Microsoft KB Archive/941248

= When you point to &quot;All Programs&quot; on a Windows XP-based computer, the list of programs does not appear, or the list of programs is empty =

Article ID: 941248

Article Last Modified on 9/21/2007

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
 * Microsoft Windows XP Professional

-



SYMPTOMS
On a Windows XP-based computer, the following Start menu-related issues may occur:
 * When you click Start, and then you point to All Programs, the list of programs does not appear.
 * If you use the Classic Start menu, an empty list appears when you click Start, and then you point to Programs.

These issues occur if you cannot access the Start menu folder. For example, these issues occur if you do not have permission to access the Start menu folder.



CAUSE
These issues occur if the value of the Common Start Menu registry entry is inaccessible or if the value is not valid. In this case, Windows XP cannot initialize the program shell.



RESOLUTION
A hotfix is available to resolve this problem. After you apply this hotfix, Windows XP ignores all errors when Windows XP initializes the program shell. If the value of the Common Start Menu registry entry is inaccessible or if the value is not valid, Windows XP loads a default Start menu.

Hotfix information
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451

Note If additional issues occur or any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. To create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Prerequisites
You must have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) installed.

Restart requirement
You have to restart the computer after you apply this hotfix.

Hotfix replacement information
This hotfix does not replace any other hotfixes.

Registry information
To use this hotfix, you do not have to make any changes to the registry.

File information
The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time item in Control Panel.

Windows XP with SP2, 32-bit versions


STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the &quot;Applies to&quot; section.



MORE INFORMATION
The location for the Start menu depends on the value of the Common Start Menu registry entry that is located under the following registry subkey:

By default, the value of this registry entry is as follows:

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu

By default, the Start menu folder is in the &quot;%systemdrive%\Document and Settings\All Users&quot; folder.

The Start menu folder will be inaccessible if one of the following conditions is true:
 * The Common Start Menu registry entry is corrupted.
 * A discretionary access control list (DACL) prevents all users from reading the parent key of the Common Start Menu registry entry.
 * The Common Start Menu registry entry points to a location that is inaccessible, such as a network share.
 * The Common Start Menu registry entry points to a location that users do not have permission to access.

How to change the Start menu to the classic version

 * 1) Right-click Start, and then click Properties.
 * 2) On the Start Menu tab, click Classic Start menu.
 * 3) Click OK.

For more information about software update terminology, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

824684 Description of the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft software updates

Additional query words: start all programs menu broken

Keywords: kbfix kbexpertisebeginner kbpubtypekc kbqfe kbhotfixserver KB941248

-

[mailto:TECHNET@MICROSOFT.COM Send feedback to Microsoft]

© Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.