installing procedures

[loulou]

This is a very newbie question, though it's quite an issue for me: I want to be able to launch all my installed programs following paths such as:
Start > Programs > AGKnot > DGIndex icon (and DGIndex starts)
or
Start > Programs > Windows Movie Maker icon (and Windows Movie Maker starts).

Most of the times following the guided procedure during installation puts everything in the right place, as when I installed AGKnot, for example.
Other times this does not go smooth. I tryed to install IFO Edit: download the zip folder, extract all the files in another folder, then I launch the executable files but I will find no little IFO Edit icon if I follow the path start > programs.
Almost same for avi.Net: download zip folder, extract in another folder, launch the msi file and then I have a shortcut of the program on my desktop, but no little avi.Net icon in my start > program path.

Any chance you know how to help me?
I'd greatly appreciate any suggestion/explanation.

[foxyshadis]

You can mouse-drag things onto the start menu, and you can also drag start menu items around to reorder them. If you hold for a sec on a folder it'll open the folder. If you drag program files this way, you'll have to hold ctrl+shift to ensure that you make a shortcut, instead of copying.

Alternately, you can double-click on programs when you open it, and it'll open an explorer view of it, if that's easier. (Since XP drag-drop is a little buggy, and tends to close the whole start menu while you're navigating it.)

[loulou]

Thank you very much for helping out.

To be honest, I couldn't understand your instructions. Though, trying to get them, I somehow fixed the problem. I do this:
Start -> Laptop Resources -> C -> Documents and Settings -> All Users -> Start Menu -> Programs
then I cut and paste any shortcut I want into the this "programs" folder which I found.
So, from my desktop I choose Start -> All Programs and voilà, the icon I wanted is there!

So thanks again!

[CWR03]

That's another method, except you're doing it with Windows Explorer. With that method you can also create a new program group. Using foxyshadis's method you can only drag-and-drop icons into the All Programs area, although you can create a new folder on the desktop, fill it with the icons you want and drag-and-drop the entire folder into the All Programs area.

The step you're probably missing is how to open the Start menu while you're dragging - just click and drag an icon over the Start button and wait a second or so, then it will open.