Sort Your Programs In Windows XP
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Windows XP comes with default programs installed that are accessible by clicking Start and pointing to All Programs. Additional programs that you install are also added to this list. After installing a few additional software applications, you may find that this list grows from short to very long.
Overly long submenus is a problem that has plagued me. Sometimes when I go to open a program, I have to look two or three times until I find it. I know its there because I just saw it, but my list of All Programs is just a little cluttered. One of the things you can do to make things a little easier is to sort the programs alphabetically. At least then if I need to open up Excel, I can find it after the “Ds.” It’s simple to do. Click the Start Menu, point to All Programs, and right click one of the programs on the list. Select the option to Sort by Name and you are done. All your programs should now be listed alphabetically.
3 Comments
teqjack
December 8th, 2007
at 3:45pm
My “All Programs” got so large I couldn’t even scroll through it (possibly bug?).
SO I got a bit desperate and did the same thing I have done to my IE Favorites folder. I opened “C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs” folder and re-arranged stuff. Add new folders and cut/paste multiple entries into the new folders, or into existing folders.
E.g., I use several screen-capture packages and a calendar, which I moved into the standard “Accessories” folder. Bonus - since these normally auto-start, why clutter base view with them, but if autostart fails I can still find them for manual start.
Tom Farley
December 10th, 2007
at 7:28am
Thanks for the tip! I right click just about everything else. I don’t know why I never thought to try right clicking the “all programs” menu.
Henry
December 20th, 2007
at 9:10am
I usually arrange my Start Menu according to function.
(My brother manages to keep his down to 4 entries.)
I dumped all my office related folders and links into “Office”.
All my games into “Gaming”.
Graphics utilities and viewers go into “Graphics”, which is in the “Multimedia” folder.
I have an “Internet” folder, which contains “Browsers”, “Email”, “Download Managers”, and “Tools”.
Then I also have a “Tools” folder on the main Start Menu.
That contains “Disk tools”, “File & Folder Tools”, “Protection”, “System Tools”, etc.
For me, it just makes more sense to arrange things, especially since I am fanatic about installing, testing (and often forgetting about) software.