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Resolved Question

Start menu for Windows 7

Dec 7, 2011 4:01AM PST

I have a new HP computer which has Windows 7 preinstalled on it.


I have downloaded and installed programs like Firefox and Thunderbird.

In the pop down menu available through right-clicking on the icons of the above two programs on my Desktop, I pinned them to the Start
menu.

Still, after rebooting the computer, the programs do not start
automatically. (When I look up the Start menu by clicking on the
"customize" button, the Start menu does NOT list the above two
programs NOR do I get any facility for adding the two programs in
that menu either.)

.......................

Also, my older computer had Windows Vista which provided a ready facility
of having a Desktop icon on the task bar, clicking on which enabled
me to have the view of my Desktop. How do I obtain this facility in
Windows 7?

Thanks in advance for solutions to the above two problems.

Discussion is locked

zlzpqx has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Start menu
Dec 7, 2011 4:39AM PST

or Startup folder within Start > All programs?

Mark

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Mark, thanks. This solution was the easiest to implement!
Dec 7, 2011 9:10AM PST

Mark, this solution of yours was the easiest to implement, namely:

Start > All Programs. Then drag and drop a copy of the icon of a desired program on my desktop into the Startup folder in the All Programs list!

Thanks!

By the way, after doing the above and restarting my computer, I did obtain an automatic opening of my Firefox and Thunderbird windows ,but Firefox did not automatically open all my tabs in the previous session; it rather provided a button where I had to click to "restore" them. (I have Windows 7). In my older computer with Windows Vista, my tabs in the previous session used to open automatically after startup. (Maybe, for some reason, the automatic startup of the tabs did not start this time and in future it might start!) This is of course a minor matter.

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Glad that got it sorted for you
Dec 7, 2011 7:25PM PST

and good work.

About Firefox, can you tell us more? If you have multiple Home Pages set in Firefox then it should open all tabs with those home pages.

But I see that Firefox has another option, (Firefox > Options > Options > General tab > Startup), to "Show my windows and tabs from last time". Is that what you mean? If so, have you also selected the additional setting, "Don't load tabs until selected"? It would seem to me that this option should not be selected, otherwise Firefox will wait for a response.

If you do have "Show my windows and tabs from last time" and this additional option is not selected, but it still doesn't work as expected, tell me how you shutdown Firefox when you are done with it. Do you selectively close down tabs one at a time and then close down Firefox when the last tab is showing, or do you simply shut down Firefox no matter how many tabs are open?

I'm just trying to picture the whole process.

If you have Firefox open with multiple tabs now and then close FF as it is, what happens when you re-open FF?

Mark

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Mark, My Highest Appreciation & Also Good News
Dec 7, 2011 11:35PM PST

Mark,

My high appreciation of your very detailed followup.

After posting my previous note, I was looking up Firefox's Help web site for something else and at that time
serendipitously ran into exactly the same solution which you provided in your followup note for automatically opening all tabs which had been accessed in a previous session. I had implemented it and it works! (I always left all Firefox tabs open when shutting down my computer.)

I truly marvel about the wealth of knowledge moderators like yourself at CNET have and further about the detailed help all of you promptly provide to people with computer operation problems of most diverse kinds..

So I want to express here my highest appreciation of your attentive service to all people besides me in getting their and mine problems solved.

Chuck

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Our pleasure
Dec 8, 2011 4:54AM PST

and I'm glad you have got it all sorted.

Mark

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Answer
Re: view desktop
Dec 7, 2011 4:30AM PST

Microsoft decided to move it to the other side of the screen. It's the small rectangle next to the clock.

Kees

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Thanks Re: "view desktop" solution
Dec 7, 2011 8:44AM PST

Kees,

I had known of the Desktop rectangle near the clock, but i had not thought of right-clicking on that rectangle itself to get a popup menu where the facility to see the desktop is there as a menu item!

(I used to click only on the double arrows NEXT to the word "Desktop", which merely provided a list and icons of the programs on my desktop, clicking on one of which would then of course open a window for that program.)

Thanks!