2010-09-26

Slow Start Menu Solution (Windows XP)

This might possibly work for other Windows versions.
I finally found the solution to the crappy start menu taking forever to load submenus! Thank you Phancy who pointed out to this solution in http://www.computing.net/answers/windows-xp/very-slow-start-menu-please-help/20993.html#10. You're a genious!

Simply delete EVERY F***N desktop.ini file in ALL start menus that affect you (wait there's more than 1? Yes, the beautiful complications of Microsoft developments). HOW? It can get tricky if you're a novice user, here the step-by-step guide:

0. You should know Windows (XP at least) keeps your start menu in the C:\Documents and Settings\[Username] foder. "C" can change depending on which drive letter is assigned to the drive or partition from where Windows is running. Obviously, [Username] is to be changed by YOUR user name, ie "Patrick" (shold be your Windows screen name used at the home screen if you use that. BUT there's also an "All Users" folder in here that ALSO affects you (and all users) so make sure to apply these changes to both these folders.

1. Go into the User folder (do this twice [at least], for "All Users" and for you [Username] folder) and locate the "Start Menu" folder. eg C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu

*Ahh theres yet another trick, the desktop.ini files we're after are hidden! To show these files go into the "Folder Options..." entry in the "Tools" menu in the explorer window, then chose the "View" tab and find the "Hidden files and folders" branch in the advanced settins list. Make sure the "Show all hidden files and folders" option is checked.

2. You have to browse manually the whole tree-structure of the "Start Menu" folder (meaning go into every possible subfolder systematicaly) and delete the translucent "desktop.ini" files!

That should do it. Enjoy a fast-loading start menu again :)

-Jop

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