Start Menu Weirdness

[HankAZ]

I recently purchased a new computer with Win7 (64bit Home Premium) installed. I had previously upgraded my old XP machine to Win7.

I have installed MS Office 7 and I have pinned both Word and Excel to the start menu. On my old machine, when I opened a document, that document would later appear on a sub-window of the start menu. The system would add a little arrow on the right end of the Microsoft Word entry, for example, and hovering over the arrow would display the recently opened items associated with MS Word. I cannot get that arrow and file list to appear in the start menu on the new computer. I have been through the customize process, but nothing I do fixes this issue.

Is there a "secret handshake" that I don't know? I realize this is a nit, but it is bugging me, big time!

Hank

 

[richc46]

Windows 7 is a bit different. If you open an excel document or a word document, it appears in the task bar at the bottom. You put your mouse over the icon and you can see the document.

If you do not have this feature type task bar, in search, and make sure it is properly set.

 

[HankAZ]

You are missing my point/question. The upgraded Win7 machine gives me the document as shown in the photo. My new machine (also Win7) does not. But both are running Win7 Home Premium.

The issue is with the Start Menu. If I want to open that same document later, I go to the Start Menu, highlight MS Word, click on the little arrow and see the Recent Items listed to the right in the sub-window that the little arrow opens.

 

[HankAZ]

No worries on missing my original point. Perhaps I wasn't clear.

I have already tried PINning the programs to the start menu and the task bar. Neither has worked. I have PINned and unPINned them several times... I realize it's a nit, but it is truly annoying me.

 

[richc46]

Others have had this problem. Read and try these suggestions. Hope it works

Start Menu - Pin to - Vista Forums

 

[whs]

Do the following: Right click on the taskbar (or orb) > Properties > Start menu button > Customize > roll down to where it says "Open submenus when I pause on them with the mouse pointer" (it is under "O") > check the box in front of that > OK > Apply.

 

[HankAZ]

Others have had this problem. Read and try these suggestions. Hope it works

Start Menu - Pin to - Vista Forums

Thanks, I appreciate you help and your patience with me.

 

[HankAZ]

Do the following: Right click on the taskbar (or orb) > Properties > Start menu button > Customize > roll down to where it says "Open submenus when I pause on them with the mouse pointer" (it is under "O") > check the box in front of that > OK > Apply.

Sorry, no dice. I had already checked that... and tried unchecking, saving and then rechecking and saving. Still doesn't work.

 

[jfar]

Hi, try this, Pin the Word program to the Taskbar, open a word document and save it as whatever you like
lets say XYZ, and then save it and close it. Now go to the Task bar and hold your curser on the
Word program Icon and just lift it up and the word document is there as you describe,
Have a look at the pic, I hope this is what you mean.

 

[Pusspa]

I just checked and it all works exactly how you want on my box. So the good news its possible! Jumplists are the thing you are trying to have function, but i didnt change anything for them to work, so maybe inadvertantly you have changed your jumplists from default actions?

 

[HankAZ]

Ok, I seem to be having problems communicating what the issue/problem is. Let's try it again, from the top. My previous WIN7 installation (different computer) had little arrow marks by some programs (Word, Excel, Notepad, Windows Media Player, to name a few) in the Start Menu. These marks indicated that the program had been used to open files (Word docs, etc). If I click on the little arrow mark, it opened a sub-window to the right of the start menu and it listed all of the files recently opened by that program. (See the picture attached to post #3.)

I have replaced that computer with a new one, and on this one, I cannot get the little arrow marks (or the associated "Recent" file list) to show up in the Start Menu. I have compared all of the settings associated with CUSTOMIZING the START MENU between the two machines and the checks and options are identical.

 

[whs]

Check also whether these 2 boxes are checked.

 

[jfar]

Ok I understand what you are trying to achieve, did you try what I was saying and if you did,
did it work, I need to know that first.

 

[HankAZ]

Check also whether these 2 boxes are checked.

Yes, they are checked.

 

[HankAZ]

Ok I understand what you are trying to achieve, did you try what I was saying and if you did,
did it work, I need to know that first.

Ok, I did what you suggested. It worked for MS Word, but it did not work for MS Excel.

 

[tapuz]

hank: i would compare your start menu properties between the two computers. eventhough i do not think that this is your problem.

but, i would check if word is set to show in word recent files etc.. the start menu might be taking the list from there.

 

[HankAZ]

hank: i would compare your start menu properties between the two computers. eventhough i do not think that this is your problem.

but, i would check if word is set to show in word recent files etc.. the start menu might be taking the list from there.

Thanks for the suggestion, but there was nothing there to be changed to enable it. Word is playing nice, Excel is not. Grrr.

 

[HankAZ]

Still looking for an answer to this one. It appears the issue of NO jumplist only applies to Excel. I have jumplists associated with the Start Menu entries for MS Word, MS Expression Web 3, MS IE 8, VLC Media player and a few others... but still nothing for Excel.

One "sort of" workaround was to install Hedgehog's JumpList Launcher app. It's OK, but not as "clean" as having the Excel jumplist in the Win7 Start Menu.

 

[jfar]

When you select the program at the Start All Programs, Don't start it, right click on it and Select
Pin to Start Menu. When it is pinned to the Start Menu you will then have the arrow that you
are talking about to link you to the last open pages, as per your photo on the first page.

 

[HankAZ]

Yep. That works for every app that I have tried it on...except MS Excel. It it pinned to the Start Menu, but NO jumplist for Excel.