Start Menu - Pin or Unpin a Folder, Drive, and Library

Darius Darksaber · Apr 13, 2009

Issue with unpinning a library

Hi,

I pinned a custom library (named Downloads) to the Start Menu without downloading the registry entries found in this thread. The problem was, I was unable to unpin the item from the Start Menu. Whenever I right clicked on it, I would get two options, open or properties. I tried deleting the library. Not only did the Start Menu entry not go away, but now when I right clicked and selected properties, I was informed the item did not exist. Still no option to unpin though, even for a non-existent item. So I went googling. With the enable registry keys provided here the issue was corrected. So this is more of an FYI, if this is released without those registry keys, then the custom libraries will need to be prevented from being pinned to the Start Menu.

Brink · Apr 13, 2009

Thank you Darius, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Interesting, I'm curious as to how you managed to pin the folder to the Start Menu without these registry entries though?

Darius Darksaber · Apr 13, 2009

Thanks. Well as to that, I didn't know about these registry entries, so I went looking for a solution myself. I'm a tinkerer at heart, so I tried a number of ways to get it to pin in place. The method that worked was to create a custom library, use the context menu to create a desktop shortcut, then pin the shortcut to the start menu. Then I deleted the shortcut and everything worked as intended. At least for 2 days until I decided I did not really want a downloads link on my start menu after all. What I really wanted was the ability to add it to the list of libraries on the right side of the menu. Haven't quite figured that one out yet

After a little more poking around, this works without the custom library. To pin any library to your start menu, you can simply create a desktop shortcut, then drag that to the start menu to pin it. You just can't unpin it.

Brink · Apr 13, 2009

Using this tutorial, you should be able to just right click on any library in the Libray folder and click on Pin to Start Menu to do so instead, and Unpin from Start Menu to remove it.

bobo3atlon · Apr 15, 2009

Hi!

We can just drag folder from anywhere to start menu and pin...

Brink · Apr 15, 2009

Hello Bob, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Yes, thank you that is true, but this will add the Pin to Start Menu option to the folder or library context menu so that you can also have it as an option to use to pin a folder or library to the Start Menu as well. Either way is good though.

Whattf · Sep 27, 2009

Hello,
How did you find out what GUID needed to be edited (in the .reg file)?

Brink · Sep 27, 2009

Hello Whattf, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Going through the GUIDs in the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID keys, most of them will have a description that will help ID what the GUID is for. From there it's just a matter of looking for that GUID in the usual context menu registry locations.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

JQQ · Dec 16, 2009

Pin any folder, document, shortcut to Main Start Menu

Brink: your Enable_Start_Menu_Pin_Folder enables documents or shortcuts (as well as folders) to be (Shift-rtClick) to main Start Menu. However, this will not work if shortcut points to file on another network machine (Vista & XP of course allowed this by simply dropping shortcuts into the StartMenu folder - but not on Win7; it must be pinned). Is the problem some arcane security setting (maybe this post holds the key http://www.sevenforums.com/customiz...ic-menu-shortcuts-attributes-big-mistake.html )?

Brink · Dec 16, 2009

Hello JQQ, and welcome to Seven Forums.

As a workaround, you can create a new folder (not network) and copy or place shortcuts of the network folders in the new folder. You can then pin the new folder to the Start Menu.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

bardos · Jan 1, 2010

thing is, if it doesn't display as a menu on mouseover, it's kind of worthless.

Brink · Jan 1, 2010

Hello Bardos,

It can be helpful if you wanted to use it as a quick shortcut to just open the folder from the Start Menu Pin To area. I agree though, you would be better off pinning the folder to the taskbar instead to be able to expand it.

dwaldmann · Mar 15, 2010

This works, but not the way I was expecting. I am looking for the cascading type of folder that you find on previous versions of Windows, or like the All Programs folder. Any fix for that?

Brink · Mar 15, 2010

Hello Dwaldmann, and welcome to Seven Forums.

Unfortunately pinned folders to the Start Menu do not expand, and only open.

However, you could pin a folder to the taskbar that will expand, but it's subfolders will still not expand.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

dwaldmann · Mar 15, 2010

Shawn,

I actually discovered a built-in feature that will allow me to do almost exactly what I'm looking for, just in a very slightly different way.

I found that if you enable the Toolbar "Desktop", you will get a cascading menu of all folders, folders within folders and any files along the way. Of course, it shows everything on the desktop, not just what you want on the menu, but I can work with that. I am using just one folder (called "Start Menu"...) on the desktop, which I've placed at the very bottom of the list so it's closest to the cursor when it opens, and go from there as if it were the real Start Menu. I can build the structure of my "Real Start Menu" just like the old days.

thanks,

David

Brink · Mar 15, 2010

David,

I'm happy to hear that you found a workaround, but which desktop toolbar feature did you use? This feature was removed in Windows.

dwaldmann · Mar 15, 2010

Shawn,

Under Taskbar and Start Menu Properties, Toolbars, I checked of Desktop.

On the bottom of the taskbar (I have it docked on the Left Side of the screen) above the tray area there is a label "Desktop", and below that there is a double down-arrow. Clicking the double down arrow opens a cascading view of your desktop.

Brink · Mar 15, 2010

Ok, ok I see what you mean now for that. Thank you.

chouse · Aug 4, 2010

New task bar tool bar

I used to have a shortcut to a folder on the network in my WinXP Start menu that had shortcuts and stuff that i'd share across computers. With Win7 I couldn't have that shortcut in the start menu anymore, but what i ended up doing was right clicking on my task bar and going to Toolbars and then New Toolbar and choosing the folder on the network that had my short cuts. Now I have a pop up menu on my task bar that has the shortcuts I need. So they aren't in the start menu exactly, but at least they're some place I can get at them easily.

Start Menu - Pin or Unpin a Folder, Drive, and Library

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