Why the start button has changed and how to fix it. Replacing the start button, manual work Changing the start menu in windows 7

Unzip the program. It doesn't install like traditional programs, instead you can run it from any folder you've saved it to. Read this guide for details on extracting files from a zip archive, but usually you just need to right-click on the file and choose "Extract Files".

Get administrator rights. It often happens that the program to change the icon of the Start button does not start or starts with an error if you do not have administrator rights. To prevent this, take full control of File Explorer and avoid this problem in the future.

• Open the Windows folder on your hard drive. You will see the "explorer.exe" file in the main Windows folder.
• Hover over the explorer.exe file and right-click. You must act on behalf of the Administrator.
• Open "Properties".
• Select the "Security" tab.
• Click on the "Change" button.
• Select "Allow" next to "Full control". Click "Apply".

Rename the icon changer. Open the folder where you extracted the program. Find the file called "Windows 7 Start Button Changer v 2.6.exe1", rename it by removing the "1" from the end of the file name to convert it to a standard EXE file.

Menu "Start", which is located to the left of the taskbar, is visually implemented in the form of a ball, clicking on which displays the most necessary system components and the last running programs to the user. Thanks to additional tools, the appearance of this button can be easily changed. This is what will be discussed in today's article.

Unfortunately, in Windows 7 there is no option in the personalization menu that would be responsible for customizing the appearance of the button. "Start". This feature appears only in the Windows 10 operating system. Therefore, to change this button, you will need to use additional software.

Method 1: Windows 7 Start Orb Changer

Windows 7 Start Orb Changer is distributed free of charge and is available for download on the official website. After downloading, you just have to follow a few simple steps:

Method 2: Windows 7 Start Button Creator

If you need to create three unique icons for the start menu button, but you cannot find a suitable option, then we suggest using the Windows 7 Start Button Creator program, which will combine any three PNG images into one BMP file. Creating icons is quite simple:

Fixing a bug with restoring the standard view

If you decide to restore the original appearance of the button using restore via "Restore" and received an error due to which the explorer stopped working, you need to use a simple instruction:

In this article, we took a detailed look at the process of changing the appearance of the Start button icon. There is nothing complicated in this, you just need to follow a simple instruction. The only problem you may encounter is system file corruption, which happens very rarely. But do not worry, because it is fixed in just a few clicks.

Certain interface elements remain the same. Users often decide not to waste their time and simply remove the theme from the installed list. Especially for you, we have made an instruction that will help you replace the standard panel button Start. To do this, you do not need to have special knowledge or write code, all you need is to step by step follow the instructions specified in the instructions.

Well, let's get started!

First of all, we need to get administrator rights on the file explorer.exe, which is in the directory C:/windows/. We will do this with the help of the Takeownershipex program.
So, the procedure is as follows:
That's all, now the file is completely under our control and now you can freely change the Start button or make changes to system files.
If suddenly you need to restore the original settings, then you need to run the program again and click on the button that says Restore access rights. You will see a list of all files to which you previously received access rights, select the ones you need and click Restore rights.

Installing the start button

After we have obtained access rights to the explorer.exe file, we download the appropriate Start button and utility.

To restore the standard version of the Start button, you need to run the utility again and click on the inscription Restore Original Explorer Backup.

The Start button image is located in the Explorer.exe file in the BITMAP (Bitmap) section. Resources from 6801 to 6812. (to change, you need exactly: 6801, 6805, 6809)

one . We get full access and rights to the file

one . Disable parental controls if not already done.
2. And so, being in C: Windows, right-click on the explorer.exe file and select the item Properties ---> Security ---> Advanced
3 . Further Owner ---> Change, select either the name of your account or admin click Apply then OK and OK again.
four . Now select Permissions, select the entry to which we have given owner rights and click Change permissions again, select the entry to which we have given the owner rights and click Change, put all the checkboxes and click OK then Apply, a window will appear, click Yes and now again OK and in the remaining windows OK.
You can get permissions using

2. Open it in the Restaurateur () and change the three resources above
3 . Save the edited file, rename it, for example, to Explorer 2.exe
four . Through the Task Manager, close the Explorer (explorer.exe process).
5 . Task Manager > New Task, go to C:/Windows folder, find Explorer.exe and make a copy of it(you can just rename it to Explorerold.exe, in which case you can return everything to its place)
6. Rename Explorer 2.exe to Explorer.exe and run it
7. Everything

Automatic start button replacement

To begin with, we perform the first paragraph of the article, which is a little higher (We get full access and rights to the file)
one . Download the program (Read the note below).
2. Run it and press the button "Change Orb"
3 . Choosing already ready button in bmp, jpg, gif or png format and press the "start Explorer" button

Note: If using the "Windows 7 Start Orb Changer" program, you were unable to install the button, and instead you see a void - use the program

If you want to change, make it more convenient according to your preferences, then launch the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" window. For this you need:

• right-click on the "Start" button,
• the context menu of the Start button will open,
• in this menu, left-click on the link "Properties" (Fig. 1):

Rice. 1 Start menu properties

As a result, we get to the "Properties and Start Menu" window, in which we open the Start menu tab (Fig. 2):

Rice. 2 Taskbar and Start Menu Properties in Windows 7

On fig. Figure 2 shows that in Windows 7, the ability to set the classic look of the Start menu (in one column) has been removed, but a power button configuration tool has been added. The drop-down list "Action of the power button" (number 1 in Fig. 2) allows you to select what actions will be performed after pressing this button:

• user change,
• session end,
• hibernation,
• completion of work.

Here you can leave the action, that is, "Shutdown".

Setting Privacy for the Start Menu in Windows 7

Windows keeps track of the history of applications you launch and documents you open. You can refuse these functions by unchecking the following boxes in the "Privacy" section (number 2 in Fig. 2):

• "Store and display a list of recently opened programs in the Start menu." If you uncheck this box, then frequently used applications will no longer appear in the left column of the Start menu.

• “Store and display a list of recently opened items in the Start menu and taskbar”, for example, as in Figure 3 shows the last opened files for the Paint program:

Rice. 3 List of Recently Opened Items in the Start Menu for Paint

If you uncheck the box next to "Keep and display a list of recently opened items in the Start menu and on the taskbar", then the display of frequently used and recent documents in the jump list, for example, in Paint, in Word, etc. will be disabled. Then in fig. 3, there will NOT be a small triangle in front of the Paint name for Paint, and certainly no Recent right pane in Figure 3. 3.

By the way, before you overhaul the Windows 7 Start menu, I recommend using the help button “How do you customize the Start menu?”, Labeled number 3 in Fig. 2 (this is still the primary source of information).

Features of the “Customize” button in the “Taskbar and Start Menu Properties” window

The "Settings" button (number 4 in Fig. 2) opens the window for setting the parameters of the "Start" menu. The upper part of this window contains a fairly large list of settings, as evidenced by the presence of a slider (number 3 in Fig. 4). Most settings enable or disable the display of individual menu components in the Start menu:

Rice. 4 Customizing the Start Menu in Windows 7

In the "Customize the Start Menu" window (Fig. 4), two types of display are offered:

• “Display as a menu” (number 1 in Fig. 5) means that when you hover over such an element, its content will be displayed in the form of a multi-level menu, without switching to a separate window (for example, the content of the “Control Panel” will be displayed).

• “Display as a link” (number 2 in Fig. 5) - this means that only the name of the element will be displayed (for example, “Devices and Printers”), and it will open in a separate window after clicking on it (for example, on labeled "Devices and Printers").

Rice. 5 Display as Menu and Display as Link in Windows Start Menu

"Don't show this item" means that the item will NOT be shown in the Start menu.

Other parameters of this window (Fig. 4) have the following purpose:

1. "Highlight recently installed programs." Shortcuts to recently installed apps will be highlighted for easy retrieval. If the checkbox is unchecked, then the labels will NOT be different from other labels.

2. "Search in other files and libraries." This is the setting of search options in libraries using the search form in the Start menu. Options available:

• "Search in general". The search takes place in the public directories and in the user's personal folders.

• "Don't search." Libraries will not be searched.

• "Do not search in shared folders." The search is carried out only in the user's personal folders.

3. "Search for Programs and Features in the Control Panel." When you enter text in the Search bar, the system will search for those items and programs that are in the Control Panel.

4. "Large icons". If you uncheck this box, small icons will be used to display actively used applications.

5. "Control Panel". I recommend checking the box next to "Display as menu" (then it will be the same as in Fig. 5). This is convenient, because by hovering the mouse over the Control Panel, you can immediately select the desired item, rather than opening a window.

6. "Allow context menus and dragging objects." This checkbox is checked by default, so it's best to leave it.

7. "Open the menu when the mouse pointer is hovered." If the checkbox is checked, the menu will automatically open when the cursor is held, and you can not click the mouse.

8. Sort "All Programs" by name. By default, this checkbox is checked, and all items in this menu are sorted by name.

9. “Devices and Printers” - if you have it connected, then I recommend checking the box here to have access to the printer from the Start menu.

How do I adjust the number of programs shown in the start menu and the number of recently used documents?

The option “Show in the jump list the number of recently used items” (number 4 in Fig. 4) corresponds to the number of open files in Fig. 4. 3. Specifically, in fig. 4, 8 elements are specified and, accordingly, in fig. 3 exactly 8 files are open - just like in a pharmacy.

The maximum number of programs that can be set for the item “Display recently used programs in quantity” (number 5 in Fig. 4) is 30.

The maximum number of documents for the item "Display recently used items in the jump list in quantity" (number 4 in Fig. 4) is 60.

If there are no special preferences, then for novice users, all Start menu settings can be left by default, that is, as they were set by Windows 7 programmers.

How to pin a program to the start menu?

By default, in the left column of the Windows 7 Start menu, the list of programs displays the most recently running programs on your computer. You can pin frequently used programs to the Start menu for quick access.

To do this, select the appropriate program in the Start menu by clicking on the link at the end of the All Programs menu. Having found the program, right-click on it and in the menu that appears, click on the option "Pin to the Start menu" (Fig. 6):

Rice. 6 How to pin a program to the Windows 7 Start menu?

The pinned program will appear at the top of the Start menu, separated by a bar from the list of recently opened programs.

How to remove a program from the start menu?

I draw your attention to the fact that we are only talking about removing the link to the program from the Start menu, while the program itself remains on the computer.

To remove a program from the Start menu, click on the name of the program in the Start menu, in the window that appears, click on the “Remove from Start Menu” option.

Get up-to-date articles on computer literacy directly to your inbox.
Already more 3.000 subscribers