Automatically expand Windows XP menus

[LMDavis]

Can anyone tell me if there's some setting I can change so when I click on the Start Button, then Programs, ALL of the menu options are displayed automatically - as opposed to having to click on the little double arrows at the bottom? I'm running Windows XP.

I know how to set this in the MS Office applications, and I think I remember changing a setting in Windows 2000 that resolved this "annoyance". But I can't find anything on the Windows website to tell me how to do this.

Thanks, in advance, for any help you can give me.

 

[JohnWill]

If you're using the classic start menu style, right click the Taskbar, Properties, Start Menu, and select Customize. You can uncheck the "Scroll Programs" box there.

For the standard XP Start menu, it's similar, you click the Customize button, Advanced and uncheck the box.

 

[LMDavis]

Thank you for your quick response, but unfortunately that didn't work. I am using the Classic Start Menu style, and unchecked the Scroll Programs box, but I still have the double arrows and only my most recently used menu items are shown. I even rebooted on the off chance that was required for the change to take effect.

I'm assuming when you do it, that it works for you. Is it possible I'm running an old Service Pack? I'm running the XP Home Edition, Version 2002, Service Pack 2. Any other ideas?

Thanks again!

 

[JohnWill]

I'm running XP-Pro SP2, but it works the same way on my laptop with XP-Home SP2. AAMOF, that's one of the first settings I change.

Try going to the "modern" menu, applying the changes, then coming back to the classic menus. Maybe that'll sort it out.

 

[LMDavis]

Well, I tried what you suggested - changed to the modern menu style, and found the Scroll Programs was already unchecked, and saved the changes. And you were right, it worked. All programs were listed with no double arrows to click. But when I changed back to Classic, while making sure the Scroll Programs remained unchecked, applied and saved the change, I was back to having to click the double arrows to view all my programs.

Then, just for the heck of it, I went back to the modern style and checked the Scroll Programs box, and when I saved the change, I still didn't have the double arrows! I think my OS is possessed...

I must have something conflicting with this setting somewhere and over-riding my Properties settings. Do you know if there a setting in RegEdit I can check that might take precedence over those Start Menu Property settings?

 

[JohnWill]

I don't know where it would be, I've never had to chase this issue down.

 

[Bob Cerelli]

You don't want to use Personalized Menus

Right click on the task bar
Properties
Start Menu
From the Classic Start Menu, click the Customize button
Scroll to the bottom
Uncheck Use Personalized Menus

Now all your programs will show, not just the most recent ones.

 

[JohnWill]

Hmm... We said nothing about personalized menus.

 

[Rich-M]

Personalized menus is what hides the unused or less used programs JW so you have to hit arrows to open everything. Great feature in IE favorites, sucks in Program menu and XP defaults to it, Bob is right.

 

[Bob Cerelli]

Exactly. That's why I mentioned it. It helps solve the problem - "when I click on the Start Button, then Programs, ALL of the menu options are displayed automatically "