Windows 7 Why is my ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS empty????

[ruggb]

I have AT enabled for both Start Menu and All Programs.
It appears in All Programs and is populated.
It appears on the Start Menu but is empty.

What did I miss?????????

 

[kemical]

Hi ruggb ,
sorry to hear you got problems again please try this link:

Administrative Tools - Restore Shortcuts - Windows 7 Forums

 

[ruggb]

Thanks Kemical

OK-- I think I have figured it out.

It appears to me that the article ref above is not entirely accurate.

Also confusing is this
===============================================================
3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the hidden system folder below. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You can also open the Start Menu and right click on All Programs,click on Open All Users, and open the Programs folder to get to this location below as well.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
​

================================================================
The NOTE says to open this -- C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs -- which is clearly not the same as the referenced path.

The ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS is not actually STORED in
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
That location is dynamic. IE, when a user logs on the contents are replaced with the contents of
C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools

In fact, the entire Start Menu folder there is dynamic and depends on the user logged on.
It is actually a sum of ALL USERS and the logged in USER profile.

The issue with ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS is that the entry under ALL PROGRAMS is a list of items in BOTH
ALL USERS and USER PROFILE (C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools)

What appears on the Start Menu right pane is ONLY what is in ALL USERS.

Since I did not want all users to access the admin tools, I moved them all over to my profile

therefore nothing appeared on the Start Menu -- Administration Tools ---


THEREFORE, if one has LOST the admin tools in the start menu it is because they have removed the folder

C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools

which needs to be replaced

If one does not want the admin tools on the start menu then they must all be moved to the user profile and/or just tick the right choice in folder options since it will be empty.

I would not have done it quite that way.

 

[weskwunibi]

thanks

thanks for the help!

 

[ruggb]

glad to know someone benefited

 

[kemical]

Yup thanks for that ruggb. I just pulled it from the web so apologies for not reading it through first..

 

[Saltgrass]

Folks that try to answer questions in these forums have to assume your install has not been altered. You appear to say you moved files from their original location, which is not a normal action, but did bother to include that extremely pertinent info in your post.

It appears to me that the article ref above is not entirely accurate.

I can find nothing in error in the referenced web page. That tutorial was designed for folks that had versions of Windows 7 which did not normally include some admin tools and was showing how to add them. It also mentions an error message when trying to access a folder that might not be present. In your case, the folder was present, but was empty so you never got the error message.

Also confusing is this
===============================================================
3. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the hidden system folder below. (See screenshot below)
NOTE: You can also open the Start Menu and right click on All Programs,click on Open All Users, and open the Programs folder to get to this location below as well.

C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

​

================================================================
The NOTE says to open this -- C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs -- which is clearly not the same as the referenced path.

Note 3 is not referencing the path described, but another way to get there.

The issue with ADMINISTRATIVE TOOLS is that the entry under ALL PROGRAMS is a list of items in BOTH ALL USERS and USER PROFILE (C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools)

There is only one list of Admin Tools on your system. It is the same for 32 and 64 bit versions, and only depends on which version of Win 7 you have. You are probably correct in that if an additional tool were to be included in the User tool folder it would be added in with the referenced tools folder. But as I mentioned, my folder is empty and I know of no other tool I could add.

Since I did not want all users to access the admin tools, I moved them all over to my profile

Not a recommended procedure as far as I know. Win 7 is sophisticated enough a manual process like this should not be necessary, although I have not investigated.

THEREFORE, if one has LOST the admin tools in the start menu it is because they have removed the folder

Running a System File Check might also replace the folder and its contents, but I have not tried. The question is, how would someone "lose" a system folder?

If one does not want the admin tools on the start menu then they must all be moved to the user profile and/or just tick the right choice in folder options since it will be empty.

Maybe this is one reason you, as admin, have the option to add them in two places or just one or not at all. If you have restriced access to the primary Tools folder, they would not show up in the combined folder. But if you do not want a user to have access, why add it to their Start Menu? Are the Admin Tools even available to a normal user?

Just in case you ask questions concerning the Group Policy Editor and how it works, I have little to no experience with it. Some other folks here do. But that is a different question....

 

[today21032011]

I have similar troubles with AT. However the solution given isn't one, because
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\
and
C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\
are the same folder. The second address is simply a (very hidden in NTFS, btw) shortcut to the former. The former is the real thing.

An interim fix was to rename AT to say xATx, in the Programs Folder. It showed then up as AT (not xATx) until reboot. My better solution was to make a copy of the AT, named AT - copy.
Generally, the Programs folder of the start menu is fragile in Windows 7. In addition, since I and my windows7 do speak german, the folder names varies wildly between english and german. (english beeing the real name, german just the display name.)

 

[ruggb]

I don't think that is quite right, today - or even yesturday....
The first one is the real thing - correct.
But the second one's icon does not exhibit as a shortcut AND if u read thru the folders u will find that it doesn't contains all folders listed in the REAL start menu -
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\
(if it does, add one to the profile start menu and it will show up in the above while not being in the All User start menu. SO it is not JUST a copy of All Users.)

the additional folders in that listing come from the profile start menu
C:\Users\logged in user\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

That would indicate that the REAL folder at
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
is dynamic based on the logged in user and is a copy of both start menus

Any items in the Administrative Tools folder of the profile and NOT in the Administrative Tools folder for All Users will appear under the Administrative Tools folder under ALL PROGRAMS but will not appear under Administrative Tools in the right pane of the start menu.
Therefore, removing Administrative Tools from All Users, removes them from the right pane listing.

try it................My original answer is still correct.