Please arrange for all software companies to comply with this directive

[kranky]

All software that creates a program group in the Start menu will display the main program as the first item in the group.

Some programs create a program group with 8 or 10 items (readme, tech support web link, uninstall prog, help file, release notes, what's new, check for updates, blah, blah, blah) and bury the main executable somewhere in the middle of the list. It should be listed first! Do you really think I want to have the Uninstall item first? Or the Readme? Or the link to your crummy website? No, I want the main program to be on the top of the list.

Let's pick a random example. WS_FTP creates a program group with the Uninstall option listed first, followed by the WS_FTP program itself, then Help, then Release notes. Why would you want the Uninstall listed first?

It would seem to me that the software companies would either force the order during installation to be more appropriate, or name the items in the group to influence the order they are shown.

If anyone knows why they don't do that, please enlighten me.

 

[brxndxn]

How about a much bigger problem... No software is allowed to modify other installed software without user permission.. IE: Real Player cannot start up with the system unless you specifically check a "start with the system" option.

Or stupid ICQ cannot make ICQ.com your home page unless you specifically state it.

How about an option to disable Internet Explorer's Install On Demand? It seems like every other day I am clicking no to sh!t like Huntbar, Gator, Weatherbug, etc.. Why can't I just disable it?

 

[blakeatwork]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
How about a much bigger problem... No software is allowed to modify other installed software without user permission.. IE: Real Player cannot start up with the system unless you specifically check a "start with the system" option.

Or stupid ICQ cannot make ICQ.com your home page unless you specifically state it.

How about an option to disable Internet Explorer's Install On Demand? It seems like every other day I am clicking no to sh!t like Huntbar, Gator, Weatherbug, etc.. Why can't I just disable it?

Is the checkbox for Enable Install on Demand (Internet Explorer) what you're looking for???

 

[Radiohead]

How about an option to disable Internet Explorer's Install On Demand? It seems like every other day I am clicking no to sh!t like Huntbar, Gator, Weatherbug, etc.. Why can't I just disable it?

There are settings to disable Install on Demand for IE & Other stuff in Internet Options|Advance tab.

Edit
What blakeatwork said

 

[Sophia]

Originally posted by: brxndxn
How about an option to disable Internet Explorer's Install On Demand?

In Internet Explorer go to Tools - Internet Options - Advanced - Browsing and uncheck "Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer)" and "Enable Install On Demand (Other)"

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: Sophia

Originally posted by: brxndxn
How about an option to disable Internet Explorer's Install On Demand?

In Internet Explorer go to Tools - Internet Options - Advanced - Browsing and uncheck "Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer)" and "Enable Install On Demand (Other)"

sweet thanks for that

 

[kranky]

Hey! Gimme my thread back, you hijackers! 😉

 

[yoda291]

doesn't personalized menus eventually take care of the start menu ordering problem anyways?

 

[Spikey217]

How hard is it to drag the exe shortcut to the top?

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: kranky
Hey! Gimme my thread back, you hijackers! 😉

Sure, for... One Million Dollars *does Dr. Evil pinkie thing*

 

[Mookow]

Originally posted by: kranky
Hey! Gimme my thread back, you hijackers! 😉

On a helpful note, you can drag the shortcuts to be in any order you want

 

[kranky]

Yeah, I have to drag them around. It's doable (but not with older OS's, which don't have personalized folders, either). But they ought to either put the main executable first, or else put the other crap in a subfolder.

I just installed a demo of Serious Sam. It put eight items in a program group (and some of those are folders of their own), with the main program being number 7 on the list. While the default order is alphabetical, I would have thought the programmers could force a particular order, and that they would want the main program to be at the top of the list.