Accessories Folder Missing from Start Menu

Anonymous
2011-01-14T20:16:03+00:00

Hello - I just purchased a new cpu with Windows 7 Home Premium installed.  When I first started using the system I know that the traditional Accessories Folder which usually includes System Tools and other files/folders was on my Start Menu.  After using the maching for a bit of time and installing many new programs I noticed that the folder is missing.  Is there a way to get this back on the Start Menu without a system restore as that will cause me to loose my newly installed programs from what I have read on other threads.  Thanks for your feedback.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2011-01-14T20:25:34+00:00

You are correct that System Restore may cause you to have to reinstall your recently added programs.  Here's one possible alternative:

Restore Previous Versions of a File or Folder

1 - Click your Start button, then right-click the "All Programs" link at the bottom.  Choose "Open All users".

2 - In the window that opens, right-click the Programs folder and choose "Restore Previous Versions". The Properties window may take a moment to load in all the available old copies of that folder.  Cool Fact: These previous versions come from the same place as System Restore backups, except these let you restore individual files instead of your entire system :)

3 - Click a old version of the file from a date when you know the Accessories folder was still there, then click "open" and look around.  From there you can right-click the backup copy of Accessories, and paste it into your actual Programs folder (that you opened in step 1).

Hope this helps.


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  1. Anonymous
    2013-03-09T09:48:47+00:00

    Great, works perfectly :)

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-11-08T10:45:48+00:00

    Unchecking the "Hidden" box worked

    This was perfect - You saved me a bunch of time - thanks.

    Way too simple - are other programs visible now?

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-10-31T18:11:13+00:00

    Just in case someone stumbles onto this old thread, here is another solution:

    Go to C:\Users*username*\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft and then right-click on the Windows folder, then click Properties.  Uncheck the Hidden box and then click Apply and then close.  Your accessories folder will now be visible in the Start menu.

    This solved the problem for me.

    This fixed it for me, have spent a couple months trying to find out why I could no longer get to system tools. Thank you.

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  4. Anonymous
    2012-10-20T14:14:42+00:00

    You won't see it if it's hidden.  You can turn on the display of hidden files and folders within your Folder Options (tap alt and choose Folder Options from the tools menu), or you can type the entire folder path into your Start menu and press enter to open it directly.

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