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#1
How to make explorer see/process a hidden desktop link at startup
I'm sure I can safely assume nobody has ever asked this question before (or probably even thought of why one might want such a thing!).
You see, I have this program that I made which I use to send running apps to the system tray. I use the program exclusively through explorer's desktop link "shortcut key" feature (ie. Ctrl + Alt + ?). In fact, I use the feature for two programs using the same feature. I find this to be very handy because in both cases I want to bring the programs up mostly when the desktop is obscured, or when I need to keep the mouse cursor fixed or whatever. Doesn't matter.
Thing is, once explorer is up and running you can hide those desktop shortcuts and the shortcut keys still work. I have no use for those icons on my desktop, and in fact I don't want to see them at all so I have a batch file that hides them as soon as I open up any cmd box. Problem is, if I log off then when explorer restarts it doesn't pick up the .lnk files and I have to unhide them, restart explorer then hide them again. But I know that H is just an attribute and explorer can still see the files and process them if I could only find a way to ask it to do so. I tried setting just the 'S' attribute which (according to my settings) *should* make a file invisible to me even though it is not "hidden". But either the settings are lying or there's more to making something a system file than setting the system file attribute.
If anyone knows how to achieve this (make the links hidden to me, but not explorer) I'd be eternally grateful.
- Alan (yes, typo in my username)