another great way to quickly access frequently used programs is with this program: Hotkey Helper
With it, you can set practically any keystroke to do certain tasks. for example:

F11 for me will open firefox
F10 opens winamp
F9 i set to whichever videogame i'm trying to play through
F8 opens my storage drive
Ctrl+Space play/pause all media
Ctrl+up/down turns system volume up or down

and the list goes on for me. i haven't hit my start button in months.

I one of those keyboards with button that open specific apps but they are ones I never use like messenger. Do be specific it is a Micorsoft optical desktop keyboard and it has button across the left hand side and on the top.

Does anyone know how to change what programs these buttons open?

Have you tried downloading the product information from here:
Microsoft Mouse and Keyboards Product Documentation?

Just a thought... :rolleyes: ~kATh