Windows Vista Start Menu "Run…" Is Off

I'm not sure who makes the call on the user interface stuff at Microsoft, but I get the impression that he thinks we user types are pretty dumb. It seems like every version of Windows changes the default behaviors of the Start menu in ever-increasing levels of annoyance. XP hid Administrative Tools, Server 2003 made getting to the actual Control Panel more work, and now Vista has taken away the Run… item from the Start menu. Personally, I use Run… a lot of the time, if for no other reason than to quickly get to Regedit and the local Group Policy Editor. Losing Run… on the Start menu makes me less productive on Vista.

So let's fix that, shall we?

1. Right-click the Start menu, and in the resulting context menu choose "Properties." As with earlier versions of Windows, that brings up the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties page with the "Start Menu" tab highlighted. Choose the "Customize…" button in the upper right-hand corner to bring up the Customize Start Menu dialog.

2. In the Customize Start Menu dialog, you'll see a number of radio buttons in a window with a scroll bar down its side. Scroll down almost to the bottom, and you'll see the option "Run command" with an unchecked check box next to it. Check the box.

3. Still in that window, scroll all the way down and you'll see a section called "System administrative tools." In that section, choose the radio button labeled "Display on the All Programs menu."

4. Click OK to dismiss the Customize Start Menu dialog, and again to dismiss the Taskbar and Start Menu Properties page.

The Run… command and the Administrative Tools group are now back, after a few clicks. (And they call Vista a productivity tool!)

Source of Information : Sybex Administering Windows Vista Security: The Big Surprises