Windows 7 Looking for registry hack for startmenu Pinned folders (extended menu)

[13lack13ox]

Hey guys new here. Anyways I want to find a way (if possible) to pin folders with shortcuts in them to some application i use frequently but just want to pin the folder to the menu not each individual app. I noticed how some shortcuts on the startmenu show an arrow. then when you click the arrow it expands the startmenu over and shows other shortcuts and links regarding function of the app.

Wondering if this is possible with folders with shortcuts in them. Sorry if its hard to understand I type quickly and read even faster, sometimes i miss things. I'll show an image of what I mean to help.

You will see in the picture the shortcut steam has an extended menu. Is there a way to do this with just plain folders, or a shortcut to folders with shortcuts in them. I would like to use this functionality of the startmenu.

P.S. really don't want to use a thridparty app for launching/organizing if possible, which is why I'm searching the net to use this functionality of the startmenu. I know I can just add each app to the startmenu but then it becomes cluttered, and basically has no organization what so ever.. Or adding to the all programs menu, it just seems like too much clicking to get to what I want.

 

[Fixer1234]

Create a shortcut for the folder (an easy way is to right-click on the folder in Windows Explorer/My Computer, and select Send to/ Desktop (create shortcut)). Then right-click on the shortcut and select Move To Folder... (if you haven't enable Copy to Folder and Move to Folder in the context menu, just use cut and paste). Move the shortcut to C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs.

 

[13lack13ox]

Umm doesnt that just add the folder (well shortcut to the folder) in the all programs menu of the start menu. That's not what I was looking for I wanted a pinned folder that has the extended menu part of the startmenu and when clicked in the startmenu(pinned shortcuts) extends showing its contents.. If this is possible.

 

[13lack13ox]

The directory for pinned items in the startmenu is.

C:\Users\USERNAME\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu

Just need to know how to make a shortcut to a folder with more shortcuts in it. And make it use the extended part of the pinned items in startmenu. That I do not know how to make happen. I can easily make a shortcut to a folder here but that just opens the folder in explorer. Exactly like the above does, except with the above you have to actually click on allprograms. I'm trying to save myself some clicks and closing of an explorer window. I want it to open the folder in the startmenu (I'm calling it the expanded pinned items menu) itself. Just like how some of those apps use it.

I'll have to do some registry searching around, I don't mind If I have to create the registry entries for each shortcut in the folder that I want pinned. After making a shortcut item to the folder with apps I want to launch. I hope I'm not getting you all too confused. As I'm starting to confuse myself, LOL Lets see shortcut in a shortcut to a shortcut and make it a shortcut rofl sorry.

If your confused look at my picture in the OP. You will see the item "Steam" has an arrow, then when you click on the arrow it expands the start menu with some other items. That's that i wanna do with some folders. Having the folder (with shortcuts to my good ol apps) then clickin on an arrow it expands with all the goodies inside that folder. Maybe Ill have to add each item in registry which I'm ok with. Then when just pain old clicking it it would open the folder in explorer with the items in it. That's fine. But I really want to make use of that expanded pinned item menu.

 

[Fixer1234]

When I right-click on a folder or shortcut, one of the context menu options I get is Pin to Start Menu. Do you get this option and would it do what you want?

 

[badrobot]

Pinning a folder to the start menu is easy. But those "drop-down" menu applies only to programs and apps and not with folders.

But really if you want an organized menu for your favorite apps. the free Pokki 3rd party app is the way to go. There, you can set up categories (games, productivity, etc.) for a more organized start menu. It's highly customizable.

 

[13lack13ox]

This is not what I mean all this does is open the folder in explorer.

 

[13lack13ox]

Basically I want to make a shortcut to something that uses the exdended startmenu options. It will display an arrow in the startmenu, then you click the arrow and it brings up more options. Is there a way to do this with registry hacks, or is it coded into exe's?

I'll check out that 3rd party app but I was hoping to avoid running them...


Sorry reading (scimming all over the place) just read that you said its coded into the programs, my bad.......

I'm gonna figure out a way some how...lol

 

[13lack13ox]

Aaaaand yes I can pin folder to the startmenu but it's a hack to get it to work as by default windows 7 does not allow this functionality

removed link dunno if there are rules to posting things to other win7 forums sorry so sorry. Removed just in case!


Now I am wondering if there is a way to fool windows that a shortcut is an exe and get this to work.

Maybe by creating my own custom file extension. I dunno Looking into how other programs do this sorta thing. It's a hard topic to search for. As using the search terms brings up a hella ton of just regular start menu stuff.

Does anyone even know the proper name for the function? Startmenu pinned recent menu? Expanded pinned startmenu? I got no Idea...

 

[badrobot]

Aaaaand yes I can pin folder to the startmenu but it's a hack to get it to work as by default windows 7 does not allow this functionality

removed link dunno if there are rules to posting things to other win7 forums sorry so sorry. Removed just in case!


Now I am wondering if there is a way to fool windows that a shortcut is an exe and get this to work.

I just dragged the folder to the Start Menu orb and it pinned the folder there without the hack,

 

[13lack13ox]

Yeah forgot about the drag and drop lol I have it as right click with shift.

Ok so here's a thought. If you make a shorcut using "C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:MyComputerFolder"

You can then pin to start menu and it uses the jump menu.

Is there a way to make a custom Shell:MyAppsFolder If I can do that that I can just pin the items to the jump list I want. Then create new ones for each folder I want.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FolderDescriptions

I think I'm on the right track gonna experiment with my virtual machine.

http://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/630809-create-custom-shell-folders/
http://createguid.com/

Some interesting stuff here too, maybe I could use some of this and do local webpages for it I dunno just thinking out loud.
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg491725(v=vs.85).aspx

 

[13lack13ox]

Very very interesting!

http://code.google.com/p/jumplist-extender/

Ok! Well I figured out a solution. Since I only needed a few folders and wanted to keep the functionality of my explorer jump menu in my task bar. I found an app called Jumplist launcher. I know I know I said I didn't want to use 3rd party apps, but this one is small and you only run it when you want to edit the jumplist. So what I did was make copies of the app, rename it to the desired folder name, added apps into the launcher, then pinned it to startmenu. aaaaaand BAM!

Adding screenshots to show ya all. Then opened the app to show ya what I mean by customizing the jumplist.

The best part about this app is that you don't need to run it all the time, only run it to change the jumplist!

Link Removed

 

[Fixer1234]

This is not what I mean all this does is open the folder in explorer.

Yeah, I glossed over that nuance, twice. You just can't get good help these days.

Actually, I do something similar. I create "subject" folders with shortcuts to what I want and pin them. To me, I don't see a need for the complexity of having the sub-choices display within the start menu; if they display in Windows Explorer, it's fine for me. Double-clicking instead of single clicking is a major part of my exercise regimen. But it looks like you found a solution to do it the way you wanted, so good for you and thanks for sharing what you found.

 

[badrobot]

I also just use the folder system with shortcuts in it to keep my desktop clean. I only have my frequently used shortcuts displayed on desktop. I also changed the icon to differentiate it from regular folders.

 

[badrobot]

If you still consider about not using a 3rd party app, I think this is a better solution for you.

1. Go to C:\Users\Username\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
2. Create a New Folder and rename it to anything you want.
3. Add all the shortcuts that you want in there.
4. Done.

Now go to Start Menu>>> All Programs and find the new folder that you created there. When you click it, your program shortcuts will be listed there. No hacks. No 3rd party apps. Very straightforward.

Like this:

 

[Fixer1234]

The plot thickens. This is similar to what I suggested in my first response in this thread. It gets you an expandable folder within the start menu (the suggested paths are different but they appear to do the same thing). You would think 13lack13ox would be happy with that. But no, it's in the programs list instead of the first window. That requires an extra click and maybe even a little scrolling.

OK, so I did a little research. Could you do the same thing in the start menu pinned subdirectory? It turns out that in earlier versions of Windows you could. However, software publishers ending up spamming the start menu so Microsoft removed the ability to just stick stuff in the directory and have it recognized as pinned. It appears that some registry entries are now also required and those are generated by making a manual selection to pin the item.

It appears that individual executables or their shortcuts have an option to pin them to the start menu but folders or their shortcuts do not. I suspect that this relates to the fact that the "all programs" window has a scroll bar and the main window does not. It is a fixed size, which will grow if you add more pinned items, but it can't display an actively expanding list of selections. That is probably why the examples of doing that programmatically display the expanded selection list on the right side of the window like a jump list instead of directly below the folder.

Here's a related link to pinning items via script: http://blogs.technet.com/b/deployme...art-menu-or-windows-7-taskbar-via-script.aspx

Hey, 13lack13ox, see what you started?

 

[badrobot]

It's in the program list because that's the only place you can pin programs on start menu. At least it doesnt use a third party app that he found which ialso looks the same as what I suggested here.

Sent from my HTC One X using WindowsForum mobile app

 

[13lack13ox]

These are all great suggestions, but are all similar to how windows operates the startmenu by default. Which wasn't what I was looking for. I simply was looking for a way to utilize and customize the jump menu in the startmenu and or the taskbar. I am pretty happy with the jump menu launcher I found, as you only run it when you need to change up the jump list.

My beef with using third party apps is that's it's just another thing you needed to have running all the time, and I absolutely hate auto running applications. My pc's are a few years old so I just try to keep it in check and run a minimal of 3rd party software (autoruns).

I was kinda surprised that Microsoft included a way to pin items to the jump list but not add items. I want to add an example of what I mean. Say I use photoshop frequently, It's great that there would be a jump list of frequently used files. But what If I have a working folder that I wanted to add to that jumplist. There was no way to do that by default. Because the folders use explorer's jumplist and photoshop uses photoshop's. Also you couldnt do the same thing with folder from within the startmenu. Say my working folder was pinned, in the startmenu. Then there is no jump list period. I use this system alot, well I should say wanted to use this system. Have working folders pinned to the startmenu, and now I can have jumplist to the apps that my working folders use. Plus shortcuts to the apps that I will use with my apps. LOL like converters etc. Annnnd this is a big one. Multiple copies of folder jumplists with all the them having different jumplists.

Thx for the suggestions, I do appreciate the help.

Jumplists are great! Glad they added them in.......But it's lacking a few little things to make it more productive. Annnnnnd why cant I have a desktop icon with a jumplist!? AHaaaaha I'll stop now. GLHF gentlemen!