Make your Start menu easier to use

What you need: Start Menu X; Any Windows version (XP to 10) Time required: 40 minutes

We’ve used several Start-menu replacement programs over the years, but none have as many features as Start Menu X. While there is a paid-for version for £16 with extra bells and whistles, the free version is packed with all the options most people will need. It lets you access items on your PC in double-quick time and offers more customisation options than Windows’ own Start menu. You can reposition this Start menu, and set an automatic timer and a keyboard shortcut to shut down or restart your PC.

STEP1

To install the free version of the program, go to www. startmenux.com and click the red Download button 1 . Open the downloaded setup file, click Yes, tick to accept the agreement, then click Next. Now select ‘Free version’ 2 , then keep clicking Next 3 until you need to click Install. Click Finish after that’s done, then close the web page that opens. The program won’t launch, but open your Start menu (by pressing the Windows key) and you’ll see that it looks different.

STEP2

The menu is divided into two sections. Move your cursor to any item in the left section 1 to see its related options on the right. Some options have further menus. For example, if you move your cursor to Onedrive 2 , you’ll see all its folders 3 . Move your cursor over any folder to see all its contents 4 that you can then click to open.

STEP3

To detach your Start menu from the bottom-left corner, move your cursor to any other corner until you see a crosshairs symbol, then click and drag it wherever you want. You can also resize the menu by clicking any edge and dragging it. To search for something on your PC, type your search term in the search field 1 . You’ll see your search results on the left 2 , along with a link to its website and the option to install the relevant app 3 (if there is one) from the Windows Store. You can also search the web for that term 4 .

STEP4

The Add and Remove icons let you customise which items appear on the left. Click the Add icon 1 to see four options 2 . Here, move your cursor to Folders, then select a folder 3 you want to add to this list. If you want to add a program or app, click ‘Choose your Item’ 4 , navigate to where that item is stored on your PC and click OK. Similarly, to remove something from this list, click the Remove icon 5 , then select the item you want to get rid of.

STEP5

The Power Control button at the bottom brings up a pop-up menu with several options (including Shut Down, Lock, Restart and Sleep). Each option has timer icons, so you can set a time when you want to carry out that action. For example, click the timer icon beside Shut Down. You’ll now see various time values you can select 1 . Alternatively, enter the number of minutes in the box 2 , or choose a specific date and time 3 . Click Run 4 and your PC will automatically shut down after the time you set.

STEP6

There are many ways to customise the program. Click the Options button at the bottom right of Start Menu X, then click Options again. Now ensure ‘Launch the program with Windows’ is ticked 1 . By default, Start Menu X is displayed whenever you press the Windows key, while Windows default Start menu appears when you press Shift+windows. However, you can swap these keyboard shortcuts using the dropdown menus 2 .

STEP7

Next, click the Personalization section 1 . Here, you can change your Start menu skin (theme) from the default Windows 10 to something else 2 (there are seven options to choose from). You’ll see any changes made in the preview pane 3 . If you find the text in Start Menu X’s window too small, increase the Scale 4 to enlarge it. You can also change the default size of the Start Menu X window 5 .

STEP8

Next, tick Enable Virtual Groups 1 . This displays six categories (with dropdown menus) 2 when you open the Start menu. To choose which items appear within the group dropdown menus, click the Manage Virtual Groups button 3 , select a group 4 , then tick to select the items 5 you want. Click the Edit Group button to see options to change the group name and its default icon. You can reposition where that section appears using the right and left arrow icons at the top right.

STEP9

You can also change the default Start menu button (Windows icon) by clicking ‘Start button’ 1 , ticking ‘Replace the system Start button’, then selecting another icon (there are 17 options). The Controls section 2 lets you add icons to this Start menu. For example, you can tick Shut Down and Log Off if you want to display those icons. The Shortcuts section 3 lets you create your own keyboard shortcuts for 15 common PC tasks 4 .

STEP 10

The Style section 1 has three options. If you prefer to see your Start menu items as tiles instead of a list, select Start Menu 10. Next, click ‘Advanced options’ 2 . Here, you can choose to highlight files that have recently been updated in the Start menu 3 and hide the captions that appear when you move your cursor over the Power and Options buttons 4 . Ensure ‘Automatically check updates’ is ticked 5 so you’re always prompted to get the latest version of Start Menu X. ●