This is beyond the pale. This really sucks. Even worse, as with some of the other problems, e.g., Media Player refusing to start or Task Bar icons disappearing, this bug was KNOWN before Windows 7 was released. I despair. This is duplicitous on the part of Microsoft.
I was looking for my Paint.net application last night to touch-up my “two glasses of red” award symbol.
I clicked on the START BUTTON and looked in the ‘All Programs’ menu. It wasn’t there. That was strange. It had been there. That is where I used to invoke it from.
I then did a ‘Search Programs’ (off the START BUTTON). Nothing! Just the standard, default Paint application. That wasn’t what I was looking for. THIS WAS BAD. This sucks.
Now a few weeks ago I had seen this ‘problem’ BUT at that time didn’t pay too much heed. My CPU Temp application had disappeared from the Start Menu (and the Task Bar).
Since I kind of know what I am doing, I knew where to find the application. Yes, of course, it was in my ‘Program Files’ folder. Went there, created a Task Bar icon, and Bob was my uncle again. And yes, after I invoked it, it is back in my Start Menu. Windows 7 sucks.
I then did a quick Google. Bingo. As with the other problems others had encountered it in spades well ahead of me. That is what really irks me. There are posting going back to March 2009 when Windows 7 was still in ‘Release Candidate’ mode. But, Microsoft didn’t think it had to fix this SERIOUS problem.
Possible Fixes or At least Workarounds
This problem only appears to happen when you add new programs. Well as it happens I had done so recently — the Auslogics applications. [And let us not forget the corrupted icon. Windows 7 sucks.]
So here are my recommended workarounds.
- Find the lost application in the ‘Program Files’ or ‘Program Files (x86)’ folder. Invoke from there.
— - Right click on the Application .exe and tell it to PIN it to the START MENU.
— - While you are at it, PIN to your Task Bar too. Now, with luck, you have two ways to start the program and maybe Windows 7 will only lose one of them. < Windows 7 sucks. >
— - Right click on the START BUTTON. Select ‘properties’. Select the Start Menu tab. Hit the CUSTOMIZE link. Towards the bottom you will find a counter as to the number of programs that will be displayed on the Start Menu. Default is 10. Bump that up to 15 or 20. This might help.
—
Hope this helps. Windows 7 sucks. Did I already say that?
Good luck. We need it.
Cheers,
Anura Guruge
www.guruge.com
I’ve been an IT Administrator for nearly 10 years now. I just started working with Windows 7 trying to work out the kinks in our work environment. I’ve been looking for very important files that I had on my computer and apparently are now lost forever. I’ve been kicking myself wondering how I managed to screw so bad and lose those files. This morning I attempted to run Microsoft SyncToy. A program that I’ve ran every morning from this system since I first set it up. It is gone. No sign of it anywhere with the exception of the SyncToy Data folder. It’s as if Windows 7 performed and automatic uninstall and then was even kind enough to update my backup removing all signs of it from there as well. I had the same problem as you on another system where Google Earth disappeared and a shortcut had to be created from the exe file in the program folder. This is a big problem.
I’ve been having the same kind of problem as JC. I can have my machine running for a few hours, then all of a sudden I go to start a program and it’s gone, I’ve tried system restores – nothing. I’ve reinstalled, changed ou’s in the domain. Still happening, I am trying one more time, if it does it again it’s back to XP.
Lee,
I too had the problem of PROGRAMS disappearing from the START menu. Please refer to this post: https://windows7professional.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/windows-7-yet-another-major-bug-programs-disappear-from-start-menu/
But, my programs were still there on the system in the ‘Program Files’. So I didn’t lose the programs, just the means to start them from START menu.
Are YOU losing the programs?
Please check ACTION CENTER … MAINTENANCE … Reliability History. If the programs got uninstalled there might be something in here.
WOW. This is bad. I feel bad for you. Yes, I too thought a NUMBER of times about going back to XP. <>
All the best. Good luck.
Anu
Yes I lost my programs, plus drivers and software, this is on a new i5, h55 board with 4 gb ram. I’m now back to XP, which has been stable the last 24 hours, little longer than the usual 20 – 30 min with 7. Cheers for the advice though, next time i install 7 will check those settings.