Quickly access important applications

Unless you change the Start menu to "classic" mode, Windows Server 2003 sports a slightly modified version of the Start menu that was first seen in Windows XP. WS2K3 also features the Quick Launch area immediately to the right of the Start button. You can easily customize both of these areas by adding shortcuts to programs that are frequently used.

To add an item to the Start menu so it appears above the list of frequently used applications, right-click the shortcut for the item or its executable. From the shortcut menu, choose Pin To Start Menu. Now, when you click the Start button, you'll be able to quickly access this application without traversing multiple folders.

Adding programs to the Quick Launch area is also fairly simple. Just right-click and drag the application to the Quick Launch area. When you let go of the right mouse button, you'll have two options: either copy the item to the Quick Launch area or create a shortcut to it. However, after you add several items to this area, you must click the double-arrow menu to view them all.