Customizing Windows 7’s Desktop - Navigating and customizing the programs list

The Start menu’s left pane displays recently used programs and programs that have been pinned to the Start menu. You can customize the programs list by pinning items to the Start menu and by changing the number of recently used programs to display. Programs pinned to the Start menu are listed in the uppermost section of the programs list. Pinning programs to the Start menu provides quick access to your favorite programs. You can pin a program to the Start menu by following these steps:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Click All Programs and locate the program’s menu entry.

3. Right-click the program’s menu entry.

4. On the shortcut menu, select Pin to Start Menu.

If you no longer want a program to be pinned to the Start menu, you can unpin it by following these steps:

1. Click the Start button.

2. Right-click the program on the Start menu.

3. Select Unpin from Start Menu.

On the Start menu, recently used programs are listed in the lower portion of the programs list. You can remove a program from the recently used list by right-clicking it and then selecting “Remove from this list.” This won’t, however, prevent the program from being added to the list in the future.

You can customize the programs list by completing the following steps:

1. Right-click the Start button and then select Properties.

2. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties dialog box, the Start Menu tab is selected by default. Click Customize. Set the “Number of recent programs to display” option to the desired value.

3. Using small icons instead of large icons, you can display more programs on the list. Scroll down the list of options and clear Use Large Icons.

4. Click OK twice.

Source of Information : OReilly Windows 7 The Definitive Guide