Delphi Tips

Making Start Button Invisible or Disable

How to make Start Button Invisible?
The following code is written in Delphi 5.0 and uses Win32 API only.  This code can hide, unhide, enable and disables the Win9x Start Button.

Create a new Application by choosing File > New > Application. Place 4 Buttons on the MainForm. Add following code to event handlers of each button.


{ Button 1 Hides the Start Button}
procedure TForm1.Button1Click(Sender: TObject);
var
  Rgn : hRgn;
begin
  Rgn := CreateRectRgn(0, 0, 0, 0);
  SetWindowRgn(FindWindowEx(FindWindow('Shell_TrayWnd',     nil), 0, 'Button', nil), Rgn, true);
end;


{ Button 2 UnHides the Start Button}
procedure TForm1.Button2Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  SetWindowRgn(FindWindowEx(FindWindow('Shell_TrayWnd',     nil), 0, 'Button', nil), 0, true);
end;

{ Button 3 Disables the Start Button}
procedure TForm1.Button3Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  EnableWindow(FindWindowEx(FindWindow('Shell_TrayWnd',     nil), 0, 'Button', nil), false);
end;

{ Button 4 Enables the Start Button}
procedure TForm1.Button4Click(Sender: TObject);
begin
  EnableWindow(FindWindowEx(FindWindow('Shell_TrayWnd',     nil), 0, 'Button', nil), true);
end;



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