Start button on windows: the damnation

Oliwerko · Sun 20/07/2008 12:13:47

Don't use computer

InCreator · Sun 20/07/2008 13:08:23

Quote from: Radiant on Sun 20/07/2008 12:11:04
Use Linux

QuoteEven after fresh XP reinstall, after adding drivers for all things to work, plus essential things like from winamp to video codec packs to game/art making utils, I already have a mess. And this is very standard "equipment" to use machine at all. THEN comes the software and games.

I repeat, Games

CodeJunkie · Sun 20/07/2008 15:17:33

The Start menu isn't designed for accessing every single file on your system. If you want to put games in your start menu, put the ones you most frequently used. I find the start menu very inefficient and would rather it were replaced by more taskbar space.

In 1280x1024 I have room for 204 icons on my desktop, all requiring a double click, or typing the initial letter several times and pressing enter. If you want your huge folder of games close at hand then make a shortcut to the folder on your desktop. If you don't have enough icons to store all your regular programs and unsorted files and downloads then download a program to manage it for you. The only one I've tried is Launchy, and it seems nice enough although most things are already on the desktop in clear view, and can be accessed with Windows+D.

In short, if your Start menu is so annoying then use something else.

Matti · Sun 20/07/2008 15:19:26

InCreator, if you don't like the Windows XP start menu, just change it to classic (like windows 95)..

Oliwerko · Sun 20/07/2008 17:22:49

That just makes the mess a little bit different, that does not solve it.

Ishmael · Sun 20/07/2008 21:25:49

Quote from: InCreator on Fri 18/07/2008 20:01:30
Aw damn, who made/released this? Atari? Eidos Interactive? Electronic Arts? THQ? I can't find anything in this mess--! Why didn't just use name for a game?!

You can, you know, look inside the folders to find out.

QuoteI installed this, I KNOW where I did install it. I can browse for it much quicker than spend 10 minutes looking at mess in programs section (start menu) and try to find it by another imaginative name you gave to yourself when releasing (and defaulting for installer path! ).

You actually answer your own question here. If you know where the programs are installed, why do you insist on trying to find the shortcuts instead of navigating to the programs and starting them up?

Or you could do this...

Matti · Mon 21/07/2008 00:04:21

Quote from: Ishmael on Sun 20/07/2008 21:25:49

Or you could do this...

Exactly.

Though windows in general is a mess, the startmenu and the folders/programs don't have to.

Oliwerko · Mon 21/07/2008 09:25:48

I'll ad a screenshot to clarify what I use:

I am shortly before a big cleanup tho, my 500GB HDD is kind of full cause I did not care to uninstall old unused things

Mr Flibble · Tue 22/07/2008 16:04:21

What's a Start Menu again? I literally.. never use mine.

I have shortcuts on my desktop to My Computer, Notepad, Paint and Calculator, so I never need to open it. And all my things are in top level directories on my HD, organised into programs, music, pictures and the like. I didn't realise it before reading this thread but I only ever use the Start Menu to get to Shutdown.