Tech Tip: Get Rid of Start Menu in Office
When you open an Office program such as PowerPoint, Word, Excel, or Publisher, a Start menu is displayed with file templates. This can be annoying, but it is easy to disable. You can certainly disable the Start menu for every program, but you will have to do each program individually. To disable this Start menu and automatically display a blank file, open a program and select Blank Document. Then go to File, and Options. Next go to General, and uncheck the box labeled “Show the Start screen when this application starts.” Then press OK to close Options.
Link to Knowledgebase article: http://helpdesk.etown.edu/helpconsole2012/KB/default.aspx?pageid=get_rid_of_start_menu&SearchHighlight=get%20rid%20of%20start%20menu&condition=exactphrase