Windows 10: Start menu consolidation

I don't like clutter.

To that end I have added new folders to the start menu and grouped like items together into appropriately named folders: for example, image editors and tools into a folder named image processing, various text editors into a folder named text editors, etc....simple enough. just by doing this I have consolidated 11 individual icons scattered all over the "all apps" list into 2 folders - clean and easier to find.

My problem is I can't find anything analogous to the c:/programdata/microsoft/windows/start menu/programs folder which contains the icons for all of the programs which I have installed and allows me to rearrange the icons to my liking. Thus far I have been unsuccessful in locating such a folder.

I'm hoping someone has done the same thing and can let me know where it, if indeed it is an it, is located.

It'll probably turn out that the built-in apps start menu icons aren't even "real" icons and just magically appear there....

Any feedback will be appreciated.

:)

 

Consolidate context menu styles

The style for context menus need to be consolidated. There are current three different styles:

• Right-click on an empty region of the taskbar: you will get a black context menu with a light border and no icons, which fades in and out.
• Right-click on a taskbar app button: you will get a black context menu without border but with monotone icons, which slides in and out from the bottom.
• Right-click on the desktop and most other places: you will get a bright-grey context menu with coloured icons, which fades in and out.

Like I said, there is no need to maintain three different styles for a visual element that is the result of three identical user interactions, only in different places. These three styles come with a virgin installation of Windows 10, which can make it confusing
to new and upgraded users why the colour and such is suddenly different for essentially the same 'thing'.

To reiterate, differences in:

• Background colour
• Text colour
• Border style
• Hide- and show animation
• Coloured icons, monotone icons, or no icons

Why not make these the same for every context menu? It's easier to maintain (for Microsoft devs) and easier on the user experience (for your valued customers).

 

KB3093266 Has Failed to Install On My Computer Twice

Thank you GrahamNZ, that did it.

I had done exactly the same, using Classic Shell and consolidating start menu folders.

This CU failed to run 7 times before your fix finally got it through.

 

Most program icons reside within their own exe...

 

Right...I probably wasn't very clear. It isn't the icon itself I trying to get to but the shortcut.

For the user installed programs, you can place their icons (shortcuts) into a new folder and that's the way they automagically appear in the start menu.

However, for the included microsoft programs there is no equivalent mechanism that I can find that would allow you to locate and place its "shortcut/icon" into an "area" so it would automatically appear on the start menu by virtue of some win10 service/utility that would be scanning that "area" and building the resultant menu items.

I hope that makes sense...kinda hard to put into words when you don't know exactly how win10 builds the menus...

 

Ah! I understand!

Basically, you need to create new shortcuts of everything, give them unique names, unique folder names, etc., etc.,
with the Universal App shortcuts you create, you also have to supply icons! Kind of a pain but doable! *Smile