Gosh I hate being a noob
It seems just when I fix something it creates another problem. I deleted everything in the \Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder as you suggested (ignoring the Windows warnings) and all the dupes in the All Programs screen went away
Now, however my "Recent Programs" section is blank. This is the area at the top once you hit the Start menu. I started several programs to see if it would repopulate but it remains blank.
Second, now when I go to Start/Settings/Menu I only have the 7 items that are currently visible (checked) at the Start menu but nothing else, no option to check or uncheck any additional programs I may want there. Plus the Programs folder (after hitting Start) is now empty (obviously) and I can see no reason to have it there and no way to delete it, is it neccesary? Will it repopulate?
I have performed a soft reset.
Frustrating. What am I missing?