menu strips

Menu strips refer to the expandable arrow menus that appear next to certain items in the Windows 7 Start menu, such as Windows Media Center and Windows Live Messenger. These strips allow users to access sub-items without opening the full program. A common issue involves items like Windows Media Player losing their menu strips after registry edits or default program changes, causing them to appear as regular pinned icons instead of their original expandable form. Users seek methods to restore these menu strips to their original state in the Start menu, often requiring registry fixes or system restore points.