Start Menu and Favorites Menu Not Listed in Alphabetical Order

ID: Q177482

The information in this article applies to:
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you view the Start menu and Favorites menu, the shortcuts and folders may not be in alphabetical order and new shortcuts that you create may be added to the bottom of the menu.


CAUSE

This behavior can occur when you rearrange the shortcuts and folders on the Start menu or Favorites menu manually, or when you install a new program.


RESOLUTION

Internet Explorer 4.x, Windows 98

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).
To rearrange your shortcuts and folders in a different order, drag the appropriate shortcut or folder to the location on the menu you want it to appear. To restore the default alphabetical order:

The Start Menu

To restore the default sort order, use Registry Editor to delete the binary value "Order" from the following key and it's sub keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\MenuOrder\Start Menu\Menu

The Favorites Menu

To restore the default sort order use Registry Editor to delete the binary value "Order" from the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ Explorer\MenuOrder\Favorites\Menu
NOTE: You must restart your computer for these changes to take affect, and you may need to repeat the above steps each time a new program is added or after you manually reorder items in these menus. If you do not want to be able to reorder items in these menus using the mouse, remove the Windows Desktop Update (Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0 only). For information about removing the Windows Desktop Update, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q165695 How to Add or Remove Windows Desktop Update
If you want to keep the Windows Desktop Update but avoid editing the registry to reorder the menu items, then install Internet Explorer 5. Internet Explorer 5 includes a new Sort by name option in the context menu that appears when you right-click in the Start or Favorites menus.

Internet Explorer 5


To sort the Programs, Documents, or Favorites menus, right-click any item in the menu, and then click Sort by Name.

This arranges the items in this menu in the default alphabetical order.


MORE INFORMATION

When you install Windows, the Start menu and the Favorites menu list folders first, and then shortcuts. The folders and shortcuts are displayed in alphabetical order on each menu. With Internet Explorer 4 and Windows 98 you can rearrange folders and shortcuts on the Start menu and Favorites menu. This functionality is available only when the Windows Desktop Update component is installed.

For information about how to install the Windows Desktop Update, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q165695 How to Add or Remove Windows Desktop Update
NOTE: Windows 98 Second Edition and Windows 2000 include both the Windows Desktop Update and the IE5 Sort by name context menu option.

Additional query words: alphabetize alphabetically 


Keywords          : kbenv kbui msiew95 msient win98 win98se 
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0,4.01,4.01 Service Pack 1,4.01 Service Pack 2,5
Platform          : WINDOWS 
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: June 1, 1999