Start Menu Order + Catastrophe

CtrlAltDel · 06 Feb 2010

Hello,

I need help with my start menu order. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Items dialogue under Customize Start Menu I have *Sort All Menu Items by name* unchecked.

Regardless of this, my All Programs start menu will not maintain the order that I choose to put it in. I run the box as an administrator and I am the only user of the computer and have no other user accounts other than the one Administrator account that I use and the Guest account, which is turned off.

The folders in the Start Menu seem to maintain their modified order that I arrange them in until I delete a random icon in one of the folders or use Add/Remove programs to remove a program or install a program that adds an icon or folder to the start menu.

At this point, all folders and icons go back to alphabetical order. Then I have to painstakingly drag each folder back to the order I wish it to be in and then open each folder and rearrange all the icons inside each individual folder back to an order that I prefer.

They also rearrange themselves on every restart of the computer.

I have had to resort to numbering the folders like this:

to prevent them from reverting to alphabetical ordering.

I can't tell you how many times I have had to drag and drop all the folders, and all the icons within those folders, back to a position that I like having them in. The folders, when they are numbered as they are in the photo above, do not reorganize themselves but, the icons within the folders still do.

I would really hate to have to number the icons within each folder.

If I have left out any pertinent information I will be happy to supply it.

Thank you,

Altie

CtrlAltDel · 07 Feb 2010

I guess no one here has run into this difficulty and successfully fixed it. Unfortunately, even a complete reinstall doesn't help. This board was my last hope considering the lack of available help venues online for Windows 7.

Jacee · 07 Feb 2010

You have 9 customized folders ... why not make just one folder, put the other 9 in it then pin the one folder to the start menu? (drag the folder to the start orb)

CtrlAltDel · 07 Feb 2010

Jacee said:

You have 9 customized folders ... why not make just one folder, put the other 9 in it then pin the one folder to the start menu? (drag the folder to the start orb)

Because then I would have one collapsed folder that would require another click to open and then more clicks to open folders within that master folder.

Also, I would then have to constantly rearrange all the folders within that master folder if I didn't # them and have to constantly rearrange the shortcuts in each individual folder also.

I don't see the point in creating another click if it doesn't solve the original issue.

It's pretty bad. For example, I can create an empty text file on the desktop and drag it to

C:\Users\**MyuserName\Application Data\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\One of the Folders I have in the start Menu

and drop it in one of those folders and then open the folder in Explorer and delete that empty text file that I just created and go back to the All Programs start button and check and the shortcuts within my numbered folders have reverted back to alphabetical order.

Jacee · 07 Feb 2010

And working with your "Library" doesn't work for you either?

I know it's a couple of extra clicks, but I've never found this to be an issue. But that's me.

Hopefully someone knows how to get around the issues you're having and can give you the clue.

whs · 07 Feb 2010

Jacee said:

You have 9 customized folders ... why not make just one folder, put the other 9 in it then pin the one folder to the start menu? (drag the folder to the start orb)

Disadvantage of this approach is (besides the extra clicks) that the folder you dragged from the desktop to the orb has to stay on the desktop (unless you hide it somewhere and drag it from there). But I think the left pane of the start menu is not the ideal place for folders anyhow. E.g. Rocket Dock (hidden) is much better and one less click (or button pressing).

CtrlAltDel · 08 Feb 2010

I would like to thank each of you for trying to help me with the problem I have. I have decided to just be done with it and # everything.

whs · 08 Feb 2010

I think you are trying to do something with the start menu that it was not designed for. It is basically only for programs that you pin from "All Programs".
May I suggest you consider toolbars for your Video and Audio. I have 4 of those for different purposes and the one I opened for the picture happens to be for a variety of programs - but it will do just as well for folders. And there you can sequence them by dragging - and they stay put. E.g in the pic they are alphabetical (except the folder that I kept at the top).

caktron · 30 Mar 2010

Hello,

This is my first time here on this forum. I am posting this to get the original users attn: CtrlAltDel

I wish I had a solution for this. It has been driving me insane for months. Your post is the closest thing I have found on the net. I saw that you made a quick work around. I believe that the OS should be customizable and that because people like us should look for solutions to these problems and not settle for the work around, or be blasted by other posters because we seek a solution. Looks like Microsoft is still behind in the bug department. Also I do not think this is specific to Win7, I have encountered this on many Vista type machines as well.

If anybody sees this post, and has found any leads on a solution please let us know.

Thanks,

whs · 30 Mar 2010

If MS would do what you are asking for, the OS would probably cost twice as much, have twice as many bugs and be twice as big. Do you realize how much an additional function costs? The cost of an additional function
Is that what everybody is looking for?