4

I'd like to be able to have the windows 7 start menu link to folders and not link to the stupid libraries. In Windows vista you could add the the Downloads folder into the start menu with messing with the registry:

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}]
@="Downloads"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}\DefaultIcon]
@="imageres.dll,-184"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}\InProcserver32]
@="shell32.dll"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\CLSID\{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83b1-96b02CFE0D52}\shell\open\command]
@="explorer.exe shell:Downloads"

;© 2008 Ramesh Srinivasan - http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/ - Created on July 10 2008

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\CLSID\{ED228FDF-9EA8-4870-83B1-96B02CFE0D52}]
@="Downloads"

I'd like to be able to change the link within the registry for Windows 7 Ultimate x64 to where the "Documents" link actually takes me to MY DOCUMENTS O:

How revolutionary would this be?

Could someone with some more registry editing knowledge help me out with this?

link to the site where I downloaded this .bat: http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/add-downloads-folder-to-the-windows-vista-start-menu/

EDIT:

Okay I did digging around in the windows 7 registry: The shell folder location is located in: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]

Now, I then looked into the Folder Descriptions section, And low and behold:

> "[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}]
> "Name"="MusicLibrary"
> "Category"=dword:00000004
> "ParsingName"="::{031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}\\{2112AB0A-C86A-4ffe-A368-0DE96E47012E}"
> "Stream"=dword:00000001
> "StreamResource"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
> 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
> 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
> 2d,00,32,00,00,00
> "StreamResourceType"="LIBRARY"
> "RelativePath"="Music.library-ms"
> "ParentFolder"="{1B3EA5DC-B587-4786-B4EF-BD1DC332AEAE}"
> "Icon"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
> 00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,\
> 6d,00,61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,\
> 00,31,00,30,00,30,00,34,00,00,00
> "InfoTip"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
> 6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
> 00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
> 2d,00,31,00,32,00,36,00,38,00,39,00,00,00
> "LocalizedName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,\
> 6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,\
> 00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
> 2c,00,2d,00,33,00,34,00,35,00,38,00,34,00,00,00
> "PreCreate"=dword:00000001"

Comparing this to the Downloads LINK

Key Name:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B} Class Name: Last Write Time: 7/13/2009 - 10:53 PM Value 0 Name: Name
Type: REG_SZ Data:
Downloads

Value 1 Name: Category
Type: REG_DWORD Data:
0x4

Value 2 Name:
RelativePath Type: REG_SZ Data: Downloads

Value 3 Name: Roamable
Type: REG_DWORD Data:
0x1

Value 4 Name:
PublishExpandedPath Type:
REG_DWORD Data: 0x1

Value 5 Name:
LocalizedName Type:
REG_EXPAND_SZ Data:
@%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-21798

Value 6 Name: PreCreate
Type: REG_DWORD Data:
0x1

Value 7 Name: Attributes Type: REG_DWORD Data:
0x1

Value 8 Name: Icon
Type: REG_EXPAND_SZ Data: %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-184

Now, does someone have advice for converting the Document LIBRARY link to Document FOLDER link?

EDIT EDIT:

Okay here is the location and contents for the list of folders to display in the start menu:

> Key Name:          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel
Class Name:        <NO CLASS>
Last Write Time:   7/13/2009 - 10:53 PM
Value 0
  Name:            {F02C1A0D-BE21-4350-88B0-7367FC96EF3C}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 1
  Name:            {20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 2
  Name:            {208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 3
  Name:            {871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 4
  Name:            {5399E694-6CE5-4D6C-8FCE-1D8870FDCBA0}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 5
  Name:            {59031a47-3f72-44a7-89c5-5595fe6b30ee}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 6
  Name:            {031E4825-7B94-4dc3-B131-E946B44C8DD5}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 7
  Name:            {B4FB3F98-C1EA-428d-A78A-D1F5659CBA93}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 8
  Name:            {9343812e-1c37-4a49-a12e-4b2d810d956b}
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

EDIT EDIT:

Okay, I have managed to make the windows library into a windows folder link. Now, I need some help trying to debug this: there are two My Document folders now, and I cannot locate any reason why it would do so...

    Key Name:          HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions\{7b0db17d-9cd2-4a93-9733-46cc89022e7c}
Class Name:        <NO CLASS>
Last Write Time:   3/2/2011 - 2:33 AM
Value 0
  Name:            Attributes
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 1
  Name:            Category
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x4

Value 2
  Name:            Icon
  Type:            REG_EXPAND_SZ
  Data:            %SystemRoot%\system32\imageres.dll,-1002

Value 3
  Name:            LocalizedName
  Type:            REG_EXPAND_SZ
  Data:            @%SystemRoot%\system32\shell32.dll,-34575

Value 4
  Name:            Name
  Type:            REG_SZ
  Data:            Documents

Value 5
  Name:            PublishExpandPath
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 6
  Name:            PrecCreate
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

Value 7
  Name:            RelativePath
  Type:            REG_SZ
  Data:            Documents

Value 8
  Name:            Roamable
  Type:            REG_DWORD
  Data:            0x1

2 Answers 2

1

You can alter where Documents physically goes to by right clicking documents in the start menu and choosing properties.

You then get a dialog allowing you to include other folders O:\ in your case and removing the other default ones.

Then when you go to access documents from the OS it will go to this new path. No registry hack required.

Hope that helps.

1
  • You misunderstand. I feel the library system is blotchy, and I am trying to set it up so that the "Documents" link opens the Documents FOLDER, not show the files within the folder. I know where my stuff is, I do not need [nor want] the stupid library feature. As I stated, In VISTA you can edit the registry and change where they link to. I am wanting to do the same in Windows 7. Commented Mar 2, 2011 at 2:26
1

Found it:

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/92587-start-menu-user-folder-buttons-open-users-instead-libraries.html

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