Removing a vendor spam button from WinXP Start Menu

Factual Questions
1

I have spent a great deal of time removing all of that spammy “trial software” that comes preinstalled on new machines from my wife’s new Toshiba laptop. Once I’m done, I’m going to Ghost the drive to have a clean slate whenever things go sour.

There is one minor annoying thing left I want to get rid of: they have a shortcut labeled “Buy at ToshibaDirect” at the right side of the start menu at the bottom, directly below “Help and Support”, “Search”, and “Run…”

Can’t drag it to the trash. Its right-click menu has a single entry: “Buy at ToshibaDirect”

I suspect it’s a secret registry entry. Anyone?

2

Try opening file explorer and going to C:\Documents and Settings"your user name"\Start Menu\Programs

and then deleting it if that’s where it is listed.

3

Right click task bar->Properties->Start Menu tab->Customize button->Advanced tab.

Look for the Toshiba entry in the list of start menu items, and uncheck it if it exists.

4

midget got it. It was a checkbox called “manufacturer link” in the tree of options found on the Advanced tab.

Thanks!