Windows 7: Help customizing start menu

Hi all,
I'm trying to remove the left panel from my start menu altogether and can't for the life of me work out how.
Any help greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Simon

That's where the programs are. How are you going to launch or search for programs without the left panel?
What exactly are you trying to achieve? A mockup screenshot will be helpful.

That said, the Classic Shell start menu lets you rearrange the menu any way you want. You can choose between single and double-column menu. You can select the function and location of each menu item.
Welcome to Classic Shell

Yeah, I suppose it is quite a strange thing to want to do and so does warrant an explanation:
I've just upgraded my secondary PC which I only use for a very limited number of things and don't use a mouse or keyboard for, so big icons on the desktop and less junk in the start menu is far more functional for my purposes.

That program meets my needs perfectly and will be going on my primary computer as well so many thanks for that.