While choosing a save-path for a file, i somehow managed to drag a system
folder into another location. Unfortunately, it turned out to be the start
menu folder. Since this happened when i click on start then all programs,
nothing comes up. I have dragged the start menu folder back to its original
location but this hasnt made a difference. All Programs still appears on
other computer user settings but not mine. Is there anyway to reverse this
damage that anyone knows of? At the moment i am looking at a full system
reboot as system restore has been unable to function for any of my restore
points. Please Help!!!

Read this.

Start Menu 'All Programs' is empty or nothing happens when you click the
menu
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/AllPrograms.htm

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:0439DC74-E0B4-444A-9176-EE51B334DF74@microsoft.com,
Stewart <Stewart@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:

This is definitely along the right lines but when i ran the paths and
restarted, nothing happened. And everything looked ok in the reg editor. Ay
other ideas???
thanks for your help

"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Stewart,

From the table on this page
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/usershellfolders.htm

for this registry key...
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\
CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Are the paths listed like this:
%USERPROFILE%\Application Data
or are they listed like this:
C:\Documents and Settings\Your Name Here\Application Data

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:296E9F7B-02A9-42F6-8C6C-2061CB2AA9D8@microsoft.com,
Stewart <Stewart@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:

Yes, they're the same, what does that mean - if they apear the same but the
all programs list isnt coming up? Very grateful for any more suggestions.

Thanks again
Stewart

"Wesley Vogel" wrote:

Stewart,

What happens if you paste the following line into the Start | Run box and
click OK...

%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs

What folder opens?

What happens if you paste the following line into the Start | Run box and
click OK...

%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu

What folder opens?

What happens if you paste the following line into the Start | Run box and
click OK...

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu

What folder opens?

What happens if you paste the following line into the Start | Run box and
click OK...

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

What folder opens?
-----

Try this.

Open a command prompt...
Start | Run | Type: cmd | Click OK |
When the command prompt opens type this line:

REG QUERY "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ex plorer\Shell
Folders"

Hit your Enter key.

Note, there is one space between REG QUERY and "HKCU and there is one space
between Shell and Folders.

You should see something like this...
C:\>REG QUERY "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ex plorer\Shell
Folders"

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders
AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P.
Vogel\Application Data
Cookies REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Cookies
Desktop REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Desktop
Favorites REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Favorites
NetHood REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\NetHood
Personal REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\My
Documents
PrintHood REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\PrintHood
Recent REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Recent
SendTo REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\SendTo
Start Menu REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Start Menu
Templates REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Templates
Programs REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Start
Menu\Programs
Startup REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Start
Menu\Programs\Startup
Local Settings REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P.
Vogel\LocalSettings
Local AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P.
Vogel\Local
Settings\Application Data
Cache REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Local
Settings\Temporary Internet Files
History REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Local
Settings\History
My Pictures REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\My
Documents\My Pictures
Fonts REG_SZ C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
My Music REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\My
Documents\My Music
Administrative Tools REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P.
Vogel\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
CD Burning REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\Wesley P. Vogel\Local
Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning
My Video REG_SZ

Obviously your name will be different.

Then type this line:

REG QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ex plorer\User
Shell Folders"

Again note that there is one space between QUERY and "HKLM and one space
between User and Shell.

You should see something like this...
C:\>REG QUERY "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ex plorer\User
Shell Folders"

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders
Common Desktop REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Desktop
Common Start Menu REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu
Common Programs REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start
Menu\Programs
Common Startup REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start
Menu\Programs\Startup
Common AppData REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data
Common Templates REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Templates
Common Favorites REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Favorites
Common Documents REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Documents

Now right click on the Title bar of the command prompt, point to Edit and
click Select All. When the whole command prompt turns white hit your Enter
key, this will copy whatever is in the command prompt window to the
clipboard. Paste that info into a message and post back.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:F0192D57-E3CD-41B2-BFCF-B4F280E415DD@microsoft.com,
Stewart <Stewart@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:

All the other run commands opened up the correct (i think folders)

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup - this opened an empty folder

---------
On to the cmd prompt tasks (which i see must have takena long time - thank
you)

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith>REG QUERY
"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Cu
rrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curre ntVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folde
rs
AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Application Data
Cookies REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Cookies
Desktop REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Desktop
Favorites REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Favorites
NetHood REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\NetHood
Personal REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\My Documents
PrintHood REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\PrintHood
Recent REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Recent
SendTo REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\SendTo
Start Menu REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Start Menu
Templates REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Templates
Programs REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Start
Menu\Programs\S
tartup
Startup REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Start
Menu\Programs\S
tartup
Local Settings REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Local
Setting
s
Local AppData REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Local
Setting
s\Application Data
Cache REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Local
Settings\Tempor
ary Internet Files
History REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Local
Settings\Histor
y
My Pictures REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\My Documents\My
Pictu
res
Fonts REG_SZ C:\WINDOWS\Fonts
My Music REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\My Documents\My
Music

Administrative Tools REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W.
Smith\Start
Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
CD Burning REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Local
Settings\Applic
ation Data\Microsoft\CD Burning
My Video REG_SZ C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\My Documents\My
Video
s

C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith>
C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith>
C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith>REG QUERY
"HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Cu
rrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders"

! REG.EXE VERSION 3.0

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Explorer\User
Shell
Folders
Common Desktop REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Desktop
Common Start Menu REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu
Common Programs REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs
Common Startup REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start
Menu\Programs\St
artup
Common AppData REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data
Common Templates REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Templates
Common Favorites REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Favorites
Common Documents REG_EXPAND_SZ %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Documents

C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith>

Hope this makes sense to you! - It doesnt to me!
Thanks in advance
Stewart

Hi Stewart,

That's fine, it just means that there aren't any program shortcuts in that
folder that would start when Windows starts. Nothing wrong with that.

On to the cmd prompt tasks, those all look OK to me.

Paste the following line into the Start | Run box and click OK...

%USERPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs

That will open the C:\Documents and Settings\W. Smith\Start Menu\Programs
folder, look around at the program shortcuts that are there, those should
show up on your Start Menu.

Paste the following line into the Start | Run box and click OK...

%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu

That will open the C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu folder,
look around at the program shortcuts that are there, those should also show
up on your Start Menu.

And you don't see any of those on your Start Menu?

Try this.

Right click the Start button, select Properties, the Start menu tab should
be open.

Click next to Classic Start menu to place a dot in the little radio button,
click Apply and then click OK.

Now open your Start Menu again and point to Programs. Do you get a bunch of
programs now?

Right click the Start button, select Properties, the Start menu tab should
be open.

Click next to Start menu to place a dot in the little radio button, click
Apply and then click OK.

Now open your Start Menu again and point to All Programs. Do your programs
show now?

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:85EE8322-08EE-43BB-B04A-7795E1019299@microsoft.com,
Stewart <Stewart@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked:

For the firsr 2 run prompts that you gave me the folders did open and they
did have shortcuts and folders in them.

Changing the style of the start menu to classic - still, nothing came up
I changed it back to the standard xp one and still the same.

I have acquired a windows xp sp2 boot disc today at lunchtime (gb time) and
am planningon using it tonight unless what i have just said has made a really
obvious solution pop to mind?

Thank you so much for ur help and time spent trying to resolve this problem
and of course your computer knowledge!
Thanks
Stewart

Stewart,

It has me baffled.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In news:9FE6C296-B43B-4B04-A93A-74B72A1428C6@microsoft.com,
Stewart <Stewart@discussions.microsoft.com> hunted and pecked: