Almost everytime I click on 'Start' I get a notification that pops up from the 'All programs' link, that says something like "All Programs can't not be shown." Then you have to click the bubble/Popup to make it disappear.

Is there anyway to stop this continuous and annoying notification?
I'm using windows XP.

Thanks

Try this tweak:

You can disable those annoying balloon tips that keep popping up in Windows XP with the following Windows XP registry hack:

Hive: HKEY_CURRENT_USER
Key: Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
Name: EnableBalloonTips
Type: REG_DWORD
Value: 0 disables tips

source

I made it all the way to "Advanced" but couldn't find:

Name: EnableBalloonTips

This is my first time with HKEYS, so I'm not really sure what I'm doing. hehe

Are you sure that you go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER and NOT to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE?

When you find it, double click EnableBalloonTips and change value data from 1 to 0 and hit Ok. Then close registry editor. You maybe have to reboot computer to make changes affect.

Hi runawayhorses, I'm sure CeeCee won't mind me suggesting another way to get rid of the annoying baloontips without going into the registry.

Download an MS Powertoy called Tweak UI, and you can do quite a few things including disabling the balloon tips with just a couple of mouse clicks.

After you install it, just browse through the menus until you find what you want.

If you have any problems, just come back. It's what I used for that same problem.

Available here.

The right side column, halfway down the page.

DennisD, yes you can do it with many programs, but it's so easy and fast to do via registry and you don't have download any programs for one simple reg tweak.

I bow to your greater knowledge CeeCee, I wouldn't have known where to look in the registry for that type of tweak.

After reading runawayhorses post I thought it might be less daunting, as it was for me, to use something like Tweak UI.

TweakUI allows things to be easily undone too, so that's actually what I would've suggested as well because not everyone is comfortable editing the registry. However as long as a fix is available that's the most important thing.

And just to point in the right direction (as I currently have it installed) - in TweakUI the 'Enable balloon tips' tick box is in the 'Taskbar and Start menu' section

For that particular baloon: Right click start (or a blank area after you open your menu)>Properties>Costomize>Advance Tab>In the Program area, limit it to 3 or less!

I'd like to thank everybody who responded with advice about how to correct this problem. I really appreciate it.

In the interest of doing this the safest way, and without having to get into the registry that I'm not famiular with, I decided to take DennisD's suggestion and download the Powertoy Tweak UI and disable the balloon-tips that way. It was very easy to do, and now I have a new power tool! :-)
I'm sure it will come in handy on other applications as well.

I do hope however, to learn more about the registry in days to come

Again, thanks to everyone with their great and informative suggestions.

Tyler

The problem for me doing it that way is because I keep most of my programs that I use everyday in that start menu list. It's easy access for me just to click start and click the program I want to run. If I narrowed it down to just 3, I would have to find another shortcut. Thanks for the suggestion.

Glad that you solve it, but it basicly made my help useless.

No my good man, your help was definitely not useless.

You've actually given me, and probably a few others, a good tip on where to find stuff like that.

I was being honest above when I said I wouldn't have a clue where to look for direct tweaks like that, but I've followed your link, and had a good look around the stuff in that area, and I've learned something.

Glad to hear!

I wouldn't say "useless" at all CeeCee. You showed me a little about the 'registry' and 'HKEYS' which was a learning experience to me in and of itself! I appreciate that

Please continue with your help and advice. Lord knows I need it!

A few things! The "3" refers to most recently used. I also have six permanent, so if I set that value to zero I'd have nine. I suppose with a smaller font/icon size I could have more. The down side of disabling all taskbar baloons is there maybe some you actually use. I kind of like window updating baloons which give the option of following the downloads or installations or just continuing to work. Also, will this across the board disabling, disable warnings from your programs in the notification area?

Also, if you want to make something permanent, right click it in the recent section>pin to start menu!

Oh OK, I see what you mean now. Well, I set it to 1 now so that will work better for me. I had it all backwards thinking the higher the number the more 'permanent' shortcuts you could add.


About disabling the balloon notifications, I'm not sure about which balloons it actually disables. I'll keep mine disabled for now, and if I decide later that I want them enabled again I'll change it back with the new powertoy I downloaded. It's easy enough.


You can fit 17 small icon short-cuts on the start menu.

Wow! Never knew that!