Change the SendTo Menu

A lot of stuff gets into your right click SendTo menu. It gets longer and longer, and often the very thing you want is either absent or way down at the bottom.

It's very easy to make it the way you want it. However, the location of files is not the same in Windows 98 and Windows XP, so the directions for Windows 98 are here.

Remove Things from the SendTo Menu—XP

1. Open My Computer.
2. Double click the C: drive.
3. Locate and double click the folder called Documents and Settings.
4. Find and double click your individual folder. Depending on the setup of your computer, this may be "default user" or it may have your name on it.
5. Right click and choose New>Folder.
6. Name the folder SendExtras.
7. Hit F5 (or go to the View menu and choose Arrange Icons by Type).
8. Locate the SendTo folder. The folder you just made should be right above it.
9. Double click the SendTo folder.
10. Grab the title bar of the resulting window and drag it away from the SendExtras folder.
11. Now pick up the items you don't want on your SendTo menu and drop them onto the SendExtras folder. It doesn't need to be open. Just make sure that its name is highlighted before you drop the shortcuts.
12. When you've finished, hold the Shift key while you click the Close button in the top right corner of the last window you opened. Next time you right click and choose SendTo you won't have unwanted extras.

Return to top

Add Things to the SendTo Menu—XP

1. Make or copy shortcuts to the things you want to put onto the SendTo menu.
2. Gather them together where you can see them easily. A temporary folder on the desktop is a good place.
3. Open My Computer.
4. Double click the C: drive.
5. Locate and double click the folder called Documents and Settings.
6. Find and double click your individual folder. Depending on the setup of your computer, this may be "default user" or it may have your name on it.
7. Locate the SendTo folder. There's no need to open it, although you may if you'd rather.
8. Pick up the shortcuts that you have ready and drop them onto the SendTo folder
9. Close Windows, close the C: drive, and close My Computer. Next time you right click and choose SendTo you'll have shortcuts to the things you chose.

Return to top

Change Your Mind

Later you may regret having removed something from the SendTo menu. No problem. Just open the SendExtras folder and drag the icon back to SendTo. In fact, you may want to change the items on this menu often, according to the work you're doing. Add and subtract shortcuts whenever you like.

top

The StartUp Folder Too

You can use this same technique on the StartUp folder that you find in Programs on the Start menu. It may not work with some persistent pests, but since it's the simplest procedure, you might as well try it first.

1. Right click on the Start button and choose Open.
2. The top item in the window that opens should be the Progams folder. Double click Programs.
3. Right click in the window and choose New > Folder.
4. Name the folder StartExtras.
5. Hit F5 to put things back into alphabetic order.
6. Open the StartUp folder.
7. Drag the things you don't want to the StartExtras folder.
8. Close the StartUp folder. Close programs. Close the Start menu.

This is unfortunately not the only place that unwanted programs and utilities plonk themselves in order to start whenever you boot your machine. To stop things from starting without invitation in the first place, help yourself to StartUp Control Panel, a bonza little program that pops up from time to time and asks whether you really want Nuisance X to load at start up. You'd be amazed at how many things you use once in a blue moon want to be ready every moment of every day! Your printer, scanner, media player and so on will work perfectly well without being in Startup.

The things that should be running all the time include your anti-virus program and your firewall, but they won't usually be found in the ordinary Startup folder.

Return to top

Remove Things from the SendTo Menu: Windows 98

1. Open My Computer.
2. Double click the C: drive.
3. Locate and double click the Windows folder.
4. Right click and choose New > Folder.
5. Name the folder SendExtras.
6. Hit F5 (or go to the View menu and choose Arrange Icons by Type).
7. Locate the SendTo folder. The folder you just made should be right above it.
8. Double click the SendTo folder.
9. Grab the title bar of the resulting window and drag it away from the SendExtras folder.
10. Now pick up the items you don't want on your SendTo menu and drop them onto the SendExtras folder.
11. Close the SendTo folder, close Windows, close the C: drive, and close My Computer. Next time you right click and choose SendTo you won't have unwanted extras.

Return to top

Add Things to the SendTo Menu: Windows 98

1. Make or copy shortcuts to the things you want to put onto the SendTo menu.
2. Gather them together where you can see them easily.
3. Open My Computer.
4. Double click the C: drive.
5. Locate and double click the Windows folder.
6. Locate the SendTo folder. There's no need to open it.
7. Pick up the shortcuts that you have ready and drop them onto the SendTo folder
8. Close Windows, close the C: drive, and close My Computer. Next time you right click and choose SendTo you'll have shortcuts to the things you chose.

Questions or comments? I’d love to hear from you. My email address is here.

Return to top



Drop-Down Menu from Brothercake

Everything below this is a javascript menu. If you are using a reader,
please use the links here.