Most start menu program folders say (empty)

Hi there,

I have a problem with most of the programs in my start menu no longer containing any shortcuts but just displaying "(empty)" as shown below.

And when I use "search programs & files" to find the program it doesn't find it either.

I first noticed this happening about 3 months after I did a clean install of Windows 7 and I am 99% sure it affects all programs I have installed since then. The shortcuts are there after the programs are first installed (I don't check this all the time though) but disappear soon after - maybe after the next logon... I don't know.

It must be related to permissions because when I right click on "All Programs" and select "All Users", if I try to open one of the affected program's folders I get the message "You don't currently have permission to access this folder". I can click "continue" and open the folder and the shortcuts are there.
(A related problem maybe that some of the shortcuts have lost their icons??)

I don't know much permissions and ownership etc but have managed to change the ownership of one of these folders to Administrator and it then the shortcuts also appear again in the start menu.
I could just go through and do this to all the 40 odd programs that are affected buy I want to know what's causing it to stop it happening in the future.

I have spent hours trying to find a solution to this problem and it is driving me crazy!
I have seen a lot about the Windows 7 restore virus that makes start menu folders empty? I don't think this is the problem (I used to run AVG but now Microsoft Security Essentials and they have never found anything) but I haven't actually seen any info about how to confirm if you have this virus or not - mainly people advising to run different "virus fix" programs which I am wary about.

I have only ever had one user account on the computer which is set to admin privileges too.
Any help would be much appreciated, Thanks! :)

just saw this in the "similar threads" below this post

Start Menu empty

Quote: Originally Posted by beabt1
My Start Menu......Once was populated but now is vacant. I'm not aware of any action of mine that has caused the original list to disappear. Items can still be added to the menu if I choose to do so.

It is a known problem when start gets more than abt 80 items. I have it now. there are 2 fixes. first have less than that number of items. second there is a thread here that has the cure. I forget its name and fix. Just search for it. Me I just deal with it too much trouble.

Yes, it's not just one program though, i'm pretty sure it's all of the programs I have installed since it first started happening 6 months ago (and no, I have no idea what changes might have happened at the time)

Installed from my account (which is an admin account anyway) and always select All Users if the option is given.
I just pinned to the start menu the ones I use often and the others I open directly from within program files....which I have gotten sick of doing now hence having ANOTHER go at trying to find an answer, giving up and posting here haha

Does no one have any ideas on this one???

No I don't, I checked the Administrator user as well. Is that how you check if you have that virus that affects the start menu?