Windows 7: Quick Launch - Enable or Disable

I don't think being unorganized and using the search is necessarily due to stupidity, I do that and sometimes it's more efficient, sometimes its annoying though, take the good with the bad I guess. I essentially save everything from browsers into the same folder, or basically save everything from certain programs into the same folders, like just a main folder, so it does get quite full and confusing looking for something. But search is relatively fast, I don't necessarily like the search in Windows 7/Vista, I liked the XP search better, but often times the files I need are one time use things anyways so searching yields decent efficiency for me. The only problem I have with this unorganized method is I end up wasting lots of hard drive space because everything is everywhere, and as I said most of the time they are one time use things, and I don't delete them right away thinking maybe I'll go back (even though I never do, I do this IRL too haha, packrat much?) Which in XP I used to just do a search based on file size of over like 10mb and wait for it to bring everything up and then just dedicate some time to clearing it all out. I guess efficiency just went right out the window

Ok, I don't say that unorganized people are stupid but that Search Engines Manufacturers say "Don't even try to be organized, we 'give' you tools to find YOUR files". They try to create a dependency upon their tools, and that's what I don't like.
When you try to find something on the Www, you don't know exactly what you search and there are so many sites, so a search engine is the best solution.
But that's different when you try to find a file on your computer, among your files. You either know (perhaps approximatively) the file name or the date of the file and it's type. That's why I likes XP search better too.
If you want a "smart" search engine to be efficient to find files among your files, you have to tag all your files. If you don't have many files, you don't waste time to tag your files but you don't need a search engine to find them...
If you have a lot of files that you don't use very often, tagging is a very time consuming task. In that case, a "basic" search engine like the one in Win 95 (or XP or Atari ST GEM , ...) is efficient enough to find files by name (and type by the extention), date and size.
We have tools to organize files (folders, name and extentions) and to find them ("basic" search engine) for years now. These tools must be too simple for system vendors so they think that they have to hide file extensions so that users don't know the type of their files, that they have to show files in virtual aggregated folders (Libraries) so that users don't know where there files are physically on their drives, that they have not to provide structured help for their softwares (organized by chapters with a table of content) so that people have to use search features to find help... and so on.
The only reasons I see for that are either they think that people not able to manage data by theirselves or they try to create a dependency upon their tools so that people keep on buying new versions of their softwares. I don't mind as long as I can continue using simple tools that make me productive and as long as I have choice not to use those so called "smart" and not so efficient tools that make me waste time.
The official reason for thoses changes is "It's time to move on" (in other words "That's newer then that's better"), and I desagree whith that. I think that "If it's not broken, don't fix it".

Sorry Riotblade...can you be more clear? How do you actually disable language bar? And does it really have something to do with it? Beside, I recently added the language toolbar and it still disappears (i have EN on the right corner next to notification icons). So I ain't sure if this is responsible, but it does not hurt to try, so how do you disable it? When you said "what else" I don't undersand you.

I was able to get mine to work - the tutorial was beautiful. I'm using the Classic theme, and more and more I'm getting my Windows 7 looking like good old Win2K! Thanks!

Raargh

You're welcome Raargh, and welcome to Seven Forums.

thanks a lot dude.. u r really gr8 !
IT WORKS PERFECT ...

How To Make A Quick Launch Using The Links Folder

FYI, I am using the Links folder because it is hard coded within Windows 7 and is on the Taskbar’s right click menu under Toolbars. Other methods to add a Quick Launch by making a New Toolbar using the Quick Launch folder have not been completely successful. SEE NOTES AT THE END OF THIS WRITEUP.

The Links folder is in the Favorites folder: "C:\Users\{USER_NAME}\Favorites". By default the Links folder is not shown. You need to turn it on.

Right click the Taskbar and go to Toolbars > Links and click on it. You will now have Links on the Taskbar next to Notification Area. It is now shown in the Favorites folder.

Go to the Quick Launch folder: "C:\Users\{USER_NAME}\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch" and copy everything except for the desktop.ini file and the User Pinned folder. Paste everything in the Links folder. Shortcuts can be made in the Links folder.

If you go to the Taskbar and left click on Links, you will see everything you pasted in the Links folder.

To make your Quick Launch work properly, you need to have everything in the Links folder "Run as Administrator". In the Links folder, right click each item, click on Properties, Shortcut, Advanced, and tick "Run as Administrator". Click Ok, Apply, Ok. Do this for every item. Some shortcuts might already be ticked to "Run as Administrator". If you do not do this, when you click on a Quick Launch icon you will get a popup to run that item. For those that use UAC, you will still see the UAC popup when you click on some Quick Launch icons. Information on how to make an elevated shortcut can be found in http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/

Elevated Program Shortcut without UAC Prompt - Create

Once you are done with each item, you need to hide the Links folder or else it will show in your IE8 Toolbar Favorites list when you access a bookmark. Right click on the Links folder, click on Properties, General, and tick Hidden, Apply, OK. The Links folder will appear dimmed (hidden).

Go to the Taskbar, and untick "Lock the taskbar". Move your mouse pointer over to the left of Links and you will see double arrows. Right click on the double arrows and untick "Show Text" and "Show Title".

To have your new Quick Launch on the left side of the Taskbar, left click on the double dotted lines and pull it all the way to the left. In doing so the double dotted lines that were next to the Start Button will shift to the right. Any pinned icons will also be on the right side. Reposition your Quick Launch icons if you want, left click on the right side double dotted lines and pull them to the left, and right click the Taskbar and tick "Lock the taskbar".

You have just completed making a Quick Launch using the Links folder!



Notes:

UAC was disabled. Distributed Link Tracking Client was set to manual and stopped. Disabling these two services are not prerequisites to making the Links folder into the Quick Launch.

This write-up also works with UAC on. Elevated shortcuts can be made if necessary.

Make a backup of the Links folder and put it somewhere safe. It is portable.

You can import/export your Favorites by using IE8 > File > Import/Export..., however, the Links folder will not be included. If you lose the Links folder, simply copy/paste your backup Links folder in your Favorites folder and you are back in business.
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I think all the bugs are out of this. It works great on my system and I don't have any problems with changing themes or anything. The services I turned off doesn't seem to affect this. I did try this on another installation briefly with UAC and Distributed Link Tracking Client set to default and it seemed to work ok. The only thing I noted was that there was a UAC prompt on some items which is normal and can be eliminated.

Try it, abuse it, find holes in it!

NOTES 2:

12-11-09
Everything was going well (over two weeks) since the creation of the Quick Launch using the Links folder and absolutely nothing was interfering with it, UNTIL TODAY!

I had to replace a failing optical drive. I installed the unit and Windows 7 found the unit ok. The Quick launch (Links folder) was there at that time. Did a reboot after a while, came back to Windows 7 and the Quick Launch was gone! Whatever Windows 7 is doing is crazy! It was a simple remove and replace and Windows 7 took away my Quick Launch. But this makes me believe that Windows 7 does a repair on the system which removes the Quick Launch.

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit here. The Quick Launch is disappearing after reboot even with the theme saved and UAC off. So much for your statistics.

MS destroyed Windows by removing Quick Launch. I come from WinXP which I like A LOT more. People who don't miss QL are generally beginners and inexperienced computer users. For them it doesn't matter because they need 10 seconds to open a program anyway. But for us experienced users who multitask faster, open files by dragging them onto the QL, open multiple instances simultaneously, for us this removal is BAD.

By the way, if anyone has problems moving the Quick Launch toolbar to the left, it may be because you have the language bar open. Close it, move QL to the left and open the Language toolbar again from control panel.

Destroyed? lol

Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit here too X5 and each system that I have implemented the quick launch to, has worked fine and remains on reboot. I have not have any problems with it disapearing. So I would check your settings, maybe something you changed may not be saving changes, or perhaps your firewall/antivirus is the cause. Either way 5 out of 5 systems of mine have the quick launch permanently added and I have done this to at least half a dozen friends computers (non-ultimate though) and they aren't having any problems with quick launch disappearing.