| Windows 7: Shortcut To A Shortcut |
20 Jul 2010
|
#1 | | |
Shortcut To A Shortcut Hi people,
unbeknownst to yourselves, some of you have already been of great help to me, but now I've created for myself a specific little problem.
I'll do my best to keep this brief, but I tend to ramble to be as clear as possible, often just achieving the opposite.
I've finally sort of come to terms with the Windows 7 way of working, adapting my ways of WinXP organisation into the new and supposedly better ways of 7. I'm very anal about my organisations, which causes the problems I need other people to solve for me. First a quick history.
The start menu in my XP did the following:
START > Games > shortcuts to all my games
or START > Audio > shortcuts to all my audiosoftware
You might imagine what I did for the videotools...
In Windows 7 I've accepted pinning the most used icons to the start menu, in all honesty I don't use enough to warrant several distinct folders, but for reasons I won't bother you with I want access to shortcuts to all installed games through the start menu.
I know I can just search the menu, a nice feature, I can admit finally, but I will at one point have so many unfinished games installed I might forget one or two. I've solved this by putting a folder containing the shortcuts in my Gamefolder and I wish to put that Shortcutfolder into the start menu. So far, so good.
Now, for no other reason than esthetics I want the Shortcutfolder I've put in the start menu to have a different name than it's parent in my Gamefolder.
The problem seems clear to me, but it's my problem, after all. If you understand what I'm trying to do and have an idea on how to fix it, I'd love to hear it. Thanks for the help and if you couldn't help, thanks for reading all of this. | My System Specs |
| System Manufacturer/Model Number HP Probook 4720s OS Windows 7 CPU Intel i5 Memory 4GB Graphics Card ATI Radeon Mobility 512MB Hard Drives Just one. SATA II 500GB. |
20 Jul 2010
|
#2 | | Windows 7 Ultimate La Crosse, WI |
So you have a shortcut to your gamefolder that has all of your shortcuts to your video games, and you'd like to rename the shortcut? Can you right click the shortcut in the start menu and click "rename"? | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number Custom Built OS Windows 7 Ultimate CPU AMD Athlon II X2 245 2.90Ghz Motherboard Some Gigabyte one, dont remember model Memory 3.00 GB Graphics Card 8800GTS 512MB Sound Card Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Monitor(s) Displays Dual 22" widescreen Keyboard Saitek Eclipse 2 Mouse Logitech MX518 PSU CORSAIR CMPSU-850TX 850W Power Supply Case Thermalkake Tsunami Dream Cooling Thermaltake Golden Orb II Hard Drives 250GB internal, 500GB internal |
20 Jul 2010
|
#3 | | 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 & Windows 8 Enterprise Texas |
Hello Ron,
In addition to the above post:
Not sure if this may help or not, but it may be an idea to consider.
Normally when you install games, they will be automatically added to the Games folder. You could use the Customize Start Menu settings to add the Games button on the Start Menu for easy access to these game shortcuts. You can also add games to this as well.
Hope this helps,
Shawn | My System Specs | | Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Self built custom OS 64-bit Windows 7 Ultimate SP1 & Windows 8 Enterprise CPU Intel i7-3930K 3.2 Ghz (O/C 4 Ghz) Motherboard ASRock X79 Extreme11 Memory 32 GB (8GBx4) G.SKILL DDR3 Quad PC3-19200 2400MHz Graphics Card Sapphire HD5870 Eyefinity 6 2GB Sound Card SB Recon 3Di Integrated Chip Monitor(s) Displays 3x 27" Asus VE278Q Screen Resolution 1920x1080 Keyboard Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution Mouse Logitech Cordless Desktop MX 5500 Revolution PSU OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W Case Thermaltake Level 10 GT Snow Edition Cooling Corsair Hydro H100 Hard Drives 256GB OCZ Vector
160GB OCZ RevoDrive X2
2 x 1TB Samsung HDD HD154UI SATA Internet Speed 50 Mb/s Download and 2 Mb/s Upload Other Info Microsoft LifeCam Cinema
Lite-On iHBS212 12x BD Writer
Samsung CLX-3175FW Printer
Netgear WNDR3800 Router
Motorola SBG6580 Cable Modem
2x APC Back-UPS XS 1500 |
20 Jul 2010
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#4 | | |
Thanks for the help so far, however, renaming the link in the start menu also renames the folder.
If I make a shortcut to the folder by right-clicking and selcting "create shortcut", I can put that shortcut in the start menu, but I'll have two shortcuts: The one I want, in the start menu and the one it refers to, which in turn refers to the folder. When I remove the second unwanted shortcut, the shortcut in start menu can't find it's way to the folder and tells me the specified location doesn't exist anymore (something to that extent anyway).
So I dragged the original folder into the start menu and renaming that link in the start menu results in renaming the folder.
At the moment I'm just working the double-shortcut method and I dumped the second shortcut in with all the game shortcuts. Oddly enough Windows is perfectly able to establish if the file was renamed or moved and follows it's path without issues.
My orginal post may have suggested a bit that I'm a total idiot, but I'm actually jus a little bit of an idiot. I used to know my way around Windows and I used to be able to create an acceptable workaround for every problem I made, but this whole Windows 7 thing has got me almost back to square one. So, yeah, I tried right-click rename.
@ Shawn: Mr. Brink, I've benefited off alot of your How-To's already, so thanks for those. I'll go and have look to see if I can beat and bend the Games button into the shape I'd like it.
You'd figure I'd be able to solve something as simple as this myself and because it's so simple I'm thinking it's just not possible. Anyway, thanks.
Last edited by Ron Maide; 20 Jul 2010 at 01:40 PM..
Reason: type-o's
| My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HP Probook 4720s OS Windows 7 CPU Intel i5 Memory 4GB Graphics Card ATI Radeon Mobility 512MB Hard Drives Just one. SATA II 500GB. |
20 Jul 2010
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#5 | | |
Your answer is classic shell Welcome to Classic Shell
I know where you are coming from.. I 'build my own' menus as well..
With the 'old menu' interface, using classic shell, its just as easy as it was before.. "Open All Users", nav to a given directory..drop in your .lnks.
Good luck! | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HomeBrew OS Win7/XP CPU INTEL E8600 @ 4.2GHz Motherboard Asus P5E w/Formula Rampage BIOS Memory 8GB PC8500 Corsiar Dominator Graphics Card nVidia GTX 280 Sound Card Asus FXII (SoundMax controlled) Monitor(s) Displays 2 x I-INC 28' Screen Resolution 1920x1200 Keyboard IBM MODEL M - YA BABY!!! NEVER SAY DIE! Mouse MS Intellimouse PSU Ultra 700W Case Something..with alot of air Cooling Tuniq 120 CPU - Several 80mm and one 120MM fan Hard Drives 2 x Seagate 1.5TB Internet Speed 50/5 |
20 Jul 2010
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#6 | | Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8 Florida in winter, Black Forest/Germany |
I would solve this problem with toolbars rather than thru the start menu. Have a look at my little video tutorial: Toolbars - How to Use in Windows 7 and Vista | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops OS Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8 CPU from 1.6GHz Duo to i7 Monitor(s) Displays 2x HP w2207 Keyboard with trackball - no mices Mouse Trackball mice Hard Drives 5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals Internet Speed DSL 6000 |
21 Jul 2010
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#7 | | |
The Games button didn't do it for me, but thanks.
@ dood: I'll have a look at Classic Shell, but I must admit that I do feel I need to move on and why not sooner than later. The shortcut-to-shortcut workaround is fine, so far.
Cool avatar, by the way.
@ whs: That's almost exactly what I want. It's just on the worst spot of the taskbar, for me. Your video-tutorial has me interested in some more experimenting with the sidebar and stuff though.
Thanks for the help people, so far I'm satisfied with what I got, actually. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HP Probook 4720s OS Windows 7 CPU Intel i5 Memory 4GB Graphics Card ATI Radeon Mobility 512MB Hard Drives Just one. SATA II 500GB. |
21 Jul 2010
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#8 | | Windows 7 Ultimate AMD64 Sydney, Nova Scotia |
If you are interested in editing the start menu the old fashioned way, set explorer to display hidden and system files and go to Program Data > Microsoft > Windows > Start Menu > Programs. I've renamed and regrouped folders, and renamed shortcuts without breaking anything. I just find it faster than trying to do it in the actual start menu. I like to group all my Microsoft programs in one folder and shorten the names. As an example I change Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 to just Outlook. Its a lot easier to just click the icon text and rename it than to navigate though the start menu for each one and have to right click and select rename. I also delete all the un-install shortcuts and readme's just to clean things up.
Last edited by alphanumeric; 22 Jul 2010 at 05:46 AM..
| My System Specs | | Computer type PC/Desktop System Manufacturer/Model Number Home Built OS Windows 7 Ultimate AMD64 CPU AMD Phenom II X4 980 Black Edition Deneb 3.7GHz Motherboard Asus M4N68T-M V2 µATX Motherboard Memory 8GB 4GBx2 Kingston PC10600 DDR3 1333 Memory Graphics Card BFG NVIDIA Geforce 220GT 1 Gig DDR2 PCIe Sound Card VIA VT1708s High Definition Audio 8-channel Onboard Monitor(s) Displays 2 x 19" I-INC AG191D TFT Flat Panel Screen Resolution 1280x1024 x 2 Keyboard Logitech Internet 600 Mouse Logitech Wireless Trackman Wheel PSU Retail Plus 465 Watt Case Power Up Black ATX Mid-Tower Case Cooling Stock heatsink and fan Hard Drives 500 Gig WesternDigital SATA-300 Drive Internet Speed 80 Mbps Down 30 Mbps Up Antivirus Microsoft Security Essentials Browser Internet Explorer 10 Other Info HP DVD1040e Lightscribe - External USB2 |
22 Jul 2010
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#9 | | Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8 Florida in winter, Black Forest/Germany |

Quote: Originally Posted by Ron Maide The Games button didn't do it for me, but thanks.
@ dood: I'll have a look at Classic Shell, but I must admit that I do feel I need to move on and why not sooner than later. The shortcut-to-shortcut workaround is fine, so far.
Cool avatar, by the way.
@ whs: That's almost exactly what I want. It's just on the worst spot of the taskbar, for me. Your video-tutorial has me interested in some more experimenting with the sidebar and stuff though.
Thanks for the help people, so far I'm satisfied with what I got, actually. If you have a 32bit system, you could use the AppLauncher in the Vista style sidebar (which can be put in). For 64bit, that AppLauncher does not work though. If you need more assistance. let me know. | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HP, Dell, Gateway, Toshiba - 4 laptops and 2 desktops OS Vista, Windows7, Mint Mate, Zorin, Windows 8 CPU from 1.6GHz Duo to i7 Monitor(s) Displays 2x HP w2207 Keyboard with trackball - no mices Mouse Trackball mice Hard Drives 5x HDD, 7x SSD, 12x Externals Internet Speed DSL 6000 |
22 Jul 2010
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#10 | | |
Excellent! I was looking for the start menu folder. Thanks for that tip.
So far I've got alot of good info, thanks! | My System Specs | | System Manufacturer/Model Number HP Probook 4720s OS Windows 7 CPU Intel i5 Memory 4GB Graphics Card ATI Radeon Mobility 512MB Hard Drives Just one. SATA II 500GB. Shortcut To A Shortcut problems? All times are GMT -5. The time now is 09:47 PM. | |