Convenient start panel for windows 7. What to do if the Start menu does not open

Main element Windows management XP is the Main Menu. It is opened with the Start button on the Desktop.

It is also convenient to use the keyboard: the Windows key or the Ctrl – Esc key combination (“hot keys”). By the way, if Start, you can also use these keys.

The main menu presents all the basic operations that can be performed on the computer. It provides consistent access to programs, documents, devices, and customization tools operating system.

How to change the Start menu?

You can set the Main Menu settings (Start menu) by clicking once right click mouse on the “Start” button, and in the context menu that appears, click on the “Properties” option. The “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties” window will appear on the screen.

In this window, on the Start Menu tab, you can select the menu style: the regular Windows XP menu or classic menu, as in previous versions of Windows. For example, I have the classic Start menu.

If you feel like a fairly confident user, then the “Customize” button (see the picture above) opposite the menu style you have chosen is intended for you. Otherwise, it’s better to wait a bit with the Main Menu settings button.

What does the Start menu consist of?

The main menu is divided into the following sections:

1. The name of the active user is shown at the top of the menu (although there is no name in the classic Start button menu).

2. Frequently used programs. This section displays icons for programs that the user has recently launched. This set of icons is generated and adjusted automatically.

3. All programs. This is the main and most frequently used section of the Main Menu. All programs installed on the computer are presented here.

4. Personal documents. This section contains standard personal folders created by the operating system. For example, the folder My Documents, My Pictures, etc.

5. Setup. These commands are used to configure the operating system.

6. Additional commands allow you to contact help system Windows XP, search for documents or computers on the network, enter a command from the keyboard. There is a list system commands Windows XP, which are entered through the command line (Start Menu: Run). They are necessary for configuring the system, checking disks, working with the registry, editing system files, etc.

7. Session management. The buttons at the bottom of the Main Menu are used to manage the session. They allow you to change the active user, end the session, shut down and restart the computer.

Computer literacy exercises:

1) Using exclusively the keyboard, open the Start menu, and in it run, for example, standard program Notebook.

2) Open the Start context menu and find the two styles discussed above there: the regular menu and the classic Start menu.

3) In the Start menu: “Run”, enter the CALC command and press Enter. What will appear on the screen?

Free program for organizing menus Windows Start to suit your needs.

In Windows (and not only in it), we can easily place all the programs we need for everyday work on the desktop in the form of shortcuts. However, despite the apparent convenience of this approach, the aesthetic side of the desktop design suffers.

Many people don't like having too many icons on their desktop. And what’s the point, for example, of constantly keeping a shortcut “at hand” for an application that runs once a week (or even a month!)? Fortunately, in the same Windows there is a “Start” menu, in which we can find almost all the programs installed on our PC!

It would seem that everything is simple - you go to “Start”, select “All Programs” and turn on what you need... However, sometimes it happens that there are a lot of different applications installed on the computer. Sometimes the list of these programs itself does not even fit entirely on the monitor. And in all this variety of names we need to find one that will lead us to the necessary rarely launched utility!

The pleasure is dubious... You can do this in several ways:

If you remember exactly the names of all your programs, then you can simply sort the entire list alphabetically. To do this, just call up the context menu of the application list and click on the “Sort by name” item.
If you are a fairly advanced user and the phrase “editing the registry” does not cause you awe, then you can manually configure the display of the list of installed programs (see the method from Elena Kostenko’s comments (without editing the registry)).
Another fairly simple solution is to install a program to organize your Start menu.

We will look at the latter method more closely. Of all the variety of programs for customizing the Start menu, I liked it the most Handy Start Menu or in our opinion Convenient Start Menu.

It automatically sorts all applications installed on your computer into categories, as a result of which the final size of the list of programs is reduced significantly!

Like most similar utilities, Handy Start Menu has a paid extended version with additional features, however, the main functionality is not limited in any way.

You can compare the Convenient Start Menu with another popular program- Tidy Start Menu (which, by the way, also has a free version, albeit somewhat limited in capabilities):

Comparison of Handy Start Menu with its paid analogue Tidy Start Menu

Despite the lack of some additional “goodies”, Handy Start Menu is a completely self-sufficient application that successfully copes with the task assigned to it.

Program installation

Installation of Handy Start Menu is standard. We need to run installation file from the archive and follow the wizard's instructions. During the installation process you will see the following window:

I advise you to uncheck the “bonus” application - Reg Organizer, which is paid. Then you can not change anything and complete the installation process as usual.

After the installation of Handy Start Menu is completed, it will take some time to identify and sort all your installed applications, after which a window will appear informing you that the program is active and asking you to find out what happened to your menu.

Now you can see how the program coped with sorting our menu:

As you can see, there is only 1 program left in the “Uncategorized” list, which is not that much, you’ll agree. But now, firstly, all your applications are sorted into thematic sections, and secondly, in each section all programs are listed in alphabetical order, which makes searching even easier.

Another convenient feature of the Handy Start Menu is the backlight ( yellow) categories in which any applications have recently been installed. New programs themselves have the same backlighting, so finding them will be very easy!

Below the list of categories we have a small admin section. From here we can change the scale in which the menu will be displayed, go to the page where you can subscribe to program news and go to settings. Let's click "Manage Convenient Menu" and see what can be configured in the program:

If for any reason you want to return to as before"Start" menu (for example, to remove a program), then to do this it will be enough to click the corresponding button - "Return to the standard Start menu." Next is a button that will take you to the settings menu. Click the “Change menu settings” button and go to the changes menu:

Handy Start Menu Settings

The Convenient Start Menu settings have five sections: “Categories”, “General”, “Internet”, “Menu View” and “Hidden Items”. By default, the first section opens, in which we can either add new sections to the Start menu or sort unidentified programs into already created sections.

After selecting a program, a list of categories to which you can link the selected application will appear on the right. Just click on the desired section and the program will be moved. Thus, you can sort all applications from the “Uncategorized” list, after which this section will disappear automatically. To apply the changes you will need to click the “Ok” button.

The second section of settings - “General” - allows you to do a little:

Here you can only select the language (by default - Russian) of the interface and choose whether you need to show the number of programs in each category.

The third section is “Internet”:

It is needed only to allow the program to check for updates and send information about your programs, as well as configure the Internet connection of the Convenient Start Menu. To find out exactly what data will be sent to developers, click on the link “Learn more about sending data”

In the fourth section “Menu View” you can select the display scale of your menu.

In the fifth section “Hidden Items” you can again display menu items that you previously hid. If you haven’t hidden menu items before, I’ll explain how to do it:

When you hover over a menu item, a cross appears to the left of it; by clicking on it, you can hide this item and it will immediately appear in the list in the “Hidden Items” settings section.

The concept of the Windows 8 interface goes against what users saw in Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, Windows 7 and other versions of the OS. The new “tiled” interface will, of course, find its supporters, but there will probably be many who will remain dissatisfied with the “improvements.” Over time, some Windows 8 users will come to terms with unusual cursor movements to turn off the computer and get used to hitting the “hot” corners of the screen the first time. But the majority will grumble dissatisfied until the last moment: “Why did they remove this button?” - referring to the number one button with which many people started working on the computer.

But it’s true: why was the button removed? It was possible to make it disabled and track how many users would exchange the native “Start” button for the “tags” of the new interface. According to Microsoft representatives, the Start button is no longer needed, since the entire screen can be one continuous menu. Maybe, according to science, this is true, but it will take a long time before people appreciate the advantages of the tiled interface, get used to its “conveniences” and want to use it. In the meantime, the demand for resuscitation utilities familiar interface system is quite large, so we went in search best replacement"lost" Start button.

Power 8 1.2

Developer: Mikhail AgentMC Makarov, Andrey Khabalevsky
Distribution: free
Russian interface: yes

After installing Power 8, a Start button immediately appeared in the corner of the screen. True, it differed in appearance from the one we are used to seeing in Windows: in size new button is identical to the key for minimizing all windows, located in the lower right corner of the taskbar. If you are not satisfied with such “minimalism”, it’s okay - in the settings, as it turns out, the size of the button can be changed. Unlike many analogues, Power 8 allows you to block operation start screen. Moreover, it is blocked only on the main monitor. If you use a multi-monitor configuration, the taskbar on the second desktop will still have a hot corner feature for calling up the tiled interface. If any errors are observed in the operation of the application, the button will display Exclamation point- it means that the program has detected problems in this PC configuration.

IN Power menu 8 already contains commands for controlling the reboot and shutdown of the PC. There are also some little things on the menu that make work more convenient. It is organized in such a way that many items have nested menus. For example, the user always has access to control panel items, commands from the Administration tool, and so on.

The alternative Start button menu has a search function - it works quickly, like the original Windows 7 interface element. In addition, search queries can be performed not only by local disk, but also in popular search engines. In order for the search to open in the browser window, you must enter the key before the word you are typing to use this or that search service. For example, if you enter I'm 3dnews, will start Internet Explorer with the Yandex results page for the 3dnews request. Power 8 can search Yandex, Wikipedia, Google, Bing and so on. Key parameters for online search can be viewed in the Power 8 settings.

⇡ ViStart 8 - starting with an apple

Developer: Lee Soft
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: no

The Start button menu that ViStart 8 creates is, at first glance, almost indistinguishable from the one we are used to in the previous version of Windows. However, if you look closely, you can see some differences. For example, application shortcuts from the ViStart 8 menu cannot be pulled out to the taskbar to pin it, and you can’t drag the shortcut onto a button the old fashioned way to pin it to the Start menu.

Search in the menu doesn't work the best either. in the best possible way- it searches only for desktop programs, ignoring applications for Windows 8 and Control Panel items. Key Win program intercepts, and when pressed, a menu appears. In the ViStart 8 settings, support for this key can be disabled.

It is very easy to change the appearance of the Start button by specifying a graphic template with a picture. The default program contains several design options, among which there is even the Apple logo - a bitten apple.

Basic program settings are called up from the context menu, which opens by clicking on the program shortcut in the notification area. At the same time, if you disable the display of this shortcut, you can rack your brain for a long time on how to open the settings window again. It turns out that everything is simple - commands to control the program should be found in the exit menu Windows operation. Why it was necessary to make an additional shortcut and place it in the notification area is not clear, just as it is not entirely clear why the item with ViStart 8 settings should be hidden in the shutdown menu.

⇡ Start 8 1.1

Developer: StarDock
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: shareware
Russian interface: no

Developed by the famous company StarDock, Start program 8 is able to offer almost everything that a Windows 8 user yearning for the Start menu could dream of. The menu it adds is fully integrated into the system and supports searching and launching new applications for Windows 8, as well as desktop programs.

After Start 8 a window appears with which you can configure appearance and Start menu appearance options. You can call it later if you want to change the previously set parameters. The first thing you are asked to choose is the style of the Start menu. Clicking the Start button can open a Windows 7-style menu or the Start menu Windows screen 8.

The appearance of the button itself can be very different: it can display a flag or Windows logo 8. Also in the Start 8 arsenal is a whole set of button images familiar to users from older versions of Windows - from XP to Win7.

After you decide on the appearance of the button and menu, you can move on to its content. Start 8 may show recent menu open applications, highlight just now installed programs. You can also fully customize the links on the right side of the menu and determine what the default action will be assigned to the shutdown button.

It is very important that the contents of the Start menu are not limited only to programs for the desktop - you can also pin applications for Windows 8 to it. And search from the menu, which you are so used to Windows users 7, takes advantage of the capabilities of the new OS. It searches across all applications, settings and files.

When working with Windows 8, pressing Win keys opens the start screen. Start 8 can intercept this key so that when pressed it will open the Start menu. Moreover, it can also open if the user presses the Win key while in the new Windows 8 interface. The Windows 8 start menu can be opened by clicking on the “Start” button while simultaneously pressing Ctrl key or by pressing the right Win key.

If hot corners bother you when working on your desktop, Start 8 can turn them off. The appearance of the pop-up start menu icon when moving the cursor to the lower left corner of the screen can also be disabled. Finally, perhaps one of the most requested features of this program is the ability to go to the desktop on boot, bypassing the start screen.

In general, despite the fact that you can find free programs With functionality like this, Start 8 is definitely worth a look. It is made very high quality and neatly, everything is “laid out on the shelves” in the interface, and it costs only 5 dollars.

⇡ Start Menu X 4.53

Developer: OrdinarySoft
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: yes

Start Menu X is a new version one of the most known alternatives Start menu in Windows. The version of this program for Windows 7 was called Start Menu 7, and the earlier edition for Vista was called Vista Start Menu. C Windows release 8 the potential audience of the program will certainly increase - previously it was only those whom standard menu didn’t suit him, but now it’s everyone who misses him.

Start Menu X offers seven different options design of the “Start” button, among which there are even images of popular characters from the game Angry Birds.

The menu itself is slightly different from the standard Start menu in Windows 7, but it has the advantage of being able to flexible settings. You can change the sizes of labels and inscriptions, you can add buttons to the first level of the menu for quick access to commands to shutdown, reboot, send the computer to sleep mode, and other things. As in the standard Windows 7 menu, there is a search for installed programs, files and folders. However, applications for Windows 8 are not displayed in the index.

One of interesting opportunities Start Menu X - virtual groups. If you enable their use, five groups will appear at the top of the menu: “Graphics”, “Internet” and so on. The program will try to organize installed applications on its own, but you can also assign programs to different groups manually. True, you cannot create new groups - this opportunity is available only to those who wish to upgrade to the Pro version.

⇡ Classic Shell 3.6.2

Developer:
Operating system: Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: yes

Program Classic Shell, like Start Menu X, was developed as an alternative to the standard Start menu previous versions Windows, but with the release of Windows 8 it gained new life. It has a number of new functions designed specifically for users of the new version of the system. And a special section was even added to the settings, which is called Windows 8. However, it has nothing to do with the “Start” button - here you can configure the transition to the desktop (bypassing the start screen) at startup and disable “hot” Windows corners 8.

There are three options for designing the Start button: Metro, Aero and Classic. You can also use any image suitable size. You can call up the Start menu or Windows 8 start screen by pressing the Win key, pressing Shift+Win, clicking on the Start menu, or clicking while holding down Shift key. Additionally, the Start menu or Start screen may appear when you hover over the button area.

The menu itself can be the same as it was in Windows XP or Windows 7. It configures the display of special elements in the area on the right: links to “My Computer”, to latest documents, to “Favorites”. The menu may also display a command to turn off the computer.

Start menu search from Classic Shell works fine. With this search string You can find not only installed desktop programs, but also control panel items, as well as applications for Windows 8.

⇡ Win8StartButton 1.0.0.5: this could be a button

Developer: Deskmodder.de
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: no

Habit is a terrible thing. For many who were dissatisfied with the missing Start button, the important thing is not that they lost convenient tool to launch applications. For some users, the Start button is something like a Feng Shui talisman: it stands in the corner of the screen - and let it stand, either for good luck, or for order. At least, this is exactly how the German developer who created the Win8StartButton utility should have reasoned. Its Start button doesn't open a familiar menu, but it does link to a tiled menu that appears when pressed. The new Windows 8 menu in this program has been redesigned so as not to occupy the entire screen. It turned out to be some kind of parody of the old menu, which, it seems to us, makes little sense.

The only plus is the convenient shutdown of the computer thanks to the shortcuts placed in this menu. The utility also responds to pressing the Win key.

It should be added that the program does not work very stably and sometimes mysteriously freezes, not responding to commands.

⇡ StartMenu8 2.0 Beta

Developer: IObit
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: no

Externally, StartMenu8 looks pretty good, standard icon fits well into the overall Windows interface 8, and the menu looks classic, without unnecessary decorations. However, other than this, StartMenu8 has nothing special to boast about. The capabilities of this utility are very modest. The program can individually disable the “hot corners” of the screen, as well as block pop-up sidebar with new system controls. In the settings, you can set the start screen to automatically skip, which appears to the user after Windows startup 8.

The utility responds to pressing the Win key, but the process of drawing the menu itself is imperfect and sometimes lags. The built-in search is also limited - it is performed only on items that are listed in the menu.

The button design can be changed - to one of the alternative ones included in StartMenu8, or to a custom one. Instructions for developing a button design can be found on the official forum of the program.

⇡ Wentutu Windows8 Start Menu - it couldn’t be simpler

Developer: Wentutu.com
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: no

The previous utility had a minimum of settings, but this one has none at all. Its only advantage is that it is free. The menu is standard, the search works, as in the case of StartMenu8, with restrictions. The only difference is the button interface, which, however, can be changed to another standard means program is impossible.

Windows8 Start Menu items cannot be arranged, you can only attach shortcuts individual applications to the main level of the Start menu. The start screen is not blocked, and the utility itself takes longer to launch similar programs this review.

⇡ Convenient Start Menu 1.73 - a program with a “convenient” name

Developer: ChemTable Software
Operating system: Windows 7, 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: yes

The features of the following utility were influenced by the fact that this program was created long before emergence of Windows 8. Its name speaks for itself - “ Convenient menu Start". Initially, this program was positioned as an alternative to the standard menu, and with the release of an OS version without a Start button, its value increased. The program does not have some of the shortcomings of the standard menu, and in this we see its main advantage over similar “clones”.

The utility works very quickly and stably, so it may well deserve a good recommendation. True, the principle of creating a menu in this application is quite specific - it differs from what we see in other “Start” button substitutes. IN in this case programs are grouped into categories, and this happens automatically. Applications such as Opera, Internet Explorer, Chrome are placed in a directory called “Internet”, popular players to the “Music and Videos” folder and so on. The program also has the ability to manually sort applications - you can manage categories, create new ones and edit existing ones. This sorting principle makes it possible to work with a small menu.

Another feature of the utility is to control the scale of the displayed list. This small detail turns out to be quite convenient function, especially on screens with high resolution when the inscriptions become small and difficult to read.

The creators of the utility forgot to make adjustments to the interface, so in Windows 8 the application is terminated using the “Return to standard Start menu” command. In a sense, this is logical - after all, there is nothing to return to, and the program ends its work.

⇡ Spesoft Free Windows 8 Start Menu

Developer: Spesoft
Operating system: Windows 8
Distribution: free
Russian interface: no

One of the problems that hinders many developers is the lack of imagination, which does not allow them to come up with an original interface for their program or at least give it unusual name. Before us is another Windows 8 Start Menu, this time from Spesoft.

The Start button menu is drawn very slowly - smoothly and beautifully, with a transparent effect. Quick call The Start screen is not locked, so pressing the Win key or accidentally clicking next to the Start button launches the standard Windows 8 tiled interface.

Windows 8 Start Menu from Spesoft uses its menu to control shutdown and reboot commands. If you click on the “Shutdown” button in the program menu, a menu for the visually impaired will appear on the screen, consisting of huge buttons - “Reboot”, “Sleep mode”, “Change user” and so on. Despite the comical size of these elements, this shutdown window interface is very convenient. In such a window, even a very tired user will not miss the desired button.

Once again we have to admit that the search option is implemented with a limited scanning area - there is no search for “tiled” applications, “Control Panel” items, and so on.

Judging by the commands in the program's context menu, any Start menu shortcut can be pinned to it or placed on the taskbar. However, the “pin to taskbar” command did not work for us, which is not in favor of the stable operation of the utility.

⇡ Conclusion

This is a paradox: they say that you get used to good things quickly. But for some reason, users still can’t get used to the “good” Windows 8 interface and are looking for ways to return it to “the way it was.” This begs the question: maybe the developers of the new operating system shouldn’t have taken the plunge? Perhaps it was necessary to gradually bring to mind the need for a new interface - in the eighth version it was possible to leave the button next to the “tiled” interface, and next time, perhaps, remove it altogether. Then, you see, there would be fewer of those who are dissatisfied with the innovations.

It is impossible to enter the same water twice. Despite the fact that many of those presented in this review utilities allow you to compensate missing button“Start”, none of them is completely perfect, they all have some shortcomings - some are large, some are minor. Well, maybe it’s for the best that there is no ideal alternative. Windows is changing, and if you don't keep up with all the changes, you may one day be horrified to discover that you have no idea how to turn off your new PC. But, as one popular movie character said, “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

After the release of the new edition of the operating Windows systems 10 many users began to encounter various errors in her work. This is due to the fact that the new version has not been fully debugged and is being finalized during operation. One of the shortcomings of the system was the frequent failure to activate the Start key menu: it does not respond to commands. At the same time, the icons in the “Taskbar” stop responding. Microsoft gradually resolves software issues through periodic updates. Until the errors in the system files, it is recommended to use methods developed and widely used to correct this deficiency.

What is the difference between the Start menu in Windows 10 and previous versions?

Due to the fact that the Windows 8.1 edition was criticized all over the world due to the lack of a Start key, the developers decided to return to the previous view of the Desktop with a familiar interface to everyone.

The Windows 10 Start button menu has a tiled interface

The Start button and its menu, shown in Windows edition 10 have a modified appearance.

The updated Start key menu is a hybrid edition that includes menus like classic look for old ones Windows versions, and the tiled architecture introduced for the first time in Windows 8, which is most suitable for touch control.

The icons on the left half of the menu and the live tiles on the right side duplicate each other, so you can use the part that suits you best. specific user. They can be disabled, deleted or edited.

Unlike previous editions of Windows, in Windows 10 you can resize the Start menu like a regular window. To do this:

All the previous items remain in the menu, such as programs, power management icons and others.

If you click on the "Start" button right key mouse, a menu with system management tabs will open. With its help, you can manage disks, change system settings, configure the network, search and perform other operations.

Right-clicking the Start button brings up a menu with system management tabs

It is possible to remove tiles and add new ones using the icons on the left side of the menu. To do this you need to do the following:

If you remove all the tiles, the menu will take on an almost classic look. This can be done if the user does not use the right half when working. In addition, it increases resources random access memory, since the tiles take up a significant amount of it due to the drawing of graphic images.

How to return the classic Start menu design

Due to the fact that the appearance of the key and the Start menu is very different from the usual classic look, then, naturally, many users will want to return to the interface they have become familiar with over the years, like Windows 7. To do this, you can use two well-known methods:

take advantage of the standard features of Windows 10;
install software third party developer.

How to apply standard features, described in the previous chapter of this article.

Installation of third-party programs requires the use of one of the publicly available and proven utilities listed below:

StartIsBack++;
Classic Shell;
Start10.

You can use other utilities that allow you to return to classic design Start menu, but the above are the undisputed leaders in this direction. They occupy Not large volume on the hard drive and allow you to change the menu presentation with a minimum number of steps.

To take advantage of the utilities for changing the external interface of the key and the Start menu, you must perform a series of sequential actions:

StartIsBack++ allows you to return the usual image of the menu and Start key. To do this, you need to do the following:
Classic Shell gained popularity after the release of the eighth edition of Windows. This utility made it possible to return the “Start” key to the “Taskbar”, since in the usual design the key was not there. In the Windows 10 edition, this problem no longer exists, but now, using the program, you can return to the classic design. To do this, you need to do the following:
Start10 changes the standard Windows 10 menu to its own immediately after installation. This menu is more similar to the Start menu in Windows 7 and is not much different from it. In the utility settings, you can remove the Start key, select the size of menu icons, and configure other settings. To run the utility, you need to perform the following operations:

Changing the key and the Start menu makes it possible to return the familiar working interface for most users. In addition, such manipulations can improve computer performance.

The Windows 10 operating interface certainly looks more attractive than its predecessors, but at the same time it uses a very large amount of RAM and video memory. For standalone devices, such as a laptop or tablet, the Desktop takes up even more resources. After returning to the classic view, you can increase the volume by reducing the requirements for drawing graphics free memory and battery capacity.

Video: How to return the Start menu to the classic look using Classic Shell

Customizing the Start Menu in Windows 10

The new Start menu in Windows 10 consists of two parts:

left half - classic view using pictograms;
the right half is "live" tiles using the Metro interface.

The menu has its own settings, which can always be changed if necessary.

Video: How to customize the Start menu in Windows 10

Switch the desktop from classic view to full screen and vice versa

Initially, Windows 10 is installed on hard drive computer, already having a “Start” button in the “Taskbar”. To switch the Desktop display to home screen need to be done the following sequence actions:

In addition, you can launch full-screen mode by activating “Tablet Mode”. This will require the following:

Video: how to switch the “Desktop” to full-screen display mode

Set the Start menu color

Changing the color and shape of the Start menu in Windows 10 is carried out by to the following algorithm actions:

Video: How to change the color of the Start menu in Windows 10

Rules for working with live tiles in the Start menu

Users can change the size of live tiles if desired. You can also move them, edit groups, pin and unpin.

How to resize and move live tiles

To transform the size of a “live” tile, you must perform the following steps:

How to edit groups of "live" tiles in the menu

Windows 10 has a feature to distribute tiles into different groups. To create a new group:

More Start menu settings

To customize the apps that appear by default in the Start menu, follow these steps:

You can also install certain set directories to display in the Start menu. To do this, a sequence of certain actions is performed:

Video: How to change basic Start menu settings

Reasons why the Start menu may not open in Windows 10

The exact reason causing problems when working with the Start menu, on currently not exactly established. According to Microsoft experts, this can happen for several main reasons:

incorrectly installed system updates;
failures when drawing the graphical interface;
damage to system files and directories;
inheritance of system errors when Windows installations 10 on Windows 7 or Windows 8.1;
failure in the system registry;
penetration of malware into the system.

In addition to these reasons, there may be many other, minor reasons that affect the operation of the Start menu when the key does not respond to user commands.

What to do if the Start menu won't open

There are several proven methods used to fix errors that affect the key and the Start menu.

Solving problems in the Start menu using a special utility

To fix errors when working with the Start menu, Microsoft specialists have developed a small utility. It can be downloaded from the company's official website. The utility works without installation immediately after launch. To use it, you must follow the following instructions:

Go to the official Microsoft website.
Select the "Support" tab on the Microsoft website
Click on the "Support" tab.
Select the problem Windows product.
Click on the Windows icon
In the window that opens, click on the “Troubleshoot problems when opening the Start menu or Cortana” tab.

Click the "Troubleshoot problems when opening the Start menu or Cortana" tab
Select the "Try the troubleshooter" tab from the suggested list of troubleshooters.

Click on the “Try the troubleshooter” tab
In the drop-down tab, click on the line “Start Menu Troubleshooter”.

Click on "Start Menu Troubleshooter"
Open batch file startmenu.diagcab.

Click on the “Open” button in the pop-up window
Launch the startmenu CAB file.

Launch the startmenu file through Explorer
In the “Main Menu” panel that opens, click on the “Next” button.

Click on the “Next” button in the “Main Menu”
The utility will begin the process of searching for Start menu problems.

Wait until the end of the search for problems with the Start menu
At the end of the procedure, click on the “Close” button. All bug fixes that are found are carried out automatically.

Click the “Close” button if the utility does not detect any problems

View tab additional information» is intended for viewing criteria for searching for problems. The utility checks the Start menu for the following parameters:

system registry errors;
incorrect installation of received updates;
state of the live tiles database.

Based on the results of the check, a report is generated, which, if necessary, can be sent to print.

Using the Start Menu Troubleshooter is the most effective method at the moment, which corrects errors in the Start menu with an almost one hundred percent guarantee.

Restarting Explorer to fix errors in the Start menu in Windows 10

Sometimes, to restore the Start menu, it is enough to restart the explorer.exe application. To execute it:

Video: how to restart Explorer in Windows 10

Restoring the Start Menu Using Registry Editor

Restore correct operation the start menu can be changed by changing system registry. To do this, you need to make some corrections and perform a number of operations:

Right-click on the Start button.
Click on the “Run” line. In the menu, click on the “Run” line
Enter regedit command and click on the “OK” button.
Enter the regedit command and click OK
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced.
Right click on free space in the right half of the panel.
Hover your mouse over “New” and click on “DOWRD (32-bit) Parameter” in the drop-down menu.
Create new parameter DOWRD (32 bits)
Name it EnableXAMLStartMenu.
Click on the new parameter with the left mouse button and enter the number 0 in the “Value” field.
In the “Value” field, set the value to 0
Restart your computer.

It is recommended that only experienced users make changes to the registry. If you are not sure that you can handle it, then it is better to entrust the solution to the problem to professionals, so as not to accidentally commit fatal error, which can only be corrected by reinstalling the system.

Video: How to restore the Start menu using Registry Editor

Restoring the Start menu using the built-in Maintenance utility

You can try to fix the Start menu error using the built-in Maintenance utility. To run the utility, do the following:

Launch the “Control Panel” by double-clicking on the icon on the “Desktop”.
Double-click the Control Panel icon to open it
Click on the “Security and Service Center” icon. Click on the "Maintenance" tab
Click on the “Start Maintenance” button.
Click on the “Start Maintenance” button
System errors will be corrected automatically.

The built-in Maintenance utility is designed to perform a wide range of more global tasks. Therefore, it is very unlikely that the Start menu error will be fixed. But it’s still worth trying to use it.

Restoring the Start menu in Command Prompt mode and using the PowerShell console

This method is quite effective because the Start menu is forced to launch. This may cause some applications to crash.. Therefore, this method should be resorted to if the others did not bring the desired result.

To restore the Start menu using the PowerShell console, follow these steps:

The same code is entered in the “ Command line» . Follow these steps:

It is better to use the Command Line console, since it is more dependent on the operation of the DOS machine, and Windows PowerShell is a built-in utility.

Video: How to troubleshoot Start menu problems using Windows PowerShell

Creating a new user account to restore the Start menu correctly

To remove errors in the Start menu, you need to create a new one in the system account user and transfer all data from old post. To perform this operation you need to perform the following steps:

Video: how to create a new user account in Windows 10

Since the new edition of the operating system has not yet been fully debugged, problems with the Start menu in Windows 10 will occasionally arise. Microsoft announced that in the process of improving system components, all errors will be eliminated. Most problems are resolved by the corporation's specialists and are corrected by installing automatic updates. Therefore, users are not recommended to completely disable the installation of system updates, despite the fact that sometimes this process drags on for a long period of time. Correct installation updates will only bring benefits to Windows 10 and will allow you to avoid future errors in the operation of the OS.

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