I've had it with the Windows "Start" menu. It has many limitations, of which these are the most annoying:

• It has very sluggish performance and is prone to unpredictable pauses (why didn't the Windows programmers cache the values so it would start instantly?)
• If another program loads just after you've clicked the Start menu, there is a good chance that the new program's window will steal the focus and you'll lose the Start menu completely.
• The Start menu is often collapsed, showing only the most recently used selections. If you want a program that's not on the list, you have to click the expand arrow to see the full menu (almost always a very slow operation -- see first complaint about sluggish menus). Also if you have many programs installed, this results in a huge start menu, often two or three columns of tiny icons.
• The Start menu is cluttered with all kinds of useless entries (help files, uninstall links) and you have to hunt through it to find the programs you really want.
• The Start menu is overly hierarchical, often requiring many clicks (and waits) before finding the program you're looking for. Also, if your start menu has more than 1 column, then the lower-level menus from the left column items often obscure the entries on the second column, requiring extra mousing and waiting.
• Microsoft guidelines appear to recommend that software is installed under the company name then the product. For obscure company names, this can make finding the program you're looking for nearly impossible (example: Start -> Ahead -> Nero -- you have to know that the company that makes Nero is called Ahead or you'll never find it.)
• When new programs are added, they are added at the bottom. You have to manually sort the menu if you want them listed alphabetically.
• Let's say you want to start two or more programs right after another. That's a separate trip thorugh the Start->Programs->Blah->Blah->Blah for each program.

My solution to all of these was to create a special directory that I call "MyStartMenu" (I put it in "My Documents"). I then used AutoHotKeys to bind the hotkey Windows-S to simply open that directory in file explorer. This has proved to be so much better than the Start menu, I can't believe I didn't think of doing this sooner.

• Startup time is constant, regardless of the number of entries
• I view the icons in "list" mode, which makes it easy to see all of the programs in a reasonably sized window (I have 56 items in there)
• After pressing the hotkey, I can simply start typing and let explorer find the file to start. For example, to start Firefox, I hit Windows-S, then type "fire" and hit enter. No mouse required.
• If another app steals the focus, I simply alt-tab back to the MyStartMenu folder.
• If I am starting multiple applications at once, the MyStartMenu folder is already up on the screen. No waiting.
• Applications are automatically sorted by Explorer.
• It's trivial to add or remove entries. Indeed, many installers place a shortcut on the desktop during setup. This shortcut can simply be moved into the MyStartMenu folder.
• Drag and drop of a file into an application is made far easier through the use of the MyStartMenu folder.