Win 7 n00bie questions

[Zootal]

I'm making the transition from XP to Win7. So far so good - I have the quick
launch where I want it, I have things mostly set the way I want. I even have
the task bar tamed to do mostly what I want. I even found a tweakui
replacement.

I'm still struggling with the Start menu. I used the classic start menu in
XP, and I absolutely hate what they did to it in Vista, and I hate even more
the fact that there is no classic mode in Win7. (They did the same thing in
KDE, and you should see all of the fallout on that one - many Linux users
are outraged at the KDE devs making KDE work like Windows, but that is
another story...) I can, however, live with it, but there are two things I
would very much like to do:

1) When you pressed Start-Programs in XP classic mode, all of your programs
would expand outwards across the desktop, taking up as much room as needed.
This is especially useful if you had a lot of entries. In Win7, it appears
that the Programs menu is limited to a small rectangular area, and I really
hate that. Is there any way to get the Programs menu to expand out? Control
Panel, networks, admin tools, etc., are on the right side of the start menu
dialog, and expand outwards. How can I place Programs there also, otherwise
get Programs menu to expand outwards across the desktop?

edit: AFAICT, this is just the way Microsoft wants us to work, never mind
all of the people that liked the old way better. So - any recommendations
for third party utilities that restore classic start menu functionality?
I've seen a few, but don't know much about which ones work good, which ones
to avoid.

2) When you pressed Start followed by a letter in XP classic mode, any
directory under Start Menu that started with that letter would open up
outwards. In Win7, Start followed by any letter brings up a search dialog so
it can search on what you type. Is there any way to revert this behavior? I
had quite a few shortcuts on the start menu so that I could go Start-><some
letter><some letter>, and quickly get to a lot of things that I did on a
regular basis without having to touch the mouse. I would be very happy if I
could get Win7 to do the same thing.

 

[ericp]

I'm making the transition from XP to Win7. So far so good - I have the quick
launch where I want it, I have things mostly set the way I want. I even have
the task bar tamed to do mostly what I want. I even found a tweakui
replacement.

I'm still struggling with the Start menu. I used the classic start menu in
XP, and I absolutely hate what they did to it in Vista, and I hate even more
the fact that there is no classic mode in Win7. (They did the same thing in
KDE, and you should see all of the fallout on that one - many Linux users
are outraged at the KDE devs making KDE work like Windows, but that is
another story...) I can, however, live with it, but there are two things I
would very much like to do:

1) When you pressed Start-Programs in XP classic mode, all of your programs
would expand outwards across the desktop, taking up as much room as needed.
This is especially useful if you had a lot of entries. In Win7, it appears
that the Programs menu is limited to a small rectangular area, and I really
hate that. Is there any way to get the Programs menu to expand out? Control
Panel, networks, admin tools, etc., are on the right side of the start menu
dialog, and expand outwards. How can I place Programs there also, otherwise
get Programs menu to expand outwards across the desktop?

edit: AFAICT, this is just the way Microsoft wants us to work, never mind
all of the people that liked the old way better. So - any recommendations
for third party utilities that restore classic start menu functionality?
I've seen a few, but don't know much about which ones work good, which ones
to avoid.

2) When you pressed Start followed by a letter in XP classic mode, any
directory under Start Menu that started with that letter would open up
outwards. In Win7, Start followed by any letter brings up a search dialog so
it can search on what you type. Is there any way to revert this behavior? I
had quite a few shortcuts on the start menu so that I could go Start-><some
letter><some letter>, and quickly get to a lot of things that I did on a
regular basis without having to touch the mouse. I would be very happy if I
could get Win7 to do the same thing.

Try the free version of this. It annoys me a bit but does give some
control.

http://www.vistastartmenu.com/index.html

 

[TOM]

I'm making the transition from XP to Win7. So far so good - I have the
quick launch where I want it, I have things mostly set the way I want. I
even have the task bar tamed to do mostly what I want. I even found a
tweakui replacement.

I'm still struggling with the Start menu. I used the classic start menu
in XP, and I absolutely hate what they did to it in Vista, and I hate
even more the fact that there is no classic mode in Win7. (They did the
same thing in KDE, and you should see all of the fallout on that one -
many Linux users are outraged at the KDE devs making KDE work like
Windows, but that is another story...) I can, however, live with it, but
there are two things I would very much like to do:

1) When you pressed Start-Programs in XP classic mode, all of your
programs would expand outwards across the desktop, taking up as much
room as needed. This is especially useful if you had a lot of entries.
In Win7, it appears that the Programs menu is limited to a small
rectangular area, and I really hate that. Is there any way to get the
Programs menu to expand out? Control Panel, networks, admin tools, etc.,
are on the right side of the start menu dialog, and expand outwards. How
can I place Programs there also, otherwise get Programs menu to expand
outwards across the desktop?

edit: AFAICT, this is just the way Microsoft wants us to work, never
mind all of the people that liked the old way better. So - any
recommendations for third party utilities that restore classic start
menu functionality? I've seen a few, but don't know much about which
ones work good, which ones to avoid.

2) When you pressed Start followed by a letter in XP classic mode, any
directory under Start Menu that started with that letter would open up
outwards. In Win7, Start followed by any letter brings up a search
dialog so it can search on what you type. Is there any way to revert
this behavior? I had quite a few shortcuts on the start menu so that I
could go Start-><some letter><some letter>, and quickly get to a lot of
things that I did on a regular basis without having to touch the mouse.
I would be very happy if I could get Win7 to do the same thing.

This might be worth a look:
http://tinyurl.com/a8sujp

It doesn't do what you want, but there may be some tweaks you'll like...

 

[Stubbo of Oz]

I'm making the transition from XP to Win7. So far so good - I have the quick
launch where I want it, I have things mostly set the way I want. I even have
the task bar tamed to do mostly what I want. I even found a tweakui
replacement.

I'm still struggling with the Start menu. I used the classic start menu in
XP, and I absolutely hate what they did to it in Vista, and I hate even more
the fact that there is no classic mode in Win7. (They did the same thing in
KDE, and you should see all of the fallout on that one - many Linux users
are outraged at the KDE devs making KDE work like Windows, but that is
another story...) I can, however, live with it, but there are two things I
would very much like to do:

1) When you pressed Start-Programs in XP classic mode, all of your programs
would expand outwards across the desktop, taking up as much room as needed.
This is especially useful if you had a lot of entries. In Win7, it appears
that the Programs menu is limited to a small rectangular area, and I really
hate that. Is there any way to get the Programs menu to expand out? Control
Panel, networks, admin tools, etc., are on the right side of the start menu
dialog, and expand outwards. How can I place Programs there also, otherwise
get Programs menu to expand outwards across the desktop?

edit: AFAICT, this is just the way Microsoft wants us to work, never mind
all of the people that liked the old way better. So - any recommendations
for third party utilities that restore classic start menu functionality?
I've seen a few, but don't know much about which ones work good, which ones
to avoid.

2) When you pressed Start followed by a letter in XP classic mode, any
directory under Start Menu that started with that letter would open up
outwards. In Win7, Start followed by any letter brings up a search dialog so
it can search on what you type. Is there any way to revert this behavior? I
had quite a few shortcuts on the start menu so that I could go Start-><some
letter><some letter>, and quickly get to a lot of things that I did on a
regular basis without having to touch the mouse. I would be very happy if I
could get Win7 to do the same thing.

Try this free program:-

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/

Works a treat for me in Window 7

 

[Zootal]

This might be worth a look:
http://tinyurl.com/a8sujp

It doesn't do what you want, but there may be some tweaks you'll like...

OMG I love it!!! This is just beautiful! Start-R gives you the run dialog
like you expect, I can add my custom menus, etc. VERY nice!!!

Why, oh why, didn't Microsoft ask us if we wanted to give this up? Not only
has this been around since Windows 95 (which I bought the very first week
Win95 came out), but it works and a lot of us like it just like it is.
Ahhh...my programs fly out across my desktop, I can see everything without
scrolling up/down/where the hell is my program.

Vista/Win7 introduced some nice changes, but some things should have been
left alone, or at least a classic mode should have been left there for us.

KDE 4 introduced the new Vista/Win7-like start menu, and a lot of linux
users are up in arms about it. We hate it in KDE, we hate it in Windows

OK, I feel better now....

 

[Zootal]

OMG I love it!!! This is just beautiful! Start-R gives you the run dialog
like you expect, I can add my custom menus, etc. VERY nice!!!

Why, oh why, didn't Microsoft ask us if we wanted to give this up? Not
only has this been around since Windows 95 (which I bought the very first
week Win95 came out), but it works and a lot of us like it just like it
is. Ahhh...my programs fly out across my desktop, I can see everything
without scrolling up/down/where the hell is my program.

Vista/Win7 introduced some nice changes, but some things should have been
left alone, or at least a classic mode should have been left there for us.

KDE 4 introduced the new Vista/Win7-like start menu, and a lot of linux
users are up in arms about it. We hate it in KDE, we hate it in Windows


OK, I feel better now....

Um...my bad...it is http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/ that I'm in love
with...I somehow replied to the wrong post...

 

[Tony]

Just make a shortcut to the programs folder and put it on the desktop. Sorry if
this sounds like a Chuckcar reply.

I'm making the transition from XP to Win7. So far so good - I have the quick
launch where I want it, I have things mostly set the way I want. I even have
the task bar tamed to do mostly what I want. I even found a tweakui
replacement.

I'm still struggling with the Start menu. I used the classic start menu in
XP, and I absolutely hate what they did to it in Vista, and I hate even more
the fact that there is no classic mode in Win7. (They did the same thing in
KDE, and you should see all of the fallout on that one - many Linux users
are outraged at the KDE devs making KDE work like Windows, but that is
another story...) I can, however, live with it, but there are two things I
would very much like to do:

1) When you pressed Start-Programs in XP classic mode, all of your programs
would expand outwards across the desktop, taking up as much room as needed.
This is especially useful if you had a lot of entries. In Win7, it appears
that the Programs menu is limited to a small rectangular area, and I really
hate that. Is there any way to get the Programs menu to expand out? Control
Panel, networks, admin tools, etc., are on the right side of the start menu
dialog, and expand outwards. How can I place Programs there also, otherwise
get Programs menu to expand outwards across the desktop?

edit: AFAICT, this is just the way Microsoft wants us to work, never mind
all of the people that liked the old way better. So - any recommendations
for third party utilities that restore classic start menu functionality?
I've seen a few, but don't know much about which ones work good, which ones
to avoid.

2) When you pressed Start followed by a letter in XP classic mode, any
directory under Start Menu that started with that letter would open up
outwards. In Win7, Start followed by any letter brings up a search dialog so
it can search on what you type. Is there any way to revert this behavior? I
had quite a few shortcuts on the start menu so that I could go Start-><some
letter><some letter>, and quickly get to a lot of things that I did on a
regular basis without having to touch the mouse. I would be very happy if I
could get Win7 to do the same thing.

--
The Grandmaster of the CyberFROG

Come get your ticket to CyberFROG city

Nay, Art thou decideth playeth ye simpleton games. *Some* of us know proper
manners

Very few. I used to take calls from *rank* noobs but got fired the first day on
the job for potty mouth,

Hamster isn't a newsreader it's a mistake!

El-Gonzo Jackson FROGS both me and Chuckcar

Master Juba was a black man imitating a white man imitating a black man

Using my technical prowess and computer abilities to answer questions beyond the
realm of understandability

Regards Tony... Making usenet better for everyone everyday

 

[Zootal]

That really isn't what I want. I actually have several shortcuts on my
desktop for stuff I don't do that much. The problem with desktop shortcuts
is that it have to take the time to move hand to mouse, move mouse around to
find shortcut, move/minimize apps that might be in the way of desktop
shortcut, etc. This may sound trivial, but there are a few things I do a
lot, sometimes many times an hour. For those things, I want real fast
keyboard shortcuts that work no matter what app I'm in and no matter what
I'm doing. With XP classic mode, I found it convenient to put a bunch of
shortcuts in a directory (called matty) and place that directory directly
into documents and settings\<user name>\Start menu. Then, I press
Start-m-<some letter>. Start-m causes the directory matty, which is on the
start menu, to open up and the next letter would launch the individual item.
This way, I don't have to move my hand to the mouse and go clicking here or
there. I simply quickly press the three keys and my app is launched. Speed
is of the essence and it's much faster for me to press three keys while I'm
working then move hand to mouse, move mouse pointer to my desktop icon which
may be under this or that app, or navigate through the start menu to find
some shortcut. click-click-click whammo my app is launched right now.

Some of you are rolling your eyeballs right about now, thinking what is
wrong with me that I can't just grab the mouse and find my shortcut? Those
of you that work on a keyboard all day know the value of real fast keyboard
shortcuts that launch an app NOW versus having to find a shortcut on desktop
or start menu. Especially if you do this dozens of times an hour, or even
more. Some of you just don't get it, and I guess I can't help that

 

[Char Jackson]

That really isn't what I want. I actually have several shortcuts on my
desktop for stuff I don't do that much. The problem with desktop shortcuts
is that it have to take the time to move hand to mouse, move mouse around to
find shortcut, move/minimize apps that might be in the way of desktop
shortcut, etc. This may sound trivial, but there are a few things I do a
lot, sometimes many times an hour. For those things, I want real fast
keyboard shortcuts that work no matter what app I'm in and no matter what
I'm doing. With XP classic mode, I found it convenient to put a bunch of
shortcuts in a directory (called matty) and place that directory directly
into documents and settings\<user name>\Start menu. Then, I press
Start-m-<some letter>. Start-m causes the directory matty, which is on the
start menu, to open up and the next letter would launch the individual item.
This way, I don't have to move my hand to the mouse and go clicking here or
there. I simply quickly press the three keys and my app is launched. Speed
is of the essence and it's much faster for me to press three keys while I'm
working then move hand to mouse, move mouse pointer to my desktop icon which
may be under this or that app, or navigate through the start menu to find
some shortcut. click-click-click whammo my app is launched right now.

Some of you are rolling your eyeballs right about now, thinking what is
wrong with me that I can't just grab the mouse and find my shortcut? Those
of you that work on a keyboard all day know the value of real fast keyboard
shortcuts that launch an app NOW versus having to find a shortcut on desktop
or start menu. Especially if you do this dozens of times an hour, or even
more. Some of you just don't get it, and I guess I can't help that

If you really run those few apps a few dozen times per hour, I would
suggest just leaving them running and switch to that task (Alt-Tab or
similar) when you need it. Then again, we all have our own way of
doing things.