How to Change Windows XP Start Button Text

Nischal writes, "How can I remove START from the Start button in Windows and replace it with my name?"

You need to do a fairly deep level modification of Windows to edit the Start button text and replace it with something else. You are directly editing details inside the explorer.exe file that is the Windows display layer, so if you make a change that messes things up you could very well end up with a computer that won't work. Be sure to backup anything you care about before you venture down the path of making the required changes. If you're still willing to take the risk for the vanity of having a custom start button, then follow the next several steps to get the job done.

Required Software: Resource Hacker is a tool for modifying Windows executable files, like explorer.exe. Before you begin, be sure to download this application.

Before starting down the path of changing your start button, locate explorer.exe in your {system}\Windows folder and make a backup copy of it. Making this backup copy improves your chances of fixing your machine if something goes wrong. Call the copy something like original.explorer.exe or any other name that makes the most sense to you.

Next launch Resource Hacker and open C:\Windows\explorer.exe

Find a folder called String Table. Expand the String Table folder and find a folder called 37. Expand 37 and click on the gear labeled 1033. Over in the right pane, click on the word 'start' and change it to whatever other word you want to replace it with. When you're finished, click the Compile Script button and save explorer.exe with your changes.

You may need to reboot to see your changes take effect, but you should now have a button that says something other than start.

Again, I must caution this is something that can potentially screw up your computer if done wrong, so follow these steps with care. If you are using Windows Classic mode, you can make the change by following the same steps in folder 38 in the String Table folder.