The classic start menu is even more classic than it looks

Raymond Chen

In Windows 95, the Find option took its place on the Start menu between Settings and Help. In Windows 2000, the option was still there, but its name changed to Search, a name which persist today if you use the classic Start menu. When the menu option changed its name, the keyboard accelerator changed accordingly. Whereas Find used F as its accelerator, Search uses C. Here’s a secret: The classic Start menu still responds to F as the keyboard accelerator for Search. The work to make this happen was undertaken as a concession to people who imprinted on the old Start menu and whose “muscle memory” still wants to press F to open what used to be the Find menu.

The totally redesigned Start menu for Windows XP changed the keyboard model radically, but if you’re still attached to your muscle memory, you can switch to the classic Start menu and keep using all the old keyboard shortcuts from Windows versions past.

Raymond Chen

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