Can't see all my Start > Programs list

[jerrylite]

My 15" HP Laptop, XP Home, doesn't show ALL the programs I have installed. I have several.

The problem may be that the Start > Programs 'window' doesn't fill the entire screen. It is situated to the right and down from being centered on the display. It covers about 80% of the display.

I have tried right clicking the Start>Programs Icon and setting the 'Icons' from large to small, but I still can't see all of them.

I don't know if there is a 'limit' on how many installed Programs XP will display ?

Does anyone know how to expand or center the display, or what can be done to see all the Programs?

Thanking You.............

[nitroshift]

Can you post a screenshot? You may try this and see if it works:

Right click on Start button ---> Properties ---> Start Menu ---> Customize ---> Advanced. Scroll down and check the item thar reads "Scroll Programs". Hope it works. Cheers!

[jerrylite]

Nitroshift............

The scroll box has allowed me to see ALL the Programs. It has narrowed the previous 3 column Program list down to 1 column (?), but at least I can see ALL of them, by scrolling. I just compared my desktop's XP settings, and scroll is not checked and it also has 3 columns, but the 3rd column is not full, so I don't know how it will react when it is.

I attached a screenshot (Screenhunter22.jpg) of how the laptop looks like with the scroll box NOT checked. (Has the 3 columns)

I attached a screenshot ( " 23-c.jpg) of how it looks WITH the scroll box checked.

(Has the single column)

Thanking You...........

Edited March 5, 2007 by jerrylite

[Ponch]

You need to organise your program groups in folders in your start menu (C:\Doc&Settings..). Put those you never really start from there in sub folders.

[nitroshift]

Do you REALLY need all those programs in your start menu??? I would just right click on any that I don't use and delete it!

[jerrylite]

OK, sounds like the real issue is the number of programs listed.

I thought this may be the case, as I stated in my original post :

"are there limits to how many installed programs that XP will display?"

Sounds like the answer is yes. I can delete some not often used entries shown under Start > Programs.

The "limit' may be (3) FULL columns I guess.

Thanking You for the help.........

[nosey1]

The problem is not the amount of programs installed but the LENGTH of the program names,if you right click on for example wordperfect office 2000,click rename and change it to wordperfect ,work through your whole programs list and reduce name length,problem solved.It only takes 1 excessive title to make your whole index wordwrap.

[jerrylite]

I'll try to shorten the Program names..............

Thanks

[poor_kenny]

hey jerrylite --

You know you can go into your Start Menu folder(s) and organize them. (Documents and Settings\(computername)\Start Menu -- and -- Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu -- and other user names if you have them)

Anyway, some installed programs will put their folder into 'All Users\Start Menu' and some into your '(computername)\Start Menu' folder. I usually just move everything into the 'All Users' one and create folders to organize them. (i.e. 'Image Apps', 'Word Processors', 'Media Apps', ect.) --- of course in your case 'Printers' would be a good place to start! -- just kidding you!

Also, I put all of the Windows apps shortcuts (especially the ones I don't really use - (like Remote Assisstance) into the 'Accessories' folder.

you could combine all of the Adobe Reader folders and shortcuts. (Why don't you uninstall the outdated ones and just go with Adobe 7?)

Most software won't be effected by their shortcuts being moved. I think Norton was the only exception for me (another reason I grew to despise it!)

That might take you awhile, but you should be able to cut those down quite a bit.

-- here's an example (~36KB)

-- just an idea

Edited March 12, 2007 by poor_kenny

[jerrylite]

Kenny,

Thanks for that info. I believe 'Ponch' also suggested this.

I have not gone in and removed 'seldom used' programs as yet, or 'Organized' them into folders either. I'm doing another project, and will go after this when I'm done.

I wasn't aware you could alter files from the Start Menu, to effect the Start>Program menu.

I used to 'rename' these programs (At Start>Programs), to names that suited me better. BUT, then, renaming started to give warning messages from some programs, I believe saying things like "don't change the shortcut, you'll lose the connection'. I don't remember when this started (after XP, XP Svc Packs, Updates, etc), so I stopped renaming, cause that's the last thing I want (create a new name that goes nowhere).

Anyway, just to clarify WHERE to organize the programs, that will in effect 'shorten' the Program list of Start>Programs:

1. When I look at my Start menu, All Users, the Program folder there, has many programs, but I don't see ALL of them? Where, under "Program Files", I do see ALL of them. (Ex; Adobe folder in start menu, doesn't have Photoshop, where the Program files folder does??

2. Should I ONLY organize these programs into folders from the START Menu, and NOT the Program Files folder?

Thanks for the HELP....................

[Ponch]

When I look at my Start menu, All Users, the Program folder there, has many programs, but I don't see ALL of them?

What you see when you click Start / (All) Programs is the combination of the folders

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs

and

C:\Documents and Settings\your_username\Start Menu\Programs

[poor_kenny]

Anyway, just to clarify WHERE to organize the programs, that will in effect 'shorten' the Program list of Start>Programs:

1. When I look at my Start menu, All Users, the Program folder there, has many programs, but I don't see ALL of them? Where, under "Program Files", I do see ALL of them. (Ex; Adobe folder in start menu, doesn't have Photoshop, where the Program files folder does?)

2. Should I ONLY organize these programs into folders from the START Menu, and NOT the Program Files folder?

To take your second question first, if you are talking about your C:\Program Files, the answer yes. You most definitely do not want to move anything around in your C:\Program Files folder. The Start Menu folder(s) contain only shortcuts to the installed programs, which is why you can move them around.

I wasn't all that clear before, let me start over.

If you go to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu -- or -- C:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menu -- you'll see a folder named 'Programs' along with some shortcuts (i.e. Windows Update, Windows Catalog) -- those shortcuts (outside of the 'Programs' folder) show up above the dividing line in the Start>Program menu. You can put shortcuts in or out of there as well. (Some programs will put their shortcuts there when installed.) -- In my screenshot the 'Desktop' icon there is actually just a folder I created with a custom icon.

Anyway, you can go into the 'Programs' folder there ( C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs ) and create new folders to organize it like "Ponch" and I were saying.

-- Now, when answering your first question I'm assuming that you only have one user account (running as administrator) -- you probably do unless you set up new user account(s) in the 'Control Panel>User Accounts". If you have more than one user account maybe this will help you understand what's going on.

The Start>Program menu is actually a combination of the \All Users\Start Menu\Programs -- and -- \(username)\Start Menu\Programs folders. So some programs' shortcuts will be listed in one and not the other (and vise-versa).

Ponch just posted that same thing while I was writing this.

(I called it computername before, but that isn't entirely accurate. I only have one user account, running as administrator all the time, so I tend to think of the computername and username as the same.)

-- your Adobe Photoshop is probably in \(username)\Start Menu\Programs for instance.

(some programs will install for 'all users' and some will install just for the administrator. The shortcuts for Anti-virus apps for example will only show up in \(computername)\Start Menu\Programs -- so they can only be launched with administrator privileges to run scans and the like.

(Example: with Windows XP, if "Dad" sets up a user account (or 'profile') for his son "little Johnny" , when his son logs on the pc he will only see the programs in the \All Users\Start Menu\Programs -- and -- \little Johnny\Start Menu\Programs folders listed in his Start>Program menu. He wouldn't have access to any programs that run under administrator privileges, or are in other user accounts.)

Anyway, I ignore that somewhat since I only have one user account. I organize everything into the 'All Users' one just because that's where most of them are to start with (I guess it would be better if I put them in the username one, ...hmmmm). Most programs don't check where their shortcuts are located in the Start Menu folder(s) -- (although Norton AV spat out an error message when updating after moving it's shortcuts, but that's Norton for you!)

You shouldn't have any problems moving shortcuts around for your image apps and the like. They wouldn't be so fickle. I move mine around all the time.

The only other thing is when you uninstall programs (with Add/Remove Programs) you'll have to delete the shortcuts in the Start>All Programs menu yourself if they've been moved. The uninstaller won't pick them up to remove them.

Hope all that made sense enough to be helpful!

[jerrylite]

Thanks very much for the last 2 replies. I just went back and looked at the start menu for 'all users' and also my 'Admin ID'. I wasn't seeing all the programs earlier, because I wasn't viewing them them in list or detail. I now see Photoshop is not listed under Adobe, but sort of on it's own, along with several others.

Anyway, I understand what you're saying and I feel I can do this fine.

Thanks so much to everyone, and (especially to Kenny) for taking the time to explain to my pea brain how to do this.

Jerrylite