# Get out of my Start menu!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [November 1, 2001, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961 "2001-11-01T18:41:17Z")
**Posts on this page:** 10
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/1 "2001-11-01T18:41:17Z")
I needed to test some websites I’d built, so I installed Netscape 6.2 on my machine at work. I don’t know at what point Netscape became AOL’s whore, but along with the Netscape browser, I got a barrage of AOL-related crap on my machine. I tested my sites and then un-installed everything related to Netscape. The continuing problem?
There is still something showing up in my Start menu about AOL. The regular items are all fine, and there is a horizontal rule above Programs; above this rule, in the order they appear, are:
**Free AOL & Unlimited Internet**
New Office Document
Open Office Document
I’ve uninstalled everything, gone through my settings and everything else control-panel related, and I’m stuck. What is that thing, and how do I get rid of it?
And on a side note, I thought the AOL browser was merely an adopted version of I.E., which Microsoft supplies AOL. Am I wrong? If I’m right, what in the hell is Netscape doing in being involved with AOL?
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### Author:  [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/2 "2001-11-01T18:49:30Z")
Have you tried right-clicking the offending menu item and selecting ‘Delete’? If that doesn’t work, open Explorer (I’m assuming Windows here) and open ‘C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu’. The shortcuts should be listed there and (hopefully) you should be able to delete them.
Sorry if you’ve already tried these.
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### Author:  [@Why\_A\_Duck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Why_A_Duck)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/3 "2001-11-01T18:51:01Z")
Assuming you’re on 95/98/ME, go to “C:\Windows\Start Menu”, you should find the offensive shortcut there.
If you are on NT/2000, go to “C;\WinNT\Profiles(your user name)\Start Menu” or “C:\WinNT\Profiles\All Users\Start Menu” and it should be there.
As far as Netscape in bed with AOL, AOL bought Netscape a few years back.
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### Author:  [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/4 "2001-11-01T18:55:57Z")
I think if for some reason you can’t delete it, you can create a new folder titled “Notstart” and move it into that. That way it’s still on your hard drive but won’t open up automaticly.
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### Author:  [@Tattva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tattva)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/5 "2001-11-01T19:17:57Z")
Also, assuming that you’re in Win98/ME, go to start-\>run. Type msconfig and hit ok. Click on startup. There will be a list of programs that boot up when you turn on your computer.
Go through the list and uncheck anything related to AOL. There may not be anything, but it can’t hurt to check.
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### Author:  [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/6 "2001-11-01T20:57:04Z")
For some reason, most installer programs are a hell of a lot more respectful and polite on the Macintosh platform. There are a few egregious offenders, but most Mac installers ask you:
Where would you like to install the program?
[select drive or partition; select specific folder]
Custom or standard installation?
[custom installation lets you leave off specific components you don’t give a rat’s ass about]
Do you or do you not want to put an alias to the newly installed program on your Desktop and/or in your Apple Menu?
[yes/no]
and then they leave behind an Installer Log that looks like this:
> [@](#):
>
> Installed file ‘Primary:System Folder:Control Panels:Snitch’
> Installed file ‘Primary:System Folder:Extensions:SnitchLib’
> Installed file ‘Primary:System Folder:Contextual Menu Items:Snitch Contextual Menu’
> Created folder ‘Primary:Snitch Info’
> Created folder ‘Primary:Snitch Info:html’
> Installed file ‘Primary:Snitch Info:html:Contents.html’
> Installed file ‘Primary:Snitch Info:html:Documentation.html’
> Installed file ‘Primary:Snitch Info:html:Snitch.gif’
> Installed file ‘Primary:Snitch Info:Register Snitch’
(etc)
I don’t know how we lucked out, unless we as a group have a curmudgeonly reputation or something 🙂 At any rate, in case any Windows users are groaning, let me acknowledge here and now that there isn’t any built-in characteristic of the MacOS that makes this so (and some Mac software installers do just dump their damn files everywhere without asking, even replacing files we already have with older versions without our permission (killworthy offense!), so I do know how that feels and I do sympathize).
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### Author:  [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/7 "2001-11-01T21:01:31Z")
If you need to test Netscape compatibility, you might be better off by running one of the latest Mozilla builds since they both run off the same core (NS is tweaked a bit for stability and usability, IIRC). Mozilla is less likely to spam your hard drive, at least.
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### Author:  [@Beadalin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beadalin)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/8 "2001-11-01T21:52:38Z")
Ah **HA!**.
Thanks so much for the advice, guys. **Why A Duck** ’s plan worked: I am on NT, and previously, I had been going into my own user profile to work on my Startup menu. That didn’t work, but when I went into the All Users profile, BAM! There was the stupid AOL thing. So it’s deleted, and my Startup menu is once again as pure as the driven snow.
And thanks to **slortar** for the Mozilla heads-up. I’ll remember that the next time this issue comes up.
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### Author:  [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/9 "2001-11-01T22:27:36Z")
Netscape became affiliated with AOL when AOL bought them lock stock and barrel. You need to use more than the mozilla builds those are basically netscape 6.X. which almost nobody uses because it does not work very well. You should also use netscape 4.7x.
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### Author:  [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2001, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/get-out-of-my-start-menu/90961/10 "2001-11-01T23:04:56Z")
Happened to me too, but I know about right clicking so I did & deleted it, took all of two seconds.