Start Menu Speed Tweak

Do you have an overly obese Start Menu? Well depending on it's size, and your computers RAM, you might be interested in this little tweak. Please note, anytime you mess around with the registry you are taking a risk. The registry holds all the values of the inter workings of windows and should only be edited with caution. The danger of messing your computer up on this specific tweak is about 1/50.

The first tweak is for Windows XP users only, you shouldn't have the need to speed up versions below XP because their start menu has virtually no lag. As for Windows Vista, that tweak will be our second tweak, both are similar but the interfaces are still different. Pick the appropriate one to follow based on your Windows OS. Windows Vista is exactly similar in that you are doing exactly the same thing. Changing the same value, using the same registry editor, the only slight difference is how you open Registry Editor. I felt my reader's should be able to look at the exact method, clearing up any fog between the two ;).

What these tweaks do is very simple. Similar to our Firefox and IE speed tweak, this changes the delay put in default by Microsoft before the Start Menu is loaded. Instantly could cause problems and demand too much from some computers, so the delay they selected is basically a safe number. You will not ruin your computer doing this most likely in anyway. So long as you stick to where I guide you and change only what I tell you to, we will be fine and you will have a great outcome ;).

Windows XP
1. Go to Run by clicking Start and clicking on Run....
2. Type in "regedit" without the quotes and click Ok.
3. Welcome to the notorious Registry Editor, home of the advanced computer settings.
4. Locate HKEY_CURRENT_USER at the top left of the folder hierarchy, it should stand out along with 2 other keys: Classes_Root, Local_Machine, _Users, and Current_Config. NOTE: It may not show some of these values if you've messed with the registry before, but if thats the case then you should know how to fold them back up to view the main Keys by double clicking on the main folders.
5. Double click on HKEY_CURRENT_USER to make it drop or "collapse" the list of folders.
6. Next, "collapse" the control panel folder by clicking on the plus next to it, or double clicking it.
7. Now collapse the Desktop folder and locate this value name in the right list. It should look like this:MenuShowDelay which will have a default Data Value of 400. This 400 is the delay value that we want to change!
8. Right Click on the string MenuShowDelay (it's name), and click Modify.
9. Enter a new value from about 50-75.
10. Click Ok and you're done! You will now notice as LARGE difference in the menu loading speed. Specifically the "All Programs" menu.
11. You may or may not have to log off and back onto your XP account to see a difference.


Windows Vista
1. Click Start and in the Search box type in "regedit" without the quotes of course.
2. Regedit will appear in the results, double click on it.
3. Welcome to the notorious Registry Editor, home of the advanced computer settings.
4. Locate HKEY_CURRENT_USER at the top left of the folder heirarachy, it should stand out along with 2 other keys: Classes_Root, Local_Machine, _Users, and Current_Config. NOTE: It may not show some of these values if you've messed with the registry before, but if thats the case then you should know how to fold them back up to view the main Keys by double clicking on the main folders.
5. Double click on HKEY_CURRENT_USER to make it drop or "collapse" the list of folders.
6. Next, "collapse" the control panel folder by clicking on the plus next to it, or double clicking it.
7. Now collapse the Desktop folder and locate this value name in the right list. It should look like this:
MenuShowDelay which will have a default Data Value of 400. This 400 is the delay value that we want to change!
8. Right Click on the string MenuShowDelay (it's name), and click Modify.
9. Enter a new value from about 50-75.
10. Click Ok and you're done! You will now notice as LARGE difference in the menu loading speed. Specifically the "All Programs" menu.
11. You may have to log on and back off to see any results.