Pin a Program

As you've seen, the new Start Menu's goal is to keep frequently used programs no more than a click or two away. But there's also a way to help XP decide just which programs these are. In other words, you can populate the Start Menu without waiting for the Windows algorithm to add programs to your list of Favorites. Instead, you can use what's still the most powerful decision-making tool ever invented: your brain.

You do this by "pinning" a program shortcut to the Start Menu, which effectively elevates its priority by putting it at the top of the menu list. This also ensures that the program will not be bumped by other programs, even if you use the others more frequently. To pin a program, follow these two simple steps:

1.	Right-click the link to your favorite program on the Start Menu.
2.	Select Pin To Start Menu from the context menu (you can see this menu selection in Figure 5-12). Your program shortcut will now be added to the top part of the pinned programs list, just below your browser and email programs.

To remove a pinned program, right-click its pinned menu shortcut and choose Remove from List in the context menu. Also note that you cannot pin programs when using the Classic Start Menu, which is discussed in more detail next.

What's So Smart About a Smart Menu?

In conjunction with the new Start Menu redesign, Microsoft has jettisoned the "smart menu" feature. This feature hides many of the infrequently used menu options, ostensibly to simplify the Start Menu's contents. (People commonly ask me how to turn that off. The answer: right-click the Classic Start Menu, choose Properties, and then click the Customize button. Uncheck the "Use Personalized Menus" option.) Smart menus were also used in versions of Microsoft Office prior to 2003. If, however, you still pine for that very feature, it will be enabled automatically when you use the Windows Classic Start Menu.