That path doesn't exist.. PlacesList exists, but not PlacesList->Panel->PlacesList - at least not in my version of the program, which is freshly downloaded..?
I'm confused - are you saying I should be editing PlacesList and not PlacesListExtended? I don't see why.. PlacesList doesn't even have a SizingMode by default.
I presume when you speak of a "third value" you mean under DEFAULTPANESIZE:RECT, where it has 0,0,150,332, and thus you refer to 150. So you suggest I use a non-stretching PlacesList graphic of a width of 151..? How will that help when it invokes the PlacesListExtended graphic, which is the only time that the unmatching piece appears? It would make sense if the PlacesList graphic was still being shown and leaking through there, but the PlacesList graphic has the proper gradient and if that were the case there would be no problem...
*CONFUSED*
Edit: Tried my best to wrap my head around what you were saying, and I made a version of PlacesList that is 151px, extended to the left from where it was with a horizontal bar along the top. It made it so that the right side of the start menu was broken (huge click-through hole) until you moused over something, in which case PlacesListExtended took over and still had the same problem. This clearly did not help. I am going to try such a large graphic in Extended..
Edit 2: While I attempted to do this to the Extended sprite, I discovered that apparently the original gradient had snuck itself back into this graphic. I suppose I didn't save changes at some point, or just forgot to do it. Either way this was user error it seems and is now fixed by fixing PlacesListExtended's leftmost gradient bits and nothing else (which I thought I had already done).