Launchy is a very nice free system utitility to replace your Start menu. Just type initial few characters, and it shows the application that you might be looking for.
Launchy helps you completely forget the programs in your start menu, your desktop, and even your file manager. It is an open source keystroke launcher. Launchy works with both Windows, as well as Linux.
Launchy comes up with just a few key strokes. The interface can’t get simpler. You just type a few characters of the application or document you want to open, and Launchy shows the best matches to that.
Launchy indexes all the programs in your system, so as to launch your programs, documents, project files, folders, and bookmarks with just a few keystrokes.
Launchy provides options for changing skins, configurations, and adding plugins.
Launchy is a perfect example of simple, yet powerful application. The best part is that it is totally free.