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Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu

Access the Start Menu During Full-Screen Setups

SUMMARY: Access the seemingly inaccessible Start Menu when installing software in Windows XP.

When you install new software on your machine, it is highly recommended to close down all of your currently running programs in case the setup program needs to modify key operating system files. To encourage this, many setup programs go into full-screen mode, hiding your taskbar.

If during a setup, however, you absolutely have to run another piece of software or look through your hard drive for files, go ahead and press the Windows key on your keyboard. Or, if you do not have such a key (it looks like a Windows logo), hold down the CONTROL key and press ESC. More often than not, the "Start" menu will appear, allowing you to run software, access files, connect to the Internet, etc. Note that once you select an option from the "Start" menu, the menu may disappear again. Just perform the same above tasks to get it to reappear.