How to change Start Menu -> All Prog. sort order?

[ShuQi]

I have just upgraded to vista home premium and rearrange all my applications
within the Start Menu -> All Programs folder to appear in specific folders,
e.g.: all internet applications in 'Internet Tools', all programming apps in
'Programming', ...

Now, before I rearrange the order, the folders appeared before the files in
the list, such as:
Accessories (Folder)
Games (Folder)
Maintenace (Folder)
Windows Calendar (App)
Windows Contacts (App)
....

but now the applications appear before the folders:

Windows Calendar (App)
Windows Contacts (App)
Accessories (Folder)
Games (Folder)
Maintenace (Folder)
....

Is there any way to get the Start Menu -> All Programs content to display
the folders first and then the applications?
I'm just used to this layout from XP and would like to keep it that way. :)

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Right-click the taskbar, go to Properties. Then go to "Start Menu"
and "Customize". You can select "Sort all Programs menu by name", and
"Highlight newly installed programs" from there.


I have just upgraded to vista home premium and rearrange all my applications
within the Start Menu -> All Programs folder to appear in specific folders,
e.g.: all internet applications in 'Internet Tools', all programming apps in
'Programming', ...

Now, before I rearrange the order, the folders appeared before the files in
the list, such as:
Accessories (Folder)
Games (Folder)
Maintenace (Folder)
Windows Calendar (App)
Windows Contacts (App)
....

but now the applications appear before the folders:

Windows Calendar (App)
Windows Contacts (App)
Accessories (Folder)
Games (Folder)
Maintenace (Folder)
....

Is there any way to get the Start Menu -> All Programs content to display
the folders first and then the applications?
I'm just used to this layout from XP and would like to keep it that way. :)

[ShuQi]

Thanks,
but when selecting the "Sort all Programs menu by name" option, it results
in the mentioned sort order where applications appear before folders.

If I disable it, then I can rearrange it manually, but as soon as I try to
rearrange the folders in the Accessories menu, I lose all my applications in
the whole Start Menu for some odd reason.

I'll leave it automatically sorted for now, but would be nice to get the
same sort order as used in explorer in the start menu, instead of having
applications in front of folders.

[Jay]

If you go to customise you can choose to show it as windows classic, this
will put them in the order you seek

[donphillipe]

I have upgraded to Vista not by choice but I want the opposite, no auto sorting. I can't get Vista to stop auto sorting. I am in Classic mode and the start menu auto-sorts. I change back to standard for a moment to set the "Sort All Programs menu by name" to un-checked, then I return to Classic mode but the top portion of the start menu still will not allow me to arrange things out of alphabetical order. It sorts them each time to alphabetic after I have arranged them the way I want them to read.

How can I stop the auto-sort to say leave my menu as I have set it up? Thank you!

[Charles W Davis]

When using the Classic mode, right click on the Programs link, and choose
Explore. Scroll down to the Start Menu and organize as you would any other
folders.

[gerooky]

Hello, I organize the start menu with categories
for example I have
_Media
_Graphics
_Office
_Security
_Internet

etc.. I do this manually, if you are interested I can tell you how...

but there is a freeware that helps you do this too..

see here
http://www.tidystartmenu.com/index.shtml

[Peter Foldes]

If I understand your post correctly then NO you cannot . The Start Menu will always revert to alphabetical by default

[Peter Foldes]

That is correct Charles. But I do not think it is the Start Menu that the OP is talking about when you hit Start. It is the Start\Programs button and it's contents