The start button, located on the Windows® toolbar, opens the Start Menu for launching applications, performing searches, and accessing various Windows® components. It also offers quick access to all installed programs via the Programs submenu and allows customization of the boot menu and start menu appearance. The command line field is accessible through the Run menu, and the program and file search engine is available via the start button. The boot menu can be customized in various ways depending on the operating system.
Microsoft® introduced a feature in the Windows® 95 operating system (OS) called the start button, located in the lower left corner of the toolbar on your computer desktop. This button was carried over to subsequent Microsoft® Windows® operating systems, although starting with Vista® the graphics were updated with a Microsoft® logo sometimes referred to as an orb button. Left-clicking the start button opens the Start Menu, a navigation tool for launching applications, performing searches, performing command-line tasks, and accessing various Windows® components.
The Windows® desktop allows icons to act as shortcuts to frequently used programs, but the Start Menu offers quick access to all installed programs via the Programs submenu. Clicking on a listed application launches the software without needing access to its executable file, usually located in the program’s installation folder. No matter how many programs or working windows are open on the desktop, the application launcher can be just two clicks away using the start button or ball on the Windows® toolbar.
The Start menu is also a convenient link to Windows® components such as the Help and Support menu, Administrative Tools, Control Panel and the integrated file manager, accessible, for example, by clicking Computer in Windows® 7 systems. links to folders such as Documents, Music, Pictures, and Games also appear, based on your configurable choices.
The program and file search engine is also available via the start button. This provides a quick and easy way to recover a file, folder, image, song, or to find misplaced files or data. By entering the name of the desired file or folder, or the first few letters of the name, a list of matching items will be returned. Wildcards can be used to search for a group of files, i.e. all files with a particular extension.
The command line field is also available through the Run menu, accessible from the start button. Command-line tasks run in a DOS-like environment. An example of using the command line would be running an internal hard drive check called Checkdisk, which checks the integrity of your storage drives. The command-line syntax must be exact for command-line tasks to run.
In newer operating systems, a link to the logged in user’s profile and affiliated settings is also just a click away within the boot menu. Clicking on the user icon will bring up menus for changing passwords, adding or deleting users, changing privileges, and other related tasks.
The logout, shutdown, sleep and hibernation button can also be accessed through the start button. Restart and system lock are also grouped with these functions.
The boot menu can be customized in various ways depending on the operating system. Programs can be pinned or unpinned to the initial window, saving you the extra clicks needed to drill down into the Program submenu. Applications can also be sorted into user-created folders, making navigation quicker and easier.
The entire look of the start menu can be customized. In Windows® XP®, for example, there are two skins; classic and XP®. The classic skin mimics a retro Windows® 98 graphical user interface (GUI). Starting with Vista® operating systems, there are many more skins, themes and choices available.
The way files and folders are displayed in Explorer® can also be customized here. Configuration choices are available by right-clicking the Start button, choosing Properties, clicking the Start Menu tab, and then clicking the Customize button. The taskbar and toolbar tabs provide even more options. For more customization choices, check out Microsoft® online articles and user forums. The instructions may vary along with the options available, depending on your operating system.
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