Organizing games

[Opi8]

While I was away during the weekend, a family friend thankfully reformatted my computer and helped us install our version of Windows 7. So I just started using it now for the first time ever. So far everything's really smooth and looks nice, but I am still trying to familiarize myself. Currently, the only problem I am having is creating a good game folder on my desktop. Here's my problem:

I want to have a folder on my desktop which will contain a shortcut to every game I have (by means of going to it's install directory and copying shortcut). However, I want this folder to look like the one found in Start Menu\All Programs\Games...the thing is, when I open the "Games" folder through the start menu, it shows me an undetailed folder, yet if I right click one of the games in the folder (while in the start menu), and select "Open File Location", only then does it give me a folder which shows only some of my games with full details. So is there any way to either show this folder on the desktop, or create one just like it. I tried making one and enabling preview panel, but whenever I put in the game shortcuts it says "No Preview Available".

Long story short (cause I know my question is all over the place and not worded well)...Is there any way of having a desktop game folder which gives previews for all the shortcuts I put into it???

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

[Gameover]

Plan and simple, Nope

 

[Luckystar]

Hold on a sec, just before we leave this.

Do you mean to have a folder, like any other folder but contain only shortcuts to your games.

But as for preview, do you just mean its icon, the picture icon that comes with the game?

Lucky

 

[Wishmaster]

Is there a particular reason you do not want to use the Game Exploere itself?

You can add all your Games to it and customize it however you see fit.



This tutorial:
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/25787-games-explorer-folder-add-games.html?ltr=G

Will show you how to manually add your games.

You can make your own box art, add launch option to the context menu , and customize your game Explorer however you like.
I always like customizing it in this manner to suit my perferences, as seen in the snip here.

 

[Opi8]

@wishmaster - yes, thank you for posting that image. I am really keen on having that folder on my desktop. I will try the link and if I still have troubles will ask more

edit: So I'm going through the tutorial and stuck trying to find a game with similar ESRB rating as Kane And Lynch 2 : Dog Days, which will also be LISTED in the notepad with list of all the old games. Does it have to have the same content, or does it only have to be "Mature"???

 

[Wishmaster]

Quite Honestly, the rating itself will not effect anything if it isnt exactly correct.

If you use something like: Half Life for example, youll get a Mature Rating (Animated Blood,Violence)

I just try to get the base rating as close as possible (Mature,Teen etc) and dont worry to much about the details in it.

I focus more on editing the other info to fit particular the game;
Title, Release Date, Publisher/Devoloper, (and links) Box art etc.

 

[Opi8]

okay thanks wishmaster, I'll continue on with the tutorial just using a "mature" rating game and post if I encounter any problems or if everything works out.

edit: so, i continued to do what i was supposed to, but whenever I accidently entered a image file location that was incorrect (for the shortcut image to be an icon), it ended up deleting the whole registry, so I've had to start over 3 times now. So while I try doing it again, could you please let me know how your supposed to properly open the "Game" folder, because the only time I can get it to look like yours (game provider and all games I have), is when I right click one of the games and select "Open File Location". I don't think this is normal, I would really like to be able to access the folder from my desktop without the hassle everytime

edit x2: yeah, sorry for editing so much and having such unnecessarily long questions. I figured out how to make the Game folder appear as a link in the start menu, so now my only question is whether I can make it appear on desktop

 

[Opi8]

I got Kane & Lynch 2 to show up in the folder, with the proper boxart and everything. So before I consider this solved, I just wanna know if it's possible to have a link to the game folder on my desktop, and also if anybody knows of one, please post a link to a site that shows different things you can do to customize your GEF

 

[Everlong]

If you have the "Games" button in your Start menu, you can just drag it to desktop and it will create a shortcut on your desktop, that will lead to the Games Explorer.

If you don't have the link to Games Explorer in your Start menu, then right click on your Start button>properties>Start Menu tab>Customise> then find the "Games" part and click "Show as link" and click "Ok".

 

[Opi8]

alright, thanks a ton Everlong. thread solved