Editing Menus (another try)

[refdoc]

I have tried the various suggestions offered ("nautilus applications://"
or "sudo nautilus applications-all-users://"), searched my file system
for any easily edited config files, trawled google etc but all to no
avail.

I can not edit my menus since I upgraded form warty to hoary. Worse - a
fair number of programmes do not appear in the menus after installation.

The nautilus commands suggested only result in an error message "[..]
not a valid uri".

I even installed XFCE 4.2 from inofficial packages as someone suggested
the menu edtor there would be of help. 

Now is there any reasonably simple way to create/edit a new gnome menu?

I really like the new lay-out, but this lack of editability is a major
nuisance. 

Refdoc
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