how do i access task manager from the start menu?

Answer 1

You can click Start => Run, then type "taskmgr.exe" and hit Enter.

By default it doesn't have a shortcut that lives on the Start menu, but you can create one there; the file itself normally resides in c:\windows\system32.

Answer 2

You can't from the Start menu. Try pressing CTRL+Shift+Esc...or you could right click on the Taskbar and click Task Manager on the popup menu.