Annoyances.org
Home » Customizing Windows » Article 02-029 Search | Help | Home
  
Tip: Run a free scan for common Windows errors ad

Customize the Start Menu Button

Intended For
Windows XP
Windows 2003
Windows 2000
Windows ME
Windows 98
Windows 95
Well, many of you have asked for this one, but the solution is for advanced users only. The button on the Taskbar used to open the Start Menu consists of a small Windows logo and the word START. Here's how to edit the various aspects of the Start Menu button:

For Windows XP, see Customize Windows XP Styles.


Change the word START:

  • Copy the file EXPLORER.EXE from your Windows directory to a temporary working directory.
  • Using a hex editor (like UltraEdit-32), open the copy of EXPLORER.EXE.
  • Search for 53 00 74 00 61 00 72 00 74, which are the letters in the word "Start," separated by null characters (#00). It's a good idea to search and replace all occurances of Start in the file, as just editing this one doesn't seem to do it.
  • You can replace any of the five characters, but do not change the null characters. Although you can't use a word longer than five characters, you can have shorter words by including spaces (#32) for the remaining places.
  • Save the changes and exit to DOS (for Windows 9x/Me) or reboot into the Windows Recovery Console (Windows XP/2000).
  • Here, you'll be able to backup the original file and replace it with your modified version. When you restart Windows, the change should take effect immediately.

  • Note: if you can't find START at the address above, do a search for it (make sure to include the interstitial null characters), as it may have been altered by another program.

  • Note: there has been at least one report that the only occurrence of S T A R T that you need to change is the last one. If changing just the last occurrence works for you, then that's all you need. If not, try replacing them all.


Change the icon:

  • Copy the file USER.EXE from your Windows\System directory to a temporary working directory.
  • Using an icon editor that can read executables (like Microangelo), open the copy of USER.EXE.
  • The Start Menu uses the flag logo, the very first icon in this file. What you need to be aware of, is that there are several versions of this icon in the file, each a different size. Depending on what font size you have your Start Menu font configured (Control Panel -> Display Properties -> Appearance), the actual icon may be the 16x16 or the 22x22 variations. Your best bet is to edit them all, and save your changes when you're finished.
  • Next, exit to DOS (for Windows 9x/Me) or reboot into the Windows Recovery Console (Windows XP/2000).
  • Here, you'll be able to backup the original file and replace it with your modified version. When you restart Windows, the change should take effect immediately.

  • Note: To change or remove any of the standard parts of the Start Menu itself, see Customize Start Menu Components.


Additional Notes:

  • For more information on the Windows Reocovery Console (for Windows XP and Windows 2000 users), see Windows XP Annoyances.
  • On Windows Me and later systems, Windows' System File Protection feature might replace your modified version with the original. For details on disabling SFP, see the appropriate Annoyances book.

This article has been recently supported by and featured on this Internet Webhosting Guide

Written by: Annoyances.org
Last updated: Wednesday, February 7, 2007

Care to discuss this article with other Windows users? Select your operating system here, and click Continue to post your question.

Previous discussions about this article:
(open a message to see applicable responses, if any)

Return to "Customizing Windows"


All content at Annoyances.org is Copyright ©1995-2012 Creative Elementtm All rights reserved.
Please do not plagiarize; redistributing these pages without permission is strictly prohibited.