The start menu, as an important part of Windows Aero, is greatly revamped in Windows 7. The start menu also shows a gradual highlight effect every time the user moves the cursor over it.
Overall, the Windows 7 Start menu still retains the familiar two-column layout of the previous Windows operating system, with a few functional improvements:
o The “Documents”, “Music” and “Images” buttons are now associated with their respective Libraries.
o “Devices and Printers” option is now available to manage all supported devices.
o To shut down Windows 7, you must click a text link, indicates what action will be taken if the link is clicked. Go to Taskbar and Start Menu Properties to set your default action.
o Taskbar Jump Lists are now displayed in the Start menu via a small arrow; if the user moves the cursor over the small arrow or presses the right arrow key; automatically, the right side is widened and then replaced with the Jump List for an application; it usually shows previously saved or opened files. For example, Internet Explorer’s jump list will display recently visited web pages.
The search box, first available with Windows Vista, has been modified to allow you to search for items in Control Panel. For example, clicking the Start button and then searching for “wireless” will display Control Panel options related to connecting and setting up your wireless network, managing and troubleshooting Bluetooth devices. While the Group Policy setting in Windows Explorer allows a Windows administrator or power user to place up to five Internet sites and five more “search connectors” in the Search Results view in the Start menu. These links, which appear at the bottom of the panel, give you the opportunity to perform another search on the selected search connector or Internet site. Microsoft recommends that network administrators use this feature to search within an internal SharePoint server or corporate intranets.