New Install vs. upgrade menu problems

[Cybe R. Wizard]

I've two hard drives both running 8.04.  One has been upgraded ever
since Warty.  The other gets a new installation each time a new Ubuntu
version comes out.  Both have separate /home partitions that are fairly
identical except for newly installed packages on the upgraded
installation.
Both menus show identical entries, even though some packages aren't
present on the new installation.
Yes, I copied the upgrade /home to the new installation  /before/ doing
the installation but in the past the menu changed to only offer those
packages actually available After a new installation.  This time I have
entries for packages I do not have.  Must I hand-edit the menu or is
there some incantation that will normalize it?  the command, 
<sudo update-menus> doesn't do it.


Cybe R. Wizard
-- 
Nice computers don't go down.
	Larry Niven, Steven Barnes
		"The Barsoom Project"