Hey there, I need some help with customizing my Start Menu in Windows Vista;
I just want to reduce the height of the Start Menu, from something like this:



To something more like this:

have u tried going to taskbar and start menu and customize startmenu and put for number of recent programs to like 4 it should shrink the startmenu down

... what do you say?

Looks like you got it wrapped up! Just duplicate whatever you did to make the before/after pictures


.....That will be $10

Erm, I'm pretty sure they're not dumbbb

As in, that's almost definitely photoshopped.
Or, in fact, paint..ed.

Sorry if you were joking, I'm tired

!#@... of course is modified! I need my StartMenu looks like that picture.

I agree completely

I've been looking for something like this myself.

Me too, I want to shape it to better fit my Eee 1000

Take a look at UK.Intel's HEX editing guide, it has width variables, so height shouldn't be to far!


The eee cannot run vista.. what are you talking about?

I've been looking for something like this too, let us know on any updates!

Click start, right click on the darkside of the taskbar. Click the Start Menu tab. Click customize. Do the following:

My Computer: Display as link
Uncheck Connect to
Control Panel: Display as Link
Uncheck Default Programs
My Documents: Display as link
Enable dragging....: Your call. Check or uncheck.
Favorites: Uncheck
Games: Display as a menu
Uncheck help
Highlight newly...: Your call. Check or uncheck.
Music: Do not display
Network: Uncheck
Open submenus: Uncheck
Personal folder: Do not display
Pictures: Do not display
Uncheck printers
Uncheck run command
Uncheck Search
Search communications: your call
Search favorites and history: your call
Search files: your call
Search programs: Your call
Sort progs by name: Your call
Admin tools: Don't display
Large icons is your call

Number of recent progs to display: 0
Uncheck Internet and email link

That should clear up a crap ton of space and shorten it.

Nope, it doesn't behave like in XP.
The size stays the same, just empty. You get this instead:

Tell that to my new EEE 1000H running Vista Ultimate just fine

Isn't there a "DefaulStartPanelSize" part in the visual style ini files like in XP?

I was using a program called 'Restorator 2007' (which has a free trial for 30 days) and I discovered that the start menu image has a default height.

Click to view attachment
^ A prime example (if this is against the law (posting microsoft images) let me know or if your a mod delete it!)

There are 6 images you can try modding.
Click to view attachment

After you mod the images height wise, you can go ahead and download Resource Hacker.

If you haven't done so already, you need to mod your uxtheme.dll file!

Also, swith your current Windows theme to Windows Classic (anything that isn't a vista theme anyway)

Open Reshack as administrator and click open. Migrate to: \WINDOWS\Resources\Themes\Aero\ and open aero.msstyles (to open that file you need to switch the little drop down next to the file name input to 'All Files'.

On the left hand side, there is a menu. Click 'IMAGES'. Start with scrolling down to 706 and when you click it, another item should open up with the number 1033. Right click 1033, click replace resource. Select your image.

Resource type: IMAGE
Resoruce Name: 706
Resource Language: 1033

Do that for all the files replace 706 with their numbers (708, 709, 715, 717, 718) and those are the only images as far as I know of.

Use your keyboard and hit Ctrl+S when you are done. (an automatic backup is made of the aero as aero_original.msstyles if your theme blanks out on you or is errored up (which it shouldn't)).

Good luck.

You beat me to it Kyle!!! >.<

Didnt work for me

Wow. A non-scalable bitmap for a start menu. Fail.

1. Just removed all the link

2. Disable/Remove Frequent Programs list in the Start Menu using Gpedit.msc or Group Policy editor.
Open Gpedit.msc > User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and TaskBar >

Double Click:
Remove Frequent Programs list from the Start Menu

Choose Enable.

That's it.

THat doesn't resize it