Pin multiple Windows Explorer icons to Taskbar

Yes, and I posted a solution to that which you are apparently not interested in.

OK. Fine. Post deleted.

Have a pleasant day!

Regards....Mike Connor

HaLo2FrEeEk said:

Ok are you kidding me! I've explained in excruciating detail exactly what the problem is, what my expected outcome is, and how I know with 100% undeniable certainty that what I'm trying to do is possible. I appreciate that I'm getting replies at all, I normally don't, but it seems like every post is just a link to an article that I've already read. I Google things, thoroughly, before I post a question to a forum. Obviously I couldn't find a solution to my problem with any of the results that Google turned up, which is why I asked here. I personally hate it when people ask a question and put as little detail as possible into it, which is why I'm very verbose when it comes to asking something. I put all the details out there, everything you could possibly need to know.

If you'd look at the image that I attached to my immediate previous post, you'll see what I'm going for. I have a shortcut icon, I click it, the window opens and that shortcut icon turns into the taskbar item for that window. Closing the window would return the taskbar item back to it's icon state. Both of the shortcuts need to have this behavior, with each one opening in its own icon. Currently only one works, the other opens in the first's icon.

The only way to do what you want is to fool the taskbar into thinking that it is opening an application. The way to do that is to make a "Pseudo app", and give it its own icon.

The site I gave a link for explains how to do it. None of my checks say that site is dangerous.

Here is an extract from Lifehacker;

QUOTE
Windows 7's taskbar lets you pin any running program to the taskbar for easy future access, but it treats folders like second-class sub-items of the Explorer icon. Create a fake "program" to pin individual folder shortcuts to your taskbar.A UNAWAVE blog post notes that trying to pin a specific folder to your taskbar results in it being pinned instead to the Windows Explorer folder icon as an item you can access from a right-click. Not that jump lists can't be productive and helpful, but that's just not as convenient as just popping open your pictures, is it?
UNQUOTE

From: Lifehacker, tips and downloads for getting things done

I am not going to post a link to the site again, even though I know it is not dangerous.

That works on my system, I can have three different shortcuts to folders, all with their own separate icons, and clicking on the icon opens the folder. I can click on all three shortcuts, and I get three folders and three separate icons in the taskbar.

I assume, possibly incorrectly, that that is what you want to do.

Regards.....Mike Connor

I am not going to post a link to the site again, even though I know it is not dangerous.

For the record, I researched the IP that was blocked and I too believe that the site is safe.

HaLo2FrEeEk said:

Here's the problem though, I followed the UNAWAVE tutorial to the letter:

Create a text file
give it an .exe extension
right click > pin to taskbar
in the "Target" field, put in the path you're trying to get to (in my case, E:\)
Change the icon
Change the name
click ok.

There are two problems though. First, when I click the icon, a new taskbar item is spawned. It doesn't simply expand the existing taskbar icon that I created. See the attachment.

Second, logging off or restarting the computer causes this icon to disappear, since Windows knows that it's set directly to a folder and not an application.

Well, you must be doing something wrong, or missing a step or something, it works for me.

I will go through it again myself now, and document each step. may be useful to somebody else as well.

It will take a few minutes..........

Regards....Mike Connor

OK. Here is the sequence I just carried out.

Create a text file with the name you want to use on the desktop, I used "Pinfoldertest.txt"

Rename the file immediately, to "Pinfoldertest.exe"

When you get the warning from Windows about changing file extensions, click "yes". MAKE SURE THE FILE IS ACTUALLY NOW

Pinfoldertest.exe

The icon will now change to your default .exe icon.

Now click on the file with the right mouse button. Choose "Pin to Taskbar".

Now open Windows explorer and search for the folder you want to open.

Hold down the <SHIFT> key, and right click on the desired folder. This shows the extended context menu item, "Copy as path".

Now, right click the icon in the Taskbar and then AGAIN right click on the "Program" (Pinfoldertest.exe). In the context menu select "Properties".

Open the "Shortcut" tab, clear the "Target" field, and then <Ctrl>+ <V> to insert your target folder.

This should be the result;



You can change the icon to whatever you want. I used the question mark from Windows default icon set here.

Now delete the shortcut on the desktop.

The shortcut on the taskbar can be used immediately, but the icon will only appear after a reboot.

At this point I rebooted my machine.

You can do all this as often as you want, and you will get separate icons on the taskbar, which open separate targets. This is because the taskbar "thinks" it is opening separate applications.

This is what the taskbar icon looks like when right-clicked;




If you "hover" on the icon;



If you click on the icon, the folder is opened immediately. ( In this case drive G:\ ).

If anything is unclear, please ask.

This is a lot quicker to do than to write about! It only takes a minute or so.

Regards....Mike Connor