Reset Windows 7 start menu learned order

Question

Since upgrading from Vista to Windows 7 the start menu is unable to learn what I look for when I type to search. It actually works for most items (and all newly installed programs for example). But some items like "Windows Update" just don't appear near the top no matter how often I have searched for them in the same way with exactly the same prefix.

I'd like to try to reset all learned data from the start menu. Where is it stored and how can I reset it?

Answer 1

Answer to your question:

There's a tool I use called CCleaner. It's a great app for cleaning up stuff you don't need in a windows computer.

In the main screen there's a check-box under "advanced" titled "Menu Order Cache". Including that item in the cleanup process will delete any custom ordering in your start menu.

Another item under "advanced" is "User assist history". This will remove your recently used programs list in your start menu.

Another reason why you might be having that problem is there's a conflict in your search index. To fix this follow the instructions in this page titled "To rebuild the index"