Two Mad Geeks

The start menu gets more real estate in XP than in previous versions, and it’s more customizable. To make the Start menu display only the applications you want, rather than the default determined by Microsoft, right-click in an empty section of the Start menu’s left column, and select Properties > Start Menu > Customize. Here you’ll find a list of your most frequently used programs. (XP keeps track of what you use and what you don’t, then updates this list dynamically.) Don’t want your boss to know that Pinball, Solitaire, and Quake all make your list? Go to the General tab, click Clear List, and set the counter to zero.

Does the new Windows XP Start menu take up too much space on your desktop? You can easily change the look back to the Windows Classic Start menu by following these steps:

    * Right–click the Start button, and then click Properties.
    * Click Classic Start menu.
    * Click the Customize button to select items to display on the Start menu.

By default, selecting the Classic Start menu also adds the My Documents, My Computer, My Network Places, and Internet Explorer icons to your desktop.