Show classic Programs submenu in Start Menu of Windows 7

In Windows 7, Microsoft completely removed the classic Start Menu of Windows 2000. In Windows Vista, you could change the settings to show the classic Start Menu but not in Windows 7. But you can still change the settings to show the Programs sub-menu in the Start Menu of Windows 7. Here is how :

  1. Right click on Start Menu (the blue orb on bottom-left) and select Properties.
  2. In the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties window, click on Customize button.

  3. Scroll down the list of options and check the checkbox labeled Favorites menu

  4. Click OK to save the settings.
  5. Download show_classic_menu_windows_7.zip to your Windows Desktop and extract the contents to a folder.
  6. Right-click on classic_programs_menu.cmd and select Run as administrator as shown

  7. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

If later, you want to restore the original settings in the Windows Registry, then right-click on restore_original_settings.cmd and select Run as administrator. Then restart your computer for the changes to take effect.