Windows only: Freeware application Start Killer hides the Start menu button, freeing up extra space on your Windows taskbar. You can still access the Start menu by hitting the Windows key or CTRL+ESC, but Start Killer frees up a good chunk of taskbar real estate. You can optionally disable the Start menu altogether if you wanted to deny users access to it. Start Killer only does one thing, but there’s nothing we like better than a simple tool that does exactly what it says. If you’re looking for a similar tool for Vista (whose Start button is much smaller), our tipster sent us this AutoHotkey script that may do the trick.

Requirement: 9x/Me/2000/NT4/XP/XP64
Website: Here
Download: 32bit | 64bit

True Launch Bar is a Superior replacement for the standard Quick Launch bar. All functions presented in Quick Launch are also in True Launch Bar. However, the True Launch Bar is fully compatible with Quick Launch because it uses the same folder for shortcuts. But there is one huge difference. True Launch Bar allows you to combine your shortcuts into groups. This feature looks like popup menus. This vastly improves the management of your shortcuts and save working space on your desktop. By using True Launch Bar, you speed up the launching of your applications like never before.

Requirement: 9x/Me/2000/NT4/XP/Vista
Website: Here
Download: Here