| Price: Free

If you have more than just a few programs and utilities on your XP system, you most likely have a mess on your hands. When you install new programs or utilities, they appear on your Start menu willy-nilly, with no rhyme or reason. Pretty soon, trying to locate programs that you want to run becomes an exercise in frustration.

This simple little free program solves the problem neatly. It lets you put the programs and utilities on your Start menu into separate groups--Office, Utilities, Games, Entertainment, Internet, Programming, Graphics, Security, and Other--so that it's always easy to find exactly what you need. The utility is exceedingly simple to use, so you'll want to give it a try. The creators also offer a for-pay version that lets you add and edit categories as well as remove obsolete shortcuts from the Start menu, among other capabilities. But for most people, the free version will do quite well.

| Price: Free