Remove the OEM link from the Start Menu

In many cases, an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacture) machine will have a link in the start menu that will either open a folder, web page or launch an application. If you find this feature to be annoying and have no intensions of using this link, you can hide this link from the Start Menu. Here's how:

1. Click the Start button
2. Right click the top of the Start menu
3. A "Properties" button should appear. Click the Properties button.

Note: If more than a Properties button should appear, then you are right clicking a program within the Start Menu.

4. Click the Start Menu tab
5. Select the Customize button
6. Choose the Advanced tab
7. In the Start Menu items list, uncheck the entry titled: Manufacturer Link
8. Click OK, then OK again.

In some cases, I have seen that the Manufacturer Link does not appear in the Start Menu Items list. If this is your case, you will need to edit the Windows Registry to enable the Start Menu Items list option. Before editing the Registry, be sure to save a backup copy to a file.

How to backup the Windows Registry

Enable the Start Menu item list option:

1. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: regedit [Enter] or click OK.
2. Navigate to following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft \Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartMenu\StartPanel\ShowOEMLink

3. Click the "ShowOEMLink" entry once to empty its contents in the right pane.
4. Double click the entry titled: NoOEMLinkINstalled
5. Change its value from "1" to "0"
6. Exit the Windows Registry Editor and restart Windows

The Manufacturer Link should now be viewable in the "Start Menu Items" dialog. Now you can uncheck this item to hide it from the Start Menu.