How can I add shortcuts to the Windows 7 start menu?

Anonymous

For some reason, it is impossible to add any new shortcuts to the start menu in Windows 7. I always get a message 'Windows can't create a shortcut here. Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the desktop instead?' I tried to select 'Show hidden files, folders, and drives' in the Folders and search options > View and to get to the start menu from ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu but this does not help.

How do you manually add a shortcut to the start menu?

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Anonymous

Right click on the file and select Send to Desktop (create shortcut) and then drag the shortcut on the desktop to the Start menu.

You should not create shortcuts or change any files in the Programs area unless you are troubleshooting.

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Anonymous

Sorry ... I don't accept that the "Pin to start menu" option is a substitute for being able to manually add a shortcut to the start menu. Being able to pin something is useful, but it doesn't cover many of the use cases for manually adding something. First, when you pin something, it will always appear in the same place. So there's no way to "pin" something into your Accessories\System Tools folder. Second, there is no way to "pin" something into the All Users start menu. If you have 5 people who need to access a program (like a family where 1 is typically the admin) then you have to login as each and pin it separately. Or am I supposed to just tell my 7-yr-old daughter to go hunt down the EXE for the app I installed and pin it herself?

I completely appreciate why Microsoft wants to keep average users from messing with their start menu. But there should be a way to disable this protection on a per-user basis or at least relegate it to a warning that you can only override as an admin user. It's kind of silly to have the only solution as "copy it to your desktop then copy it to the folder where you want it". That makes just as much sense as having to copy/paste everything through Notepad when you want formatting stripped off.

Organizing the folders and files in the Start/All Programs section is not a mystery and is fully supported.

There are 2 locations where the All Programs folders are kept.

Click Start, right click All Programs and select either Open or Open All Users.

Open is where all of the folders and files are kept that appear only in the logged on users all programs folders.

Open all users is where the programs that appear in every users all programs folders are located.

Usually, the only programs that are in an individual users folder is if that user is an administrator and they installed a program and selected to not make that program available to other users on the computer.

Once you go to that location in Windows Explorer for these folders and files, you can organize them any way you wish, just as you would any other folders.

Hope this helps.

Thank You for using Windows 7

Ronnie Vernon MVP

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89 additional answers

Anonymous

2010-11-19T16:52:12+00:00

Thanks Dave but if I pin a folder on the start menu and then do the work around of copying all my network files/templates and folder shortcuts to another folder on my computer and then copy that folder inside the pinned folder on the start menu what will happen is when I want to open the shortcut to a file or folder stored on our network then I have to open the pinned folder on the start menu and then open the short cut so this leaves the pinned folder open on my desktop. Say I go to the start button and open a few more shortcuts to files on the network, all of sudden I have several of the pinned folders open on my desktop and I have to take the time to go back and sort through and close each of them. Not very efficient and down right frustrating. I checked the link to seven forums for pin folders to start menu and it clarify's that it does not work with network folders or files and suggests the work around of copy shortcuts to another folder on your computer which again ends up in mess of folders. Does MS have an official recommendation on how to handle the following in Win7?

Where to put shortcuts to Network Folders that is easily accessible and useable?

Where to put shortcuts to Network shared Files, i.e. word and excel template files that is easily accessible and useable and does not leave folders open on your computer when you open a file?

Surely MS does not recommend putting all these shortcuts on your desktop as that makes clutter on the desktop plus you have to view desktop when you have other programs open so you can find the shortcuts to use them? This is basic business use of the computer on a network so there must be some easy way to handle it as I assume millions of other business customers use files and folders stored on their networks servers?

I did find the following classic shell program on seven forums that seems to give you back the functionality of the win XP start menu, does anyone have experience of using this program to hack Win7?

http://classicshell.sourceforge.net/
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Anonymous

2010-11-19T03:40:33+00:00

Just drag them...

Navigate in Windows Explorer (Computer) to a folder.

Drag the folder to the Start orb, wait until it opens the Start Menu, then

drag the folder up to where you want it.

This will create a shortcut to the folder.

Or-

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/8964-start-menu-pin-unpin-folder.html

--

Dave N.

MS-MVP (Mail)

Windows 7 Ultimate 64

Get it: http://download.live.com/wlmail

Get Help: http://www.windowslivehelp.com/product.aspx?productid=15

"oregonxc" wrote in message

news:*** Email address is removed for privacy ***...

I purchased new office computer and Win XP Pro was no longer available. I

have worked through most of the issues of Win7 and have the computer setup

on the network. Here in our office everyday we use a lot of word, excel

template files as well as different folders from our server such as user

folders and data folders. In windows XP I just explore the start menu and

copy short cut links to all these folders and files to the star menu. This

way anyone can just click on the start button and mouse up to the file or

folder you want to open and click on it and it opens. Very quick and

efficient for business use and only takes less than a second to open. I do

not want to open a folder then open short cuts as then at some point I need

to go back and close the folder or if I am working in several files I would

get several folders open on my desktop, waste of space and time.

I have searched the internet and spent several hours trying to figure out

how to add these short cuts to the start menu and still no luck. I really do

not want to add them to the menu of all programs as that can get messy and

then you have to hunt through a list of all the programs looking for the

specific file short cut you want to open plus it takes a additional mouse

click to get to the all programs list.

Does anyone have any suggestions, if this can no longer be accomplished on

the start menu then can something be done on the task bar without opening

folders that I will not use each time I want to open a file template?

I do not mind spending a lot of time setting up a computer for work if when

I am done it works efficiently but right now if I can not get these folder

and template shortcuts somewhere where they can easily be used then the new

computer will be less efficient to use then our older computers. I am at the

frustrated point now where I am either considering going out and buying a

copy of XP and reformatting the drive and installing XP or I see on some

forums that there is programs out there that you can install to change the

start menu to windows classic, does anyone have experience and

recommendation of using one of these programs?

Windows 7 Ultimate 64
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Anonymous

2010-11-19T02:20:48+00:00

I purchased new office computer and Win XP Pro was no longer available. I have worked through most of the issues of Win7 and have the computer setup on the network. Here in our office everyday we use a lot of word, excel template files as well as different folders from our server such as user folders and data folders. In windows XP I just explore the start menu and copy short cut links to all these folders and files to the star menu. This way anyone can just click on the start button and mouse up to the file or folder you want to open and click on it and it opens. Very quick and efficient for business use and only takes less than a second to open. I do not want to open a folder then open short cuts as then at some point I need to go back and close the folder or if I am working in several files I would get several folders open on my desktop, waste of space and time.

I have searched the internet and spent several hours trying to figure out how to add these short cuts to the start menu and still no luck. I really do not want to add them to the menu of all programs as that can get messy and then you have to hunt through a list of all the programs looking for the specific file short cut you want to open plus it takes a additional mouse click to get to the all programs list.

Does anyone have any suggestions, if this can no longer be accomplished on the start menu then can something be done on the task bar without opening folders that I will not use each time I want to open a file template?

I do not mind spending a lot of time setting up a computer for work if when I am done it works efficiently but right now if I can not get these folder and template shortcuts somewhere where they can easily be used then the new computer will be less efficient to use then our older computers. I am at the frustrated point now where I am either considering going out and buying a copy of XP and reformatting the drive and installing XP or I see on some forums that there is programs out there that you can install to change the start menu to windows classic, does anyone have experience and recommendation of using one of these programs?
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