Start Menu Clean Up

[Nologic]

[Linky]

Okay I've linked to some AutoIt scripts I created...fairly beta stuff...and these are really only for those that have experience with AutoIt, for the time being.

Now the base idea is to be able to make a fairly orderly Start Menu post Unattended...rather than having the typical cluster f***.

It is my hope to get a fair amount of folks involved in this...so that a lot of software shortcuts can be covered and a fairly common convention can be established.

!!WARNING!!

The primary script will Delete all shortcuts on your Desktop & Quick Launch...if you read the script you'll see where and how to disable this.

Further it will move shortcuts around in the Start Menu...and Delete some folders...and create new folders. This occurs in Current User, All Users & Default.

Now it will not move everything...or at least not likely...given I dont' have every speck of software out there installed right now...hell not even a lot of common apps.

However one of the scripts "Get Shortcuts.au3" will dig through Current & All users and create some text files on your desktop...the contents of these can be edited and pasted into the main script to move stuff around.

There is already a text file included...that is called "Exclude List.txt" that is meant to shield certain folders from being parsed...mostly to help cut down having to rummage through stuff that has already been moved...should you install more stuff later...or you don't wish to expose something.

The base folders that are created are:

Internet

Media

Tools Development

Tools DVD

Tools General

Tools GFX

Tools Internet

Tools Media

Tools Network

Tools P2P

Tools Security

Tools Shell

Tools System

Tools Text

Yeah rather bland and probably not well liked. I am up for suggestions on naming and arrangement.

Right now all shortcuts are moved to All Users...this can be over ridden.

Basic Markup is:

_MoveShotcuts( $Origin , $Destination , $Where = @ProgramsCommonDir , $QuickLaunch = False )

What it typically looks like:

_MoveShotcuts( "\7-Zip\7-Zip File Manager.lnk", "\Tools General\7-Zip.lnk" )
_MoveShotcuts( "\7-Zip\7-Zip Help.lnk"        , "\Tools General\Help\7-Zip.lnk" )

Which moves some links that are somewhere (checks all menu folders) in \7-zip\ to all users \tools general\ with the help file being placed in a sub folder called help and then renamed to the application.

The main idea is to organize the actual applications & their corresponding help and helper app's...while getting rid of useless uninstall links and readme files and the like.

I highly suggest making backups of your start menu items before running the main script...while it should do the right thing...you may not be pleased with the result...or you may have forgotten to keep a shortcut.

Anyways I hope some folks will get involved ether by creating complete edits or submitting dumps of their start menu.

I'll try and clean up this post to give better explanations & examples...but I'm tired now so night.

Oh thanks for all that take part in this.