windows xp menu

Shawna S. asks:
I don’t know if this is weird, but I don’t like the icons in my Windows XP Start menu. I am not talking about the programs; I am talking about the part when your Start menu first pops up. Is there a way to make them smaller?

A:
You and me both, Shawna. I think they’re kind of – I don’t know – unpleasant; I guess that’s a good enough word. It must not be just you and I, because Windows does have a way to make them smaller.
Okay, first right-click an area in your taskbar (the bar that runs along the bottom of your screen). Then click on Properties.

The Taskbar and Start menu Properties dialog box will pop up (the title is displayed across the top of the box). You will see two tabs. Click the Start menu tab, and then click Customize

  After you click on Customize, the Customize Start menu dialog box will pop up (again, the title is displayed across the top of the box). Again, two tabs will pop up. Click the General tab, and then select Small icons.

Click OK. The original Taskbar and Start menu Properties box will pop back up. Click on Apply and then click on OK.

If you have the Classic view for Windows, then do everything the same, except click on Classic Start menu in the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties box. Then click on Customize.

  After you click on Customize, you will see a white area where there is a list of items you can customize. Click on Show Small Icons in Start menu and then click OK.

Once again, the original Taskbar and Start menu Properties box will pop back up. Click on Apply and then click on OK.

Here’s what it looked like before:

Here’s what it looks like after we shrunk the icons:

  
Now the Start-up menu not only looks better, it leaves more room for recently used programs in the main section.
I like it, Shawna; I hope it works for you, too!