Start+Page+displays+eliminate

Start Page displays eliminate

How to stop programs featuring in the list of applications shown when you click on the Start button in Windows XP? Specifically, Notepad, or Paint taking up space there.

The ones referred to are under the line after you’ve played a game etc.

Before you start remember this is dangerous stuff and make a

System Restore point before starting

Also double check everything that you do before doing it.

A lso make a back‐up of the Registry as follows:‐

Click the Start Menu.> Go to Run

Type in the box type Regedit Press.Enter

Click the ʺRegistryʺ (or ʺFileʺ) menu > Click ʺExport Registry File...ʺ

Now be careful to choose an easy to remember location in which to save the file, and an easy to remember name.

At the bottom of that box, under Export Range, there are 2 buttons,

Click the one that says ʺAllʺ, and then click Save

You will be sorry if you do not take the time to do the above if something goes dreadfully wrong

Go toStart > Run in the box type Regedit >Enter

Close the files by clicking on the negatives “‐“ to make them positives “ + “

You use the Registry Editor to prevent it appearing at all by following these steps.

In the case of Notepad and some Windows XP utilities this is very easy but you have to do a bit more work to stop Solitaire appearing there.

First create a System Restore point

Look for the key:

HKEY‐CLASSES‐.ROOT \ Applications

Click or, the + button and you’ll see loads of application keys listed in the format

, so Notepad appears as Notepad.Exe, WordPad as Wordpad.exe and so on.

To stop either of these applications from appearing in Most Recently Used Programs, select the application name on the left.

Then right click on the right‐hand side to create a new String Value Key on the right, and then Rename it “NoStartPage “ That’s it.

It doesn’t have a value just that name, Restart and you’ll discover at the icon representing the application in question has vanished from its place above the Start button

You will not see Solitaire.Exe in this list. However, you will see other Games etc.

To obtain the same results as above with Notepad etc. you create a new application KEY named Solitaire.exe and gave it a new string value as above

To implement this highlight Applications right click and select NEW then KEY then perform the NoSartPage routine as above