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

2010-11-19T20:58:16+00:00

I created a folder on the desktop and put network file shortcuts in it. I tried right click on the folder but there is not pin option so I drug it down to the start button and then is asked if I wanted to pin to start menu and I said yes. The folder is not at the top of the start menu. If I mouse up to the folder it does not expand or show me the contents of the folder so that I can select one of the short cuts in the folder. The only option I have is to click on the folder and open the folder on the desktop and then I have to sort through and double click and open any of the short cuts in that folder. This does work but certainly not as workflow efficient as XP start window. Problem with this is that then I have an open folder on the desktop that I then have to go back and close or just leave it open which to me is workspace clutter. Can the folder I put in the start menu be set to expand or show me the contents for selection when I mouse over it? Or any other solutions?
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Anonymous

2010-11-19T18:29:50+00:00

Did you try:

Create one folder on your Desktop

In this folder, place shortcuts to all of the network folders

Pin this folder to the Start Menu

When you select this folder from the Start menu, you should get a window

with all the shortcuts in it.

Double-click one of the shortcuts to get to the files inside.

To go back to the shortcuts, click on the back arrow (<--) or on the

breadcrumb trail..

If you have multiple windows opening, change this setting in windows

Explorer:

click on Organize - Folder and search options

(.) Open each folder in the same window

OK

Now you should have only one open window, from whence you can access all of

the network shortcuts.

--

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 ***...

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/

Windows 7 Ultimate 64
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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/
Was this answer helpful?

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