Windows 7: Need help repairing the administrative tools

I was messing around trying to clean up my start menu when I think I made a mistake. I wanted to get the administrative tools on the right hand side so it could be expanded, but I did not want it in the All Programs section (who knows why). Anyway, so I right clicked on the All Programs and opened All Users, then I deleted the Administrative tools. I don't know what I was thinking, but when I went back to the start menu, it no longer showed up under All Programs but was on the right side, so I thought I was all set. When I tried to expand it though, it gives a long error that basically says "Location is not available..." So I know why this happened; my question is how do I repair it? Thanks.

Right-click on the taskbar, and click on Properties. Go to the Start Menu tab and hit Customize. Administrative Tools should be in there.

Most of, if not all of the administrative tools can be found in your system32 folder, so don't worry, they're not lost forever!
Can you restore a previous version of folder you deleted the tools from? ie. %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs ??



I know it's obvious, but what about the recycle bin, have you checked to make sure that the folder's not in there?

Ok, I found out how to do it. I couldn't do a restore, because I had already installed too much stuff to want to do that. I was looking around on google and actually came across a post in these forums titled: Administrative Tools: Restore Shortcuts. It provides a down-loadable file to replace the one I deleted. I must not be the only person messing where he shouldn't. Thanks for the help.

Administrative Tools - Restore Shortcuts

I am, too, bedeviled by this issue. I don't want the "Administrative Tools" in the Start Menu, but there's no option in "Tasskbar and Start Menu Properties" to have it appear ONLY in the Control Panel, where it belongs (in my judgment). It can be in 1) only in "All Programs" (Start) menu, or 2) in both "All Program" (Start") and the right-side add-on Start menu, or 3) neither.

When I remove that folder from the Start Manu and use the Control Panel "Administrative Tools" option, it reports "Location is not available" and reports it expects to find the folder at "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools".

I have been utterly unable to find where this original destination specification is stored to change it so I can put Administrative Tools where I'd like it. It seems to be stored under "Control Panel\All Control Panel Items", but there's no "...\Control Panel" anywhere I can find.

Anybody got a solution for where I can can this apparently static reference to the folder, so I can move the folder and change the reference to it?

Hello Carol, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You can use this Administrative Tools shortcut below and be able to move or pin (ex: taskbar) it where you like.

Administrative Tools Shortcut - Create

Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thank you, Shawn. I was about to write a long rebuttal of your suggestion (because you were offering me the shortcut I already had in place), but I was humble enough to try the second part of your suggestion by moving it. What I discovered is that the same strategy we used to used with XP is the ONLY way it now works in Win 7.

Take that shortcut to "Administrative Tools" in it's default location at "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools"
and, as you suggest, drag-and-drop it to the place you want it to appear. (I'd tried cut-and-paste, in the past, to no success; apparently is the Dragon-Drop that does the trick.)

Apparently, for Control Panel objects, that's the only proper way to move them, and it causes their references to be updated by implication. So, it's now working, and it worked through a full, cold reboot, and irrespective of whether the Control Panel is access as "menu" or "link."

Thanks.

You're most welcome Carol. I'm happy to hear that it works for you wanted it for.