Start Menu Programs Disappeared

[wvcectech]

I am running 64 bit version of Windows7 RC. Sometime during the night, the start menu changed. The user picture went back to the default (no big deal) however a lot of programs just went missing. Most of the programs that are missing seem to be 32 bit programs. Example: Outlook 2007 is missing from the start menu, it was previously pinned to the start menu, and a search brings up Microsoft Outlook folders, not the program.


Anyone else having this issue?

Thanks for any help

 

[pooch]

I am running 64 bit version of Windows7 RC. Sometime during the night, the start menu changed. The user picture went back to the default (no big deal) however a lot of programs just went missing. Most of the programs that are missing seem to be 32 bit programs. Example: Outlook 2007 is missing from the start menu, it was previously pinned to the start menu, and a search brings up Microsoft Outlook folders, not the program.


Anyone else having this issue?

Thanks for any help

Hi wvcectech, Welcome to the forum.

No I have not had this problem, have you tried a system restore to see if it helps?
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/700-system-restore.html

Pooch

 

[johngalt]

i9f it was overnight, Pooch may be on to something - as it might have been and overnight patch (as that would have been late *Tuesday* night and M$ is notorious for Patch Tuesdays)....

 

[greenlink23]

im having this problem too. im running win7 rc 32 bit. all the programs in 'all programs' have disappeared, but only in my regular account. i have a separate admin account and the 'all programs' are fine. i even created a new account and they're fine too.

i noticed that in the programs folder, under C:, all the folders had 'hidden' checked under properties. so i unchecked them all, nothing. i took ownership of all the folders, nothing. following some advice i got by googling(spelt right?), i typed this:
regsvr32 /i shell32.dll into a run command, restarted, nothing. i typed it into a command prompt, nothing. i reseted the start menu to it's default settings, nothing. i did a system restore, nothing. i did an earlier system restore, still nothing. finally i did a repair install.............still bloody nothing!

screenshot:

what the hell is going on!?
does anyone, ANYONE, know what is going on and how to fix this. it is very frustrating and annoying. will i have to do a clean install? cause i don't want to do that again.
i have to type/search for the program i want to run.
remember im running win7 RC 32bit.



--------------------------------edit/solve-----------------------------------------
ok i've seem to have solved the issue, although i want to to a cold boot just to make sure. i think that some sort of malware was messing around with the desktop.ini(protected system file), so what i did was copied my admin account desktop.ini file to my start menu folder.

 

[skoozar]

There are too many shortcuts listed in 'all programs' The fix is to delete shortcuts till there are about 15 (I don't know the exact number)

-go to:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
and/or
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

-Delete shortcuts (.lnk) Do not delete the folders.

-Reboot your computer

 

[greenlink23]

the problem came back. i uninstalled some programs that i don't use anymore and it's working again. i think that there were too many entries in 'all programs'.

i have about 17 shortcuts 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs' and 26 shortcuts in total in the start menu 'all programs'

i think the best solution is a combination of what skoozar suggested and uninstalling unnecessary programs

 

[commons]

the problem came back. i uninstalled some programs that i don't use anymore and it's working again. i think that there were too many entries in 'all programs'.

i have about 17 shortcuts 'C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs' and 26 shortcuts in total in the start menu 'all programs'

i think the best solution is a combination of what skoozar suggested and uninstalling unnecessary programs

others had same problem. me too.

i found _one_ reasonable attempt... that is: create a "new user"

there had been _a lot_ of other proposals. that, imho, all lack sustainability.

what _i_ personally do now... is to create sys-restore points b/4 install of any app.

as far as i can say now after some weeks... prob is w the install apps/routines.

just imho. it's rc, 7100, x86.

 

[Snufffed]

It has been noted on many different news sources, that MS is having the GHOST installs and no log reports seem to be found. I would venture to say I have this weekly. something changes ca be found. If you want to check your log.

X:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Reportingevents.log

I am a MUv4 tester so I have not complaints. I simply accept this strange happenings. Remember all this is BETA-Unofficial Testing.

 

[RyanB]

There are too many shortcuts listed in 'all programs' The fix is to delete shortcuts till there are about 15 (I don't know the exact number)

-go to:
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
and/or
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

-Delete shortcuts (.lnk) Do not delete the folders.

-Reboot your computer

I did that, removing all shorcuts from this two folders then rebooting, and it still doesn't work. I still have the same problem, no programms in my Startmenu.


It's like that since I'm on Windows 7. I made an upgrade from Vista to Windows 7 so, but in Vista I never had this problem.

 

[RyanB]

Hi, still no solution ?
Thanks.

 

[RyanB]

So everyone who make an upgrade from Vista to Seven will have to create a new account (which by the way hasn't solve the problem for me) so that its Start Menu work again ? Great. Thanks anyway.

 

[surogatu]

Right-click "All Programs" and UNcheck the two options under "Start Menu" - "Privacy".

 

[surogatu]

Ok! I'll have to be more specific, because it worked after I unchecked the two options, but after a restart, "All Programs" disappeared again.

The problem appeared after I installed "Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2009", witch includes "Learning Essentials for Students" (a program to learn tricks with Office 2007). This "Learning Essentials" is known to be a naughty program, with side-effects. So, I deleted its shortcut from C/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs/.

Now, evrething works fine, including "All Programs" from "Start".

P.S.: I think the problem was caused by a special kind of shortcut. I will see...

 

[surogatu]

Me, again!
You only need to remove enough shortcuts from C/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs/. It seems that, in Windows 7 RC1, the number of shortcuts in "All Programs", from "Start", is limited to something just under 100. (You can see "ProgramData" only if you check "Show hidden files, folders and drives", in "Control Panel" - "Folder options" - "View").

 

[dangherciu]

Perhaps a solution...

Hello!
I issued the same strange thing! I fixed it quite fast deleting the last program entry in the Start menu / Programs folder - And I mean the last program that was installed in the computer ...no need to reboot or to modify the registry... nothing!
I hope this will be helpful for you also!
Of course ..you'll have to remember the last installed software... )
Yours sincerely
P.S: In my case it was Cain&Abel...
Best regards!
Dan

 

[catherine]

Local Policy Snafu?

I was mucking about in MANY places using Admin Tools.
For the life of me I cannot remember EVERYPLACE I went.

But i ended up disabling Privacy in the Start Menu and therefore Jump Lists?
Where was I, and how do I get the Privacy Section enabled again?

blonde on blonde???
Catherine

 

[catherine]

done fooling around....maybe?

I found it. I was in gpedit.msc.

Local Group Policy Editor.
Administrative Templates
Start Menu and Taskbar.

The policy that I "configured?' was "Turn off user tracking".
I returned it to its default state "Not Configured.
The Privacy option is now enabled.

never mind...
Roseanne Rosannadanna

 

[commons]

i doubt.

maybe, maybe not.

over last months it happened way too often. & causing effect is _always_ installation of some new software. even recommended software.

so, humbly, by now... i create system-restore point before adding software. if that particular software creates "loss" of start-menu - ...

 

[Snufffed]

I have found that also, but I have found also that ea time i install a program i reboot, then I no longer have this problem.

Win7 clean install this afternoon, all was fine. installed 3 new programs and nothing appeared and I lost one that was there.
rebooted, one I had lost appeared. installed again #2, rebooted - it showed, installed #3 rebooted ok, installed #4 rebooted ok, so now I reboot after ea install of a new program. No longer loose any thing in start menu.
Win 7 Professional.

 

[Geoffro]

Me, again!
You only need to remove enough shortcuts from C/ProgramData/Microsoft/Windows/Start Menu/Programs/. It seems that, in Windows 7 RC1, the number of shortcuts in "All Programs", from "Start", is limited to something just under 100. (You can see "ProgramData" only if you check "Show hidden files, folders and drives", in "Control Panel" - "Folder options" - "View").

This is the fix, it worked for me anyway.

Running Win7 RC x64, and yeah all of a sudden it went blank like a post
on the previous page showed. I'm used to having hundreds of things in
there from XP so I just tipped that Windows 7 limit of 100 or so.. it didnt take
many removals for it to come back, no reboot necessary - so thanks surogatu