Start Menu in Windows 7 malfunctioning

Users are realizing all too soon that the Start Menu in Windows 7 is capable of erratic behavior! For instance, you’ll find that all the programs on the Start menu may simply disappear after the installation of new software. In a few cases, the programs go missing from the menu even if you haven’t explicitly done anything to alter the menu. Either way, here are some workarounds to restore the Start menu to its previous state.


After eliminating the possibility of a malware attacks, check out the number of shortcuts on the ‘All Programs’ option in the Start menu. If it’s too cluttered, do away with some programs that you really don’t require. You could uninstall the programs or remove the shortcut from the Start menu and restart the system. We’re not sure what magic number of short cuts is the perfect fix, but this solution seems to work.


Also check for any automatic updates and patches that may have altered the settings. Usually this problem hits only one particular user on the system, try logging in as Administrator or any other user to verify if the program list on the Start menu is the same. Manually copying the settings may help in a few cases.


There is a custom Start menu setting to highlight new programs that have recently been installed. You could also play around with this setting to check the difference, in case the Start menu programs disappear after the installation of new software. The Start menu program files, though still present in the system, may be accidentally hidden. Check for this issue and make the files and folders visible, and also verify if you have rights to access the folder.


The last resort is a repair installation of Windows 7 followed by a clean installation if the repair process fails. But before that try copying all the contents from the Start menu folder to a temporary folder, allow the Start menu to refresh the default program list, and then copy back the programs shortcuts that you most require. Creating a backup before any major installation spree is the sure way out of these issues.