Saturday, April 2, 2011

A Faster Start Menu

I see no reason for there to be any delay when I click on the Start Menu. Effects are pretty, but I wouldn’t click on it if I didn’t have business inside, so lets get it open and get moving. The default speed can be adjusted with a quick registry entry.
The default value is 400. Set it to 0 and the delay is gone, but it will be nearly impossible to move the mouse fast enough not to activate [All Programs] if you mouse over it in route to your final selection. It’s easy to train yourself to move the pointer to the right after clicking Start to avoid activating All Programs. Pick a number that suits your style and make the change, then test it until you find a good compromise between speed and usability.
  • Start
  • Run
  • type"Regedit"
  • Registry Key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop
  • Modify/Create the Value Data Type(s) and Value Name(s) as detailed below.
  • Data Type: String Value // Value Name: MenuShowDelay
  • Setting for Value Data: [Default = 400 / Adjust to Preference]
Exit Registry and Reboot....