You could always create a "Programs" toolbar. Right-click on Taskbar and select Toolbars->New toolbar... then enter this in the folder box: "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs" (without quotes) and click on Select folder. This will create a Toolbar on the taskbar that will allow you to access all programs on your computer. As you install new programs they will also appear in the list.
If you're looking for just one specific program, use the search function. Usually you only need to type the first 2-3 characters of the program name before it is found. As an example, if I want to search for notepad.exe, by the time I type in no, it's already found notepad.