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In Windows XP you can customize the start menu items to list certain pre-defined folders like "My Documents", "My Pictures", "My Music", etc.

I would like to add to/replace those folders with another folder that I use frequently. Is this possible and if so, how is it done?

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3 Answers

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It's not really possible in a vanilla xp install without the use of some 3rd party tools (I don't know any that offer this specific functionality). A possible workaround is to add these folders to your explorer "favorites", then enable your favorites menu from within the "Customize Start Menu" Advanced tab.

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This is easy. If you right click on the start menu and select "explore" it should always open to the user profile to which you are logged in. You will have a folder in there called "start menu". Anything you place within the start menu folder will also show up at the highest level when you hit the start menu button.

For instance the user profile for my start menu is located C:\documents and settings\axxmasterr\Start Menu\

So I wanted to create a folder that contains all of the shortcuts to my security tools. So I created a directory in "Start Menu" called "Security Tools". Within the security tools directory I place all of the shortcuts I would like to have available. If you want to have a particular program be available at the highest level of the start menu, simply place the shortcut into the "Start Menu" directory and it should be right there when you click on the start menu.

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Thanks for the tip. I tried this, but for me, it places the new folder inside the "All Programs" section of the start menu, not in the upper right near "My Documents" and "My Pictures". Does it do this for you? – Michael La Voie Aug 10 '09 at 18:15
No, it does not do that for me because I am using a tweaked theme that is also using the legacy start menu. That is probably why it is not working exactly the same for you. I am using the windows "classic" theme. – Axxmasterr Aug 10 '09 at 18:42
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The TweakUI Powertoy from MS will let you change where the existing special folders point to but not change the name that is displayed. There may be a registry hack for that. Looking now.

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Thank you. Please let me know if you find that registry tweak. – Michael La Voie Aug 10 '09 at 18:59
Yeah, I didn't find it anywhere obvious. – EBGreen Aug 10 '09 at 19:22
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