WASHINGTON: If you use Windows 7, you almost certainly use the Start menu on a daily basis. But how much do you really know about it? Sure, it's the default way to launch applications and even to search for files and programs.
But there's more to the Start menu -- much more. Microsoft has tucked away lots of little surprises and a surprising amount of customisation options in the updated Start menu.
Read on for a taste of what you've probably been missing.
Launch URLs
Launching programs is just the beginning of what you do with the Windows 7 Start orb. You can think of the Start menu as a web browser, too -- or at least a launchpad for web pages. For example, you can go directly to any domain by opening the Start menu and typing the web address, as in http://microsoft.com.
Or, even better, you can use the Start menu just like a search engine. To do so, first open the Start menu and type 'gpedit.msc,' and then press Enter. The Local Group Pollicy Editor will open.
From there, in the left-hand pane under User Configuration, expand the Administrative Templates folder, and then select Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right-hand pane, double-click 'Add Search Internet link to Start Menu,' and click Enabled in the resulting dialog box.
Click OK. Once you've done that, you can open the Start menu and type any search phrase, just as you would in a search engine. Directly above the search field will be an item labeled 'Search the Internet.' Click that, and your web browser will launch, with the search results for your phrase displayed immediately.
Pin apps and files
Applications find their way to the top level of the Start menu according to how recently or how often they're used. That's a handy feature, but most of us have programs that we'd like to have always pinned to the top level for quick access.
There are a couple of ways to pin programs permanently to the top level of the Start menu. First, if you open your Start menu and see a program that you'd like to have permanently on the top level, just grab it with your mouse cursor and start dragging it to the top of the Start menu.
But there's more to the Start menu -- much more. Microsoft has tucked away lots of little surprises and a surprising amount of customisation options in the updated Start menu.
Read on for a taste of what you've probably been missing.
Launch URLs
Launching programs is just the beginning of what you do with the Windows 7 Start orb. You can think of the Start menu as a web browser, too -- or at least a launchpad for web pages. For example, you can go directly to any domain by opening the Start menu and typing the web address, as in http://microsoft.com.
Or, even better, you can use the Start menu just like a search engine. To do so, first open the Start menu and type 'gpedit.msc,' and then press Enter. The Local Group Pollicy Editor will open.
From there, in the left-hand pane under User Configuration, expand the Administrative Templates folder, and then select Start Menu and Taskbar. In the right-hand pane, double-click 'Add Search Internet link to Start Menu,' and click Enabled in the resulting dialog box.
Click OK. Once you've done that, you can open the Start menu and type any search phrase, just as you would in a search engine. Directly above the search field will be an item labeled 'Search the Internet.' Click that, and your web browser will launch, with the search results for your phrase displayed immediately.
Pin apps and files
Applications find their way to the top level of the Start menu according to how recently or how often they're used. That's a handy feature, but most of us have programs that we'd like to have always pinned to the top level for quick access.
There are a couple of ways to pin programs permanently to the top level of the Start menu. First, if you open your Start menu and see a program that you'd like to have permanently on the top level, just grab it with your mouse cursor and start dragging it to the top of the Start menu.
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