DeofMovestofca - 02 Sep. 2008 - 04:31:

A different approach to WinT's "Start Menu Manipulation"

RE: http://wint.virtualplastic.net/index.php

Biggest similarity:
Dislike of seperators

Biggest difference (and basic purpose):
Stresses functionality over minimalism, taking many of the options from the taskbar context menu and moving them to the start menu.

Possible further improvements:
1) I can recognize WinT's "Launch" as "Run", "Turn off" as "Shut Down", "Control" as "Control Panel", but what does the fourth entrant under the "Functions" sub-menu ("Folders", 555) do?
2) If "Control Panel" is changed from a MENUITEM to a POPUP, does it expand on the Start Menu (like it does if selecting Start Menu > Settings > Taskbar and Start Menu... > Advanced tab > Expand Control Panel")? If so, can one add the "Taskbar and Start Menu..." MENUITEM to the Control Panel by the following:
POPUP "&Control Panel", 505, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "&Taskbar && Start Menu...", 413, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
}?
If not, can anyone advise me on how to create a .cpl to control the Taskbar & Start Menu options?

Menus 204 and 205 version 0.1
205 MENU
LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US
{
POPUP ""
{
MENUITEM "&Undo", 416
}
}
(Yep, that's all....)

204 MENUEX
LANGUAGE LANG_ENGLISH, SUBLANG_ENGLISH_US
{
POPUP "", 0, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "Self-Destruct &Mechanism", 505, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Processes", 420, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
POPUP "&Windows Control", 508, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "&Cascade", 403, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "Tile &Horizontally", 404, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "Tile &Vertically", 405, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Minimize All", 415, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
}
POPUP "&Links", 504, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "", 513, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED
}
POPUP "&Settings", 508, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "&Network and Dial-up Connections", 557, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Printers", 510, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Taskbar && Start Menu", 413, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
}
POPUP "&Find", 520, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "", 65535, MFT_SEPARATOR, MFS_ENABLED
}
MENUITEM "&Run", 401, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Exit", 506, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
}
}


Reasoning process behind the changes:

1) From the Toolbar Context Menu, I got rid of all the seperators and was left with:
MENUITEM "&Adjust Date/Time", 408
MENUITEM "Ca&scade Windows", 403
MENUITEM "Tile Windows &Horizontally", 404
MENUITEM "Tile Windows V&ertically", 405
MENUITEM "&Minimize All Windows", 415
MENUITEM "&Undo", 416
MENUITEM "Tas&k Manager...", 420
MENUITEM "P&roperties", 413

2) Date/Time can be adjusted in "Self-Destruct Mechanism" (what most of you probably refer to as "Control Panel") and Properties = Start > Settings > Taskbar & Start Menu.... Bye-bye! (And if I knew a way to run Taskbar & Start Menu properties from the Self-Destruct Mechanism or at least from a shortcut, that would be gone from the Start Menu as well).
3) Taking a tip from http://wint.virtualplastic.net/showtweak.php?tweak_id=8 I figure I can stash "Process Explorer" (Task Manager replacement) under Start Menu (menu 204) > "Functions" (or Applications[/Links], depending on taste).
4) A similar solution can be found for Cascade, Horizontal Tile, Vertical Tile, and Minimize (notice the removal of "Windows" from all labels, which becomes superfluous). Off to Start Menu > Windows Control they go.
5) Which leaves another seperator and Toolbars> on the toolbar context menu, neither of which can be removed here and "Undo", which I'll leave here just to be on the safe side since reshacker complains about an "Access violation at address 77E1D4B9 in module 'user32.dll. Read of address 00D8C000." if I remove all the items from the menu.

6) Turning my attention over to Menu 204, I find:
MENUITEM "", 65535, MFT_SEPARATOR, MFS_ENABLED
POPUP "&Programs", 504, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "(Empty) ", 513, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED
}
POPUP "F&avorites", 507, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "(Empty) ", 65535, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED
}
POPUP "&Documents", 501, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "(Empty) ", 514, MFT_STRING, MFS_GRAYED
}
POPUP "&Settings", 508, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "&Control Panel", 505, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "", 65535, MFT_SEPARATOR, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Windows Security...", 5001, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Network and Dial-up Connections", 557, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Printers", 510, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Taskbar && Start Menu...", 413, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
}
POPUP "Sear&ch", 520, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "", 65535, MFT_SEPARATOR, MFS_ENABLED
}
MENUITEM "&Help", 503, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Run...", 401, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "", 450, MFT_SEPARATOR, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "S&ynchronize", 553, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Log Off %s...", 402, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "&Eject PC", 410, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED
MENUITEM "Sh&ut Down...", 506, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED

Just like the toolbar context menu, all the seperators go except:
" POPUP "Sear&ch", 520, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED, 0
{
MENUITEM "", 65535, MFT_SEPARATOR, MFS_ENABLED
}
, which gets a reprieve until I can figure out how to remove it without making the script go buggy.
7) Favorites, Documents, Help, Synchronize, Eject PC... don't use any of them, so going, going, GONE! And I can't ever remember seeing "Windows Security" on the start menu, so it goes as well.
I can pretty much figure out all on my own when a folder is empty, so the "(Empty)" text is history.
9) Log Off can be done from the Shut Down menu, so it goes too.
10) The "Settings" sub-menu appears to be one of the worst-designed "features" of Windows, IMHO. Maybe it''s just me, but I have a hard time understanding the redundancy of placing "Network and Dial-up Connections" and "Printers" here when both can just as easily be accessed through the Control Panel. Or why TB & SM options weren't placed there as well. Or, for that matter, why there isn't a central location (such as a .cpl) for controlling the display/hiding of special folders/files on the desktop/start menu. But I digress. "Control Panel" gets renamed "Self-Destruct Mechanism" and gets moved to the main Start Menu.
11) Other renames: Programs => &Links, Shut Down => &Exit, Search => &Find.