Description
Start Menu Frequent Programs is a tool for viewing and editing special
start menu shortcut information known as "User Assist". This information is used to
determine which shortcuts are displayed automatically in the start menu and in
which order, creating your frequent programs list. By modifying the run
count of your favorite shortcuts and programs in this list, you can
designate priority as desired
while preserving the original functionality of this feature.
System Requirements
Windows XP/Vista/7
Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0
Features
- Modify the run count of your start menu's shortcuts.
- Remove User Assist data.
- Standalone tool with no installation required.
- Easy to use and friendly interface with update notifications.
Usage
General Usage:
The program will display User Assist data found in the registry for your
system, and it will try to sort the data as close as possible to your
start menu. Simply activate an item to view its details and/or change its run count.
Note that the start menu needs to be refreshed for changes to take effect;
you can do this by executing one of your frequent programs in the start
menu, and then open and close the start menu a few times.
User Assist IDs:
These identify User Assist data in the registry and are generated automatically based on your operating system, but you can specify custom values for maximum flexibility.
Each User Assist ID must reflect a registry key name under the following User Assist
registry location: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\UserAssist
User Assist Logic:
The logic behind User Assist data is undocumented to my knowledge and varies by operating system,
so you'll need to experiment with this program and learn how to make it effective for your particular system.
Here are a few points worth noting:
- Items will normally have one or more similar items.
- Only items in specific locations will make it to the start menu, such as shortcuts on the desktop or in the start menu itself.
- An item's run count seems to be the dominating attribute for prioritizing shortcuts, but
access time is also considered, and I believe additional unknown logic is considered as well.
Find Similar Items:
You'll often find that changing the run count doesn't seem to do
anything (make sure you refresh the start menu as stated above). This is probably because you need to modify another similar item.
Use the Find Similar Items command to find all items with a similar name and
access time to help ensure you're dealing with all the item(s) you intend.
Clearing User Assist:
You can remove UserAssist data from the registry by deleting it from the
list. If you remove all User Assist data it will clear all frequent programs
from the start menu and begin from nothing again.
License
This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied warranty.
In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
The software is free for personal use only. Commercial use requires a license.
This software is also subject to the following restrictions:
- The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software.
- This notice may not be removed or altered from any distribution.
- This software may not be sold for profit, and may not be used for profit making purposes.
Version History
v1.1.0.0
- Added support for Windows 7.
- Improved program updater.
- Added option to specify User Assist keys dynamically for maximum compatibility.
- Fixed bug where Access Time was not parsed correctly.
v1.0.0.1
v1.0.0.0