Windows 7: Start Menu and Taskbar question

Hello forum! Thanks for the detailed info on how to bring the quick launch back brink. If I may, I would like to ask a different question in the same category. Is it possible to somehow delete the useless blank recently opened programs list as illustrated in this image:



and instead replace it with the all programs list as illustrated in this image:



So far I've solved the missing quick launch problem by disabling the storing of recently opened program shortcuts and instead filled the free space with shortcuts by pinning them to the start menu as illustrated in this image:



but this lacks the option of further organizing the list as you can't pin folders to it. That is why having a direct access to the all programs list upon clicking the start menu seems like the best possible solution for many users like me.

On a side note I'd like to add that the reasons why I personally like having a quick launch type of toolbar are the following:

1. Too many shortcuts - as you see in the previous picture I have a lot of shortcuts that I don't use too frequently, plus if I were to pin them all to the taskbar there wouldn't be enough space to support the amount of programs I want to have there.

2. I have disabled the combining of taskbars for efficiency purposes, thus putting all of the shortcuts on the taskbar is not an option. There wouldn't be enough space.

3. The buttons leave a huge gap between them as illustrated in this image:

http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/5715/008tx.png (LINK BROKEN)

and reducing the size of these icons doesn't help either, because unlike the quick launch toolbar, the icons are too far away from each other.

Any help would be much appreciated.

Once again, happy to be here and looking forward to your replies.

Arthur