located here.
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

ProgramData and AppData Are hidden use Step 3 this tutorial to unhide them http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/56005-file-folder-hide-unhide.html
Jerry

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. aaaaa! I get it! Silly me . Now that I have made a Start Menu folder under all programs, I can just drag and drop the start menu icons above the folders into it.

I wonder why someone decided to put all that clutter into all programs in stead of putting them into a folder. It sure would remove a lot of clutter, Look better, and use up a whole lot less real estate under all programs. Sure... they are easier to find; but if you don't need them, it's a also lot to wade through to get to where you want to go. well.. anyway, thanks again.

cbleman said:

Bongo said:

cbleman said:

There is a long list of annoying icons for programs over the folders in all programs. When I click on all programs, I'm generally looking for a folder and do not want to have to scroll through a list of chaff to get to the start of the folder list. Using the information above, I got rid of most of it. There are still several however that will not go away. I don't see them in the directory to move them. The ones I cannot find are: Default Programs, New Office Document, Open Office Document, Sierra Utilities, and Windows Update. How do I move them to a storage folder. I don't want to delete them, I just want to get them out of the way.

Click to expand...

You'll find all the start menu items in these locations.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

C:\Users\YOUR USER NAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

Windows Update is located here.
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

ProgramData and AppData Are hidden use Step 3 this tutorial to unhide them http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/56005-file-folder-hide-unhide.html
Jerry

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. aaaaa! I get it! Silly me . Now that I have made a Start Menu folder under all programs, I can just drag and drop the start menu icons above the folders into it.

I wonder why someone decided to put all that clutter into all programs in stead of putting them into a folder. It sure would remove a lot of clutter, Look better, and use up a whole lot less real estate under all programs. Sure... they are easier to find; but if you don't need them, it's a also lot to wade through to get to where you want to go. well.. anyway, thanks again.

Click to expand...

You're welcome, I did the same thing a long time ago I didn't like all that clutter up there either makes it a lot more simpler.
Jerry

I got rid of all the chaff, and when I updated one of my startup programs, it was right back in all programs. It's not hard to drop it into the startup folder, but does anyone know if there is there a way to get Win 7 to stop putting startup programs under all programs?