Why do pinned items show up twice in the Windows 7 start menu?

Question

My start menu has two entries for Firefox. I pinned Firefox to the start menu. One shortcut is from the C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs folder, and the other from C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu. I checked and both shortcuts have the exact same target ("C:\Program Files (x86)\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe").

These shouldn't show up twice. On another Windows 7 system, when I pin an item, it no longer appears in the other (recent) list. On this system however, it does.

If I unpin the pinned shortcut, it's gone and only the other icon appears. I only want the pinned version though.

Is there a way to stop both icons from showing up?

Answer 1

1 is Pinned, 2 is "recently opened" and #2 list can vary depending on which program you use and how often.

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Source of Information

Answer 2

So I discovered what the issue was. I had done a fresh install of Windows 7, but copied my user folder from the old install. This included copying the C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu folder.

Although windows showed the "pinned" icons in my start menu, it didn't actually show them as pinned. When I went into that folder and deleted all of the shortcuts, the duplicate entries disappeared.

Answer 3

OK, I have going through this for years. When I add a shortcut link or an actual .exe - I only put it in one "startup" folder for only my "user account" and not in any other account. I also have checked this "Pinned" solution and the "recently opened" was not the problem.

Here is what I can add: 1. I have two two special programs that I want to start up automatically. The are very small and really can be considered a stand alone or portable program. - One is just a very simple desktop clock program. Not a Windows gadget. - Process Explorer is a "task manager replacement".

No matter what when I add these to the "Startup" directory two instances are going to be started.

Once I actually fixed this problem by mistake doing something else, so I have no idea what I did, but as luck would have it, before I had a change to follow up, I needed to do a restore from a backup so I went back to them starting twice and just did a manual kill after a restart.

I decided that research it more and I found out that if you look at this on the internet you find a alternative to using the "Startup" folder in Windows you can do it through the Windows Registry using "Regedit"

And this worked for me. Go to:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]

1. Right click on "Run" on the left side of the screen and choose "New - String Value".

2. Type in the name you want to call it. I want "Process Explorer" so I just called it "Process Explorer"

3. Then I right clicked on my new "Process Explorer" now on the right and choose "Modify". Now it will ask you to enter a "Value data". Now you want to enter the path to the program you want to start.

4. Please keep in mind that I am using (Win 7 64), and I put Processor Explorer in the 32 section of Windows 7 so mine will be located in C:\Program Files (x86).

5. Here is what I entered in "Value Data": "C:\Program Files (x86)\ProcessExplorer\procexp64.exe" /t

(with the "" marks)

6. That path is just when Windows can find the exe file I want to start. At the very end I have put " /t" Which tell Windows to start it minimized in the system tray. Don't add that if you don't want to start it minimized.

And it worked for me.

I have assumed several things in writing this and the most important is that you have a basic knowledge of modifying your windows registry. If you have never done a "regedit" or do not know what I am talking about here, don't do this. Modifying your windows registry and not knowing how to "undo" it is very dangerous.

Hope this helps,