Windows XP Taskbar - Toolbar - Start Menu - Show or Hide Administrative Tools on the Start Menu

SUMMARY: Toggle showing the Administrative Tools on the Windows XP Start Menu. If you do show the tools, toggle whether or not they appear as a Start Menu submenu.

Depending on your Windows XP expertise, you may wish to have easy access to the Administrative Tools to perform tasks such as:

* Starting and stopping services
* Viewing event logs
* Modifying database ODBC connections
* Monitoring computer performance

Advanced users may need these tools, but beginners may wish to stay away from them to help prevent accidentally changing key system settings.

You can configure the Start Menu to show or hide a shortcut to these tools, as desired.

1. Right-click on an empty area of the taskbar, choosing "Properties".

2. When the "Taskbar and Start Menu Properties" multi-tabbed dialog box appears, click the "Start Menu" tab.

3. Click "Customize" next to "Start Menu".

4. When the "Customize Start Menu" dialog box appears, click the "Advanced" tab.

5. Underneath "Start menu items", scroll down to "System Administrative Tools".

6. Choose one of the options as desired:

* Display on the All Programs menu
* Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu
* Don't display this item

7. Click "OK" on the dialog boxes to close them.