Author Topic: "ALL PROGRAMS" only shows a few original files ... (Read 15979 times)

Washbush · « **on:** April 09, 2014, 08:15:05 am »

I am still playing with this old DELL Dimension 8250. With the help of your Advanced and Simple Tweaks, (I have started to call them "Big Tweaks" and "Little Tweaks"), the old critter is doing much more than I expected. It is strong enough that I spent a few bucks on eBay and bought enough additional memory to run it up to 2GB. Next I want to increase the video memory too.

The obvious glitch to all of this is on the Start Menu under "ALL PROGRAMS". The list is very, very short. It looks as if nothing has been added to the list since the original installation of Vista. Do you have any suggestions as to what might be responsible for that?

Otherwise, all is well and I am having a good time with this machine. I am going places and trying things that I never would have done before knowing that even if I make a big mistake I haven't lost anything valuable and I have Big and Little to come to the rescue if I need them. I am really getting to like this stuff. Thanks again for all of your fantastic work.

John

Shane · « **Reply #1 on:** April 09, 2014, 10:51:07 am »

Did you check the add/remove programs to see if anything extra is installed? If not then the start menu would be short

This user here was missing the accessories folder, but I think that is different than what you are saying.
http://www.tweaking.com/forums/index.php/topic,1901.0.html

Shane

Washbush · « **Reply #2 on:** April 14, 2014, 09:52:39 am »

Right, I am making reference to something much different.

When I go to the start button, and on the page with the Quick Start Menu, there is a link called "All Programs". In the past, it has always been a listing of all of the installed programs on the computer. For me, it was the main go-to when I wanted to open something that I didn't use very often. Or, if I wanted to make a shortcut for the desktop. Since I installed Vista on this computer, I don't have any of that.

What I do have is a listing of folders, all of which look to me like something that Windows would have put there. I have Accessories, Administrative Tools, Maintinance and StartUp. Administrative Tools and Startup are both empty, however.

When I go through the the Control Panel, and I select Add/Remove Programs, I find a list of installed programs as long as my arm. Every time I install something new it shows up here, but almost nothing shows up on the ALL PROGRAMS list. Well, there is one exception. I took all of the programs that I have downloaded from you and put them in a folder called "Tweaking.Com". Guess what? That folder is the only other thing, other than folders that look like Windows installation folders, that show on the list at all.

Consequently, it is an annoying little search to go the long route through Computer/Drive C:/etc. to get to the executable file for everything I want to open that isn't on a shortcut somewhere.

It wouldn't be so bad if there was a way to open a program from the Add/Remove Programs list on the Control Panel. But, I don't know of any way to do that, if there even is a way.

Do you have any suggestions?

John

Shane · « **Reply #3 on:** April 14, 2014, 10:45:41 am »

The all programs folder in the start menu simply loads up two folders on the system. So if the shortcuts are not in that folder then it wont show anything. So lets check those folders first.

The first place it looks at is the shortcuts for all users, which should be under this path

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

And then it looks at the folder for the current profile of who is looged in which should be here

C:\Users\Shane\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu

Which of course replace "Shane" with your username

Check those two spots and see if they have what you are looking for. If they dont then you know something removed them and why the start menu is so bare.

If they do have all the folders and shortcuts you are looking for then for some reason the start menu is looking in the wrong spot, which we can look into

Shane

Washbush · « **Reply #4 on:** April 14, 2014, 11:37:38 am »

Wow. This is interesting.

In the first case, (C:\Program Data ... Start Menu\) there is an additional folder there called "Programs" and in it are the items that do now show in All Programs and some of the missing ones, but not all of them. In fact, I would say "a few of the missing one's". The string should say "C:\Program Data ... Start Menu\Programs\", I think.

In the second case, (C:\Users ... Start Menu\) there is nothing at all by the name of "Start Menu".

Shane · « **Reply #5 on:** April 14, 2014, 11:48:00 am »

Programs folder should be there and then the rest under it.

Try this, go to the start menu and right click on All Programs. You will have a Open option which will open the folder for the current user and then a open all users option which will open the folder for the all users. Lets see what it pulls up for those folders.

Post screen shots

Shane

Washbush · « **Reply #6 on:** April 14, 2014, 12:01:00 pm »

OK ...

When I right click on "All Programs" I have only one "Open". Clicking on that gives me another file called "Programs" and clicking on that gives me exactly what is showing under All Programs now.

The string is something like "...Computer\LocalDisc (C:)\Users\John\Ap Data\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Programs ... and then under Programs are folders: Accessories, Administrative Tools, Maintenance, Startup(which is empty) and Tweaking.com. In addition there are two shortcuts, one to Windows Mail and one to Windows Media Player

Shane · « **Reply #7 on:** April 14, 2014, 12:10:20 pm »

Ok and what about the open all users one?

Shane

Washbush · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2014, 12:20:10 pm »

Nope. No other other. Only one simple "Other" and that is it. However that menu does have a Properties at the bottom and clicking on that gives me options and all of them are for the Start Menu. In fact, I felt yesterday that "All Programs" was probably more important than the Start Menu and it literally isn't present anywhere that I could find.

Shane · « **Reply #9 on:** April 14, 2014, 12:28:36 pm »

OK so when you right click on All programs you dont get a Open All users option?

I attached the a screen shot of what it should look like.

If it doesnt have that then I think we found the problem. The start menu is only showing the folder for the current user and isnt showing the folder for all users.

If that is true then I have attached a picture of the registry, I want you to go check that section in your registry and compare it with the one I posted. I want to see if anything is different.

Shane

Washbush · « **Reply #10 on:** April 14, 2014, 12:46:50 pm »

OK, no problem.

Other than I need to get to the one person Post Office we have near here and it closes at 4:00pm. I will check out the Registry tonight. I will also see if I can figure out how to do a screen shot as that will make it easier. I will do that tonight when it is quiet and I am less likely to make a mistake. We can pick up on this tomorrow, if that is OK with you.

I appreciate your help more than you know. So, most sincere thanks.

John