pin a document to start menu

[cranioscopical]

Ctrl-RightButtonDrag to start button, and then up to desired position, then release works in the XP start menu non-classic mode.
In classic mode you get the option to create a shortcut when the rmbutton is released.

[techidave]

Ctrl-RightButtonDrag to start button, and then up to desired position, then release works in the XP start menu non-classic mode.
In classic mode you get the option to create a shortcut when the rmbutton is released.

-cranioscopical (November 11, 2010, 02:14 PM)

Nope, that doesn't work either.  Have also tried it with different key combinations like ctrl, shift, alt and that didn't work either.

Also uninstalled anything dealing with mulltiple monitors and taskbars but to no avail.

[techidave]

I just tried the classic menu and it shows it but when I go back to the default one, it isn't there.  I will try it on my laptop later on tonite from home.  same file and everything too.

[techidave]

Yeah, it works! (on my laptop)  Ended up copying the file to the root of the C drive.  Then the pin to start menu and drag and dropped worked.  I tried to pin a shortcut but that didn't work which would be nice  but ...

I think someone suggested copying it to the c drive.  Now I will try it tomorrow at work.

[techidave]

Tried it on my work computer and it works!     But I wonder why it doesn't work from my documents?  oh well.

thanks for all the suggestions in helping me figure this out!

Dave

[Stoic Joker]

Is your My Documents folder redirected to the server?

[techidave]

Yes it is and on the laptop too.  I wondered if that was it or not.

[Stoic Joker]

Yepper, that would be the culprit. Pin a shortcut to a local file first, then modify the shortcut to point to the remote target file.

[gdv22]

@techidave & Stoic Joker:  This has really been puzzling me, and now it appears maybe we have an answer, but I'm just wanting to be sure I understand it... ...so I'd like to summarize my understanding and then ask if you can verify for me.

First of all, it seems the answer was at least implied in Stoic Joker's first post in the thread (although I wouldn't have known about redirected MyDocs folders when I first read it):

...the pin to start menu rules require that the item being pinned is (machine local... ...So if you want to pin something else you need to trick Windows into it. Start with an .exe target (that's on LM) to get the shortcut pinned, then edit the shortcut to point to (where/) what you really want. I've done this on Win7 to pin some apps that are in a network share to the start menu here at the office.

-Stoic Joker (November 10, 2010, 03:56 PM)

So I did wonder about documents on a network, and I have 2 computers networked here at home, but the motherboard of one failed recently, so I wasn't able to check my Ctrl+Shift+Right-Click solution with a document from my networked machine before my previous post.  Since I couldn't try it here on my own system, I started to post a question last night about whether the document you, techidave, were trying to Pin to the Start Menu was, by any chance, on a network drive... ...but I ran into another problem and it got too late before I finished the post.

Is your My Documents folder redirected to the server?

-Stoic Joker (November 12, 2010, 12:42 PM)

Yepper, that would be the culprit. Pin a shortcut to a local file first, then modify the shortcut to point to the remote target file.

-Stoic Joker (November 12, 2010, 03:36 PM)

1. Although I was going to ask about whether the document was on a network drive, I knew nothing about redirected folders until I read the above Stoic Joker posts... ...but if I understand correctly, files in any redirected folder (e.g., MyDocs) are physically saved on the server ??? (and not at all on the local machine ???).

2. From my reading, I think I understand the technical differences between a redirected folder and a shared network drive/folder, but from Stoic Joker's remarks, I'm thinking that, at least with respect to Pinning to the Start Menu, a redirected folder would be functionally equivalent to a network drive ???

3. If so, then if my networked machine was functional and I was to try Pinning a document from my other machine to my Start Menu, my understanding is that I would encounter the same limitation techidave has been describing ??? (with both documents and executables ???).

4. But if techidave or I...

• a. create a shortcut to a local executable/document,
  
• b. pin the shortcut (NOT the executable/document) to the Start Menu, and
  
• c. then modify the shortcut to point to the desired executable/document on either a network drive or in a redirected folder,

...then we should be able to have a pinned shortcut to any executable or document in a redirected folder or shared network folder/drive.

I would appreciate it if either of you (techidave or Stoic Joker) would confirm whether my understanding is is correct... ...and if you, techidave, try it out, would you please post back and verify that it worked for you?  (I would just try it myself, but it may be a long time before I get another machine online on my home network, and I'd like to nail down my understanding while the issue is fresh in my mind).

Sorry to be so tediously detailed , but I'm trying to be as clear as possible... ...so maybe you can just say, "yes, yes, no, yes."  

Thanks!  

[Stoic Joker]

Correct. There are actually multiple configurations that can result in ones documents not being stored on LM roaming profiles, Group Policy based redirection, etc. or just the garden variety Right click My Documents->Target tab->Move button and select a network share. The point being that everybody's documents are stored in a central location so they can be backed up in a reliable and expedient fashion.

So I was kind of assuming that Techidave had something of that nature setup given the size of the network he is on from the beginning.

in short:
1. yes
2. yes - the assumption is that the folder was redirected to a network drive.
3. yes
4. yes - But it depends on the executable, some (.NET) require additional futzing with permissions before they will run from the shortcut.

[gdv22]

Thanks Stoic! (Can we be on a first name basis now? ...just call me gdv )

Well, not that I have any reason to doubt it, but since i can't try it out on my own network right now, I'm still eager to know if it works for you, techidave

Thanks again!

[techidave]

Ok here is the low down on my network.

A school network with Windows 2003 Server, Active Directory, and yes we are redirecting my documents to the server.  All machines are running XP Pro SP 3.  While most machines are also redirecting the desktop, mine is not.  Which further complicated things.

Because early on, I did move and also created a shortcut from my documents to the desktop but was unsuccessful in pinning it to the start menu.  So I thought, must not be the folder redirection that is causing the problem.

I also was running on my desktop with 3 monitors,  Monitor switch and z bar and since they do some flaky stuff once in a while... maybe.  NOT!

All the time though I could pin an executable file but it was in C:\downloads and not my documents.

Now my laptop is also joined to our domain and has the same polices, etc., on it as my work desktop does.  But it is usually at home.  But trying it in the relaxed atmosphere of my house allowed me to think about it more.  I also tried gdv suggestion with the ctrl+shft+rightclick on some other files and was able to see the pin to start menu option.  So that helped in the troubleshooting also.

I was just trying to pin a excel spreadsheet to the start menu...a xls format.

I was hoping like Deozaan in reply #11 for a simple program to:
Something that would be useful is something that adds to the context Menu

Send To -> Start Menu (create Shortcut) would be awesome in XP.

I did try each and every suggestion as it was explained.  I had already tried April's suggestion about using Explorer and actually tried it again in case I missed a step.

Thanks to all for the help!

[techidave]

The problem with copying that file to the local machine is when I sync my laptop with the network at school, that file won't get copied over automatically.

Is it possible for some program or coding snack to override the network polices and pin a file to the start menu from my docs?

[gdv22]

Maybe I missed it, but did you try what Stoic Joker suggested (and I summarized above in item 4 of my list)?

If not, I still think it will work.  But I think I've figured an even simpler way, where you won't have to edit the shortcut itself (i.e., Path/Target or "Start in" folder).  It's simpler to do than it is to explain, but here goes (in more detail than I'm sure you need, but I'm hoping it will be clear enough for any less experienced future readers):

• 1. create two shortcuts on your desktop [RightClick > Send To > Desktop (create shorcut)], one shortcut to your My(Redirected)DocsXLS file in the redirected MyDocs folder and another shortcut to AnyOtherDocument from anywhere on your local machine (can probably be a shortcut to any kind of file, but I'm going to stay with documents just in case Windows does something invisible based on the filetype when pinning shortcuts that I don't know about)
  
• 2. rename the Shortcut to AnyOtherDocument (not the file it points to) whatever you eventually want your XLS pinned Start Menu shortcut to be named (e.g., MyPinnedXLSLink)
  
• 3. unless you want to permanently keep the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut on your desktop, move it and the Shortcut to My(Redirected)DocsXLS to wherever you want to keep the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut on your local machine
  
• 4. pin the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut to your Start Menu with the Ctrl+Shift+RightClick context menu (or Ctrl+Shift Drag&Drop... ...your choice)
  
• 5. click on the Pinned MyPinnedXLSLink link on the Start Menu (it should still open AnyOtherDocument... ...just checking to make sure it's working properly )
  
• 6. ...(now here's the sleight of hand)... ...rename the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut on your Desktop or in its permanent location (i.e., NOT the Pinned MyPinnedXLSLink link on the Start Menu) AnythingYouWant
  
• 7. and finally, rename the Shortcut to MyDocsXLS on your Desktop or in its permanent location as MyPinnedXLSLink
  
• 8. click on the Pinned MyPinnedXLSLink link on the Start Menu, and (cross your fingers ) it should open your My(Redirected)DocsXLS file in the redirected MyDocs folder
• 9. if it all works the way you want, you can delete the renamed AnythingYouWant shortcut

This is essentially the same method outlined earlier, but instead of "modifying" the shortcut to point to a different Path/Target, I'm just renaming one working pinned shortcut so I can then rename another shortcut that points to the desired Target in the redirected MyDocs folder with the original pinned shortcut name.  (And maybe I could have just said that and not been so detailed above, but sometimes I can't figure out how to summarize until I've already written it out in detail... ...oh, well!)

Unfortunately, I can't try this on my own network right now because my other machine is down... ...but I've tried it with shortcuts I modified to use the UNC (\\ComputerName\SharedFolder\Resource) network path to files in shared folders on my own working machine (\\WorkingMachine\SharedFolder\TestXLSfile.xls instead of G:\SharedFolder\TestXLSfile.xls) and it worked.  So I think I've tricked my own machine to open a file from a pinned shortcut to what looks (to the machine) like a remote network file (analogous to your situation), even though the files are actually on my local machine. (I hope that's clear enough... ...can't figure out a clearer way to say it right now.)

So I'm smiling now, thinking it will work for you... ...but I hope I'll still be smiling when I see your reply

The problem with copying that file to the local machine is when I sync my laptop with the network at school, that file won't get copied over automatically.

Sure, that would be one of the advantages of a redirected MyDocs folder.  Another might be that if the IT department has a strong backup system in place, all users' MyDocs are regularly being backed up and retrievable if a local machine goes down.  [EDIT:  Oops, I just realized Stoic Joker already said that above: "The point being that everybody's documents are stored in a central location so they can be backed up in a reliable and expedient fashion."]

Let us know if the above works.

[Stoic Joker]

Is it possible for some program or coding snack to override the network polices and pin a file to the start menu from my docs?

-techidave (November 13, 2010, 08:28 AM)

Good News & Bad News:
Microsoft does not allow direct programmatic access to Start Panel (and Taskbar) pinning to prevent installers from abusing the feature.

You can indirectly access the pin-to-start panel option, but the script is dependent on which verbs are applicable to the file. So if file X is on a location that does not permit verb Y ... the script will fail.

TechNet Link: Pin Items via Script

Note: This article is Win7 specific, but others state this has held true (applies to) since the WinXP feature premier.

[techidave]

gdv, I will try your suggestion out tomorrow.  I am not in that building today.

[worstje]

I happened to see this topic and could not _not_ make a post on this.

This method is technically the same as in the Technet article posted above, but I like to think my way is a bit more userfriendly and less confusing to work with. And by 'this method', I am referring to my NANY 2011: Cautomaton application.

How to get started with it... open a cmd.exe box so you have a commandline to work with, and go find the Cautomaton executable. Make sure to use the proper one for your architecture, although in the specific case of pinning to the start menu, it won't make a difference.

Run this: cautomaton.exe /a /p myfile.jpg

This will tell Cautomaton to popup (/p) the popup menu belonging to myfile.jpg and to analyze (/a) after making your selection. So let's do that: choose the "pin to start menu" option, and you'll get something like this:

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>Cautomaton.exe /a /p myfile.jpg
Verb related information:

Verb (Unicode): startpin
Help text (Unicode): Adds this item to the Start Menu


Trail information:

Caption: Pin to Start Men&u
ID: #80
Position: 7
Neg. Position: -14


Recommended Cautomaton parameters: /v startpin

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>

Do note that if you look in your start menu now, myfile.jpg has been pinned there.
Cautomaton has analyzed everything you did, and offers you example parameters to use to repeat this action programmatically. (It offers a bit more information than that even, but in 99% of the cases, the recommended parameters are going to work just fine.)
Now, before we continue, let's repeat the exact same action, yet this time unpin our image.

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>Cautomaton.exe /a /p myfile.jpg
Verb related information:

Verb (Unicode): startunpin
Help text (Unicode): Removes this item from the Start Menu


Trail information:

Caption: Unpin from Start Men&u
ID: #81
Position: 7
Neg. Position: -14


Recommended Cautomaton parameters: /v startunpin

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>

So, at this point we know we can add (pin) something to the startmenu using /v startpin, and remove (unpin) it again later using /v startunpin Let's try it:

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>Cautomaton.exe /v startpin myfile.jpg

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>

What is that? Nothing? That's right. If the action is successful, you'll see nothing and nothing at all. Were you to check the exit code of the process, you'd find it to be 0, which means it was successful. And just to give another example... Repeat the exact same command however with the file already pinned, and...

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>Cautomaton.exe /v startpin myfile.jpg
Error: invocation of the action failed. Bad verb?

C:\Projects\dev\cautomaton\build\x64\Release>

There's a nice error message. If error messages aren't upto your liking, you can use /q to tell Cautomaton to be silent.

_{Note that I am running Windows 7, and that one has this functionality in the popup menu. I am not sure to what extent other Windows versions have such an option, so test for yourself. Also, something I did notice while testing is that folders lack the pin/unpin options.}

[gdv22]

gdv, I will try your suggestion out tomorrow.  I am not in that building today.

-techidave (November 15, 2010, 05:04 AM)

Yeah, after thinking about it so much, I'm eager to hear if it works for you!

The programmatic approaches in Stoic Joker's TechNet Link (Pin Items via Script) and worstje's Cautomaton post (immediately above) are fascinating to me conceptually, but over my head technically.  I hope to study them in more detail as soon as I get a chance, but for now I'm still thinking about a non-programmatic approach.

I've also had a couple of workaround ideas that, it seems to me, have some advantages over pinning to the Start Menu, and might even be preferable.  I thought about posting them here, but maybe will wait until you try the above pinning method, so as not to cloud the issue.

[techidave]

Maybe I missed it, but did you try what Stoic Joker suggested (and I summarized above in item 4 of my list)?

If not, I still think it will work.  But I think I've figured an even simpler way, where you won't have to edit the shortcut itself (i.e., Path/Target or "Start in" folder).  It's simpler to do than it is to explain, but here goes (in more detail than I'm sure you need, but I'm hoping it will be clear enough for any less experienced future readers):

• 1. create two shortcuts on your desktop [RightClick > Send To > Desktop (create shorcut)], one shortcut to your My(Redirected)DocsXLS file in the redirected MyDocs folder and another shortcut to AnyOtherDocument from anywhere on your local machine (can probably be a shortcut to any kind of file, but I'm going to stay with documents just in case Windows does something invisible based on the filetype when pinning shortcuts that I don't know about)
  
• 2. rename the Shortcut to AnyOtherDocument (not the file it points to) whatever you eventually want your XLS pinned Start Menu shortcut to be named (e.g., MyPinnedXLSLink)
  
• 3. unless you want to permanently keep the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut on your desktop, move it and the Shortcut to My(Redirected)DocsXLS to wherever you want to keep the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut on your local machine
  
• 4. pin the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut to your Start Menu with the Ctrl+Shift+RightClick context menu (or Ctrl+Shift Drag&Drop... ...your choice)
  
• 5. click on the Pinned MyPinnedXLSLink link on the Start Menu (it should still open AnyOtherDocument... ...just checking to make sure it's working properly )
  
• 6. ...(now here's the sleight of hand)... ...rename the MyPinnedXLSLink shortcut on your Desktop or in its permanent location (i.e., NOT the Pinned MyPinnedXLSLink link on the Start Menu) AnythingYouWant
  
• 7. and finally, rename the Shortcut to MyDocsXLS on your Desktop or in its permanent location as MyPinnedXLSLink
  
• 8. click on the Pinned MyPinnedXLSLink link on the Start Menu, and (cross your fingers ) it should open your My(Redirected)DocsXLS file in the redirected MyDocs folder
• 9. if it all works the way you want, you can delete the renamed AnythingYouWant shortcut

This is essentially the same method outlined earlier, but instead of "modifying" the shortcut to point to a different Path/Target, I'm just renaming one working pinned shortcut so I can then rename another shortcut that points to the desired Target in the redirected MyDocs folder with the original pinned shortcut name.  (And maybe I could have just said that and not been so detailed above, but sometimes I can't figure out how to summarize until I've already written it out in detail... ...oh, well!)

Unfortunately, I can't try this on my own network right now because my other machine is down... ...but I've tried it with shortcuts I modified to use the UNC (\\ComputerName\SharedFolder\Resource) network path to files in shared folders on my own working machine (\\WorkingMachine\SharedFolder\TestXLSfile.xls instead of G:\SharedFolder\TestXLSfile.xls) and it worked.  So I think I've tricked my own machine to open a file from a pinned shortcut to what looks (to the machine) like a remote network file (analogous to your situation), even though the files are actually on my local machine. (I hope that's clear enough... ...can't figure out a clearer way to say it right now.)

So I'm smiling now, thinking it will work for you... ...but I hope I'll still be smiling when I see your reply

The problem with copying that file to the local machine is when I sync my laptop with the network at school, that file won't get copied over automatically.

Sure, that would be one of the advantages of a redirected MyDocs folder.  Another might be that if the IT department has a strong backup system in place, all users' MyDocs are regularly being backed up and retrievable if a local machine goes down.  [EDIT:  Oops, I just realized Stoic Joker already said that above: "The point being that everybody's documents are stored in a central location so they can be backed up in a reliable and expedient fashion."]

Let us know if the above works.

-gdv22 (November 14, 2010, 02:40 AM)

isn't this a lot of work to have to go through?  unless I am missing something here...

[Stoic Joker]

Some of the steps do appear to be extras, but the gist is correct. Pin local file to start menu, then edit the target (and start in) info of the pinned shortcut.

Just noticed, in 7 the shortcuts appear to be stored here:
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu

...Not sure if/how that helps, but I thought I'd share it.

[gdv22]

isn't this a lot of work to have to go through?  unless I am missing something here...

-techidave (November 22, 2010, 09:18 AM)

Yeah, it was a lot of work... ...to explain it!    (i.e., a LOT more than to do it)

I know I often have trouble figuring out how to say something simply... ...that's why I said:

This is essentially the same method outlined earlier, but instead of "modifying" the shortcut to point to a different Path/Target, I'm just renaming one working pinned shortcut so I can then rename another shortcut that points to the desired Target in the redirected MyDocs folder with the original pinned shortcut name.  (And maybe I could have just said that and not been so detailed above, but sometimes I can't figure out how to summarize until I've already written it out in detail... ...oh, well!)

-gdv22 (November 14, 2010, 02:40 AM)

As simply as I can figure out how to put it:

• 1. pin any shortcut to any file on your local machine to the Start Menu (contra Stoic Joker's last post, I think it has to be a shortcut that is pinned, not a file, because I can't see any way to edit the shortcut Target if I pin the actual file to the Start Menu --- and it doesn't matter what the shortcut actually points to, because its Target isn't really going to be used; it only matters that it have the name you eventually want on your pinned menu, and that it be in whatever folder on your local machine where you want to keep it once it points to your remote XLS file)
  

then either:

• 2a. edit the Target and Start In fields in the shortcut properties to point to the XLS file in your redirected network MyDocs folder (Stoic Joker's method)
  

or:

• 2b. create a shortcut to the XLS file in your redirected network MyDocs folder and rename it with the same name as the shortcut originally pinned to the Start menu (which, of course, requires first renaming the shortcut originally pinned to the Start Menu in step 1)

2a is maybe simpler to describe and a little more complicated to do.  2b avoids having to edit the Target and Start In info, because it is already correct when the shortcut is created, and you simply rename the shortcut to match whatever name is already in the pinned menu.  So it seems simpler (to me) than figuring out the correct network path syntax required for the editing in 2a (which I would do by creating the shortcut required for 2b anyway).  But these are essentially 2 means to the same end:  a pinned shortcut that points to a remote file.

I'm still eager to know if either of them works for you.

Just noticed, in 7 the shortcuts appear to be stored here:
C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\StartMenu

...Not sure if/how that helps, but I thought I'd share it.

-Stoic Joker (November 22, 2010, 09:37 AM)

So then it would seem that in Win 7 you could just create a shortcut to the remote file and stick it in that folder.  But in a this thread discussing the same issue in a Win7 forum I found since my last post, no one seemed to come up with that solution.  So maybe not...??? (Don't have Win7, so no way to check.)  But it looks like they did come up with essentially the same solution we're proposing here.

In WinXP, the pinned shortcuts are stored in binary form in the registry:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartPage

...not easy (or even possible?) to edit directly (although that was something I investigated when I first started looking at this question).

[Stoic Joker]

1. pin any shortcut to any file on your local machine to the Start Menu (contra Stoic Joker's last post, I think it has to be a shortcut that is pinned, not a file, because I can't see any way to edit the shortcut Target if I pin the actual file to the Start Menu ---

-gdv22 (November 22, 2010, 04:32 PM)

Ya know I was trying not to draw attention to my goofing the distinction earlier in the thread... But.

Regardless of whether you drag a file, program or shortcut to the start menu, it will create a shortcut to the target in what ever location it's stored.

On the other part results are inconclusive. Pinning a program to the Start Panel in 7 results in a shortcut being created in that folder.

Creating a shortcut in that folder does not automatically make it show up as pinned in the start Panel.

Deleting a (pinned) shortcut from the folder does not make it disappear from the Start Panel...But! It does make it stop functioning.

So they're apparently only loosely connected.

[techidave]

I will give your suggestions a try gdv. It may be a few more days since I have a few deadlines to meet this week at school before the holiday break.

After I posted this morning, I then remembered the really easy fix to my problem but it doesn't leave the file in My (redirected) Documents folder so that presents another problem which is it won't sync to my other computer when I have it on the network..  But your solution, if it works should solve that if I am understanding things correctly.

[techidave]

1. pin any shortcut to any file on your local machine to the Start Menu (contra Stoic Joker's last post, I think it has to be a shortcut that is pinned, not a file, because I can't see any way to edit the shortcut Target if I pin the actual file to the Start Menu ---

-gdv22 (November 22, 2010, 04:32 PM)

Ya know I was trying not to draw attention to my goofing the distinction earlier in the thread... But.

Regardless of whether you drag a file, program or shortcut to the start menu, it will create a shortcut to the target in what ever location it's stored.

On the other part results are inconclusive. Pinning a program to the Start Panel in 7 results in a shortcut being created in that folder.

Creating a shortcut in that folder does not automatically make it show up as pinned in the start Panel.

Deleting a (pinned) shortcut from the folder does not make it disappear from the Start Panel...But! It does make it stop functioning.

So they're apparently only loosely connected.

-Stoic Joker (November 22, 2010, 05:45 PM)

ya know, you would think with the gazillion number of lines in the window OS code, that things would be able to work better than they do.  and not have to deal with some of the issues that Joker just mentioned above.   

Or maybe thats the problem... to much code from the Win95 days(before?).   

[Stoic Joker]

Remember a feature is just a design flaw with a plausible sounding explanation.