Well, well, well, here's an interesting problem.
On system running Microsoft Windows Vista, Home Premium Edition, Service Pack 2
The first time I ran 1-Click Optimization with Norton Utilities 16, I realized that I had lost the display of recently run programs on the Windows Start Menu. However, at the time I was not sure what had caused this problem, but I had my suspicions. I conducted a good bit of research on the problem on the Internet. Though I found lots of information, I did not find any issue pertaining to the new version of Norton Utilities. So I conducted the following test to determine whether it was the new version of Norton Utilities that was the culprit.
From what I could conclude from my research, the problem was being caused by the creation of the following windows registry entry: "NoInstrumentation" at the following location: (during the 1-Click Optimization process)
HKEY_CURRENT-USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
NAME TYPE VALUE
NoInstrumentation REG_SZ 1
I checked all my other user profiles and did NOT find this entry existing for any of the rest of them. However, it now existed for the user profile (administrator type) that was having the problem, the very same one with which I had used to run the 1-Click Optimization process in Norton Utilities 16. I then ran the following test to determine if it really was the new Norton Utilities 16 that was causing the problem.
TEST OF NORTON UTILITIES 16
1. I created a new user profile with a standard account type.
2. I used the Windows rgedit.exe program to check for the registry entry "NoInstrumentation" (refer to the entry above). It did NOT exist for the new user profile.
3. I then ran the 1-Click Optimization feature in Norton Utilities 16.
4. Nothing. The recently used program list in the Windows Start Menu was still there.
5. I then checked the Windows Registry and did not find the infamous "NoInstrumentation" entry in the registry for the user profile. Hmmm....
6. It then occurred to me that the user profile where the problem had first occurred was an adminstrator account type. So I changed the new user profile to an administrator account type. And Voila! The infamous "NoInstrumentation" registry did indeed appear and my list of recently used programs in the Start Menu vanished. I really like it when a plan comes together. This is a bug that needs to be fixed.
TO TEMPORARILY BRING BACK THE LIST OF RECENTLY USED PROGRAMS IN THE START MENU:
A. Remove the "NoInstrumentation" registry entry from the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT-USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
NAME TYPE VALUE
NoInstrumentation REG_SZ 1
B. Then log out of the user profile.
C. Then log back in.
D. This should cause your list of recently used programs to reappear.
E. Keep in mind that this problem occurred on a machine runnng the Home Premium Edition of Windows Vista, Service Pack 2. I have no idea how it will affect other machines running other versions of Windows.
F. Of course, I will have to do this each time after I run Norton Utilities 16 to get my list back. What a pain!
WARNING!!!
G. Disclaimer! I make no guarantees. All I'm doing is telling about what I did. Keep in mind: Messing with the Windows Registry is very dangerous business. If you don't know what you're doing, find someone that does. The wrong changes made to the Windows Registry can cause VERY serious problems, and even cause your system to NOT WORK ANYMORE! Bear this mind before you start messing with something you (might) know nothing about.