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The Start Menu and '''Start Button''' are User Interface elements in the Microsoft Windows product line, which serve as the central launching point for applications. By default, the '''Start Button''' is visible at all times in the lower left-hand corner of the screen. It features the Windows logo and the word "start". Clicking the Start Button activates the Start Menu. Traditionally, the Start Menu provided a customizable nested list of programs for the user to launch, as well as a list of most recently opened documents, a way to find files and get help, and access to the system settings. Windows XP 's Start Menu was expanded to include access to the ''My Documents'' folders, and a readily-accessible list of the most used programs. Technically, the Start Menu is not needed at all, as any programs and files can be opened by navigating to them in the Windows Explorer interface. However, the Start Menu provides a much easier way to open programs, even for experienced users. Microsoft uses the Start Menu more in each version of Windows as a way to shield novice users from the complexities of the operating system. For example, in Windows XP , the root, ''Program Files'' and ''Windows'' folders are hidden from the user by default, and access to programs is expected to be achieved through the Start Menu. In Windows Vista , the word "Start" has been replaced by a blue Windows logo "orb." HISTORY In the earliest versions of Windows, a program called ''MS-DOS Executive'' provided basic File Management and program menu capability. This was eventually replaced by the programs ''File Manager'' and Program Manager in Windows 3.0 , with the Program Manager taking on the role of the program menu. The Program Manager was a full windowed application, which required the whole screen to be used effectively. It consisted of a simple Multiple Document Interface which allowed users to open "program groups" and then execute the shortcuts to programs contained within. Windows 95 was the version in which the Program Manager was superseded by the Start Menu, which condensed the Program Manager into a popup menu that could be accessed at any time. It also boasted several advantages over the Program Manager, such as the ability to nest groups within other groups. Later developments in Internet Explorer 4.0 and Windows 98 allowed users to customize the Start Menu much more easily by dragging shortcuts to it from the Windows Explorer shell. The most significant revision to the Start menu since its inception came in Windows XP. To help the user access a wider range of common destinations more easily, and to promote a greater sense of "personality", the Start menu was expanded to two columns; the left-hand column focuses on the user's installed applications, while the right-hand column provides access to the user's documents, and system functionality. Links to My Documents , My Pictures and other Special Folders are brought to the fore. The My Computer and My Network Places ( Network Neighborhood in Windows 95 and 98) icons were also moved off the Desktop and into the Start menu, making it easier to access these icons while a number of applications are open. Commonly used programs are automatically displayed in the left-hand menu, and the user may opt to "pin" programs to the start menu so that they are always accessible without having to navigate through the Programs folders. TECHNICAL DETAILS Users may add entries by creating various folders and shortcuts in the Start Menu folder, located in the hard drive. These appear in a separated section at the top of the Start Menu, or, if placed in the '''Programs''' sub-folder, in the Programs menu. In the and XP , the folder is located in '''C:\Documents and Settings\''username''\Start Menu''' for individual users, or '''C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu''' for all users collectively. In all examples above, '''''username''''' represents the name of the user. SYMBOLISM The "Start Button" and its menu were lauded as a leap forward in User Friendliness and interface design when they were first introduced in Windows 95 . The symbol of the Start Button was, and still is, used to advertise the product. Furthermore, Microsoft has embraced the word "start" as their "catch word", and it is frequently used in their advertising even today. The use of the word "Start" is also seemingly a Contradiction , as it is used to select the Shut Down option used to switch off (and therefore stop using) the computer. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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