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View Full Version : how do you create a shortcut to "My Computer"?


eclectica
2004-12-05, 07:40
I formatted the hard drive of a computer and installed Windows XP Professional, and after deleting the "My Computer" shortcuts that came with the installed version, I found no way to reinstall them or recreate them. Every time I tried to, the closest I could get was to create a shortcut to the C drive rather than to My Computer. I tried adding a shortcut using the Taskbar and Start Menu section in Control Panel. Another place I tried was in C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator\Desktop, but that didn't work either. I feel like it's one of the programs in the C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder, and if I could find which one it actually is then I could create a shorcut using that location instead.

eclectica
2004-12-05, 08:00
C:\WINDOWS\system32 has some interesting programs that aren't available from the Start menu. I was playing around with narrator.exe and it froze Firefox. I found explorer.exe in C:\WINDOWS, which is the program that actually explores the whole computer.

slx
2004-12-05, 15:46
start/right click my computer/show on desktop

if you want it someplace else just cut & paste it where you want or copy it anywhere else you want

speaking of xplorer.....right click your start button and see what's there

if you deleted my computer from the start menu right click task bar/properties..select start menu tab select start menu button, go to customize and see that if computer's checked

eclectica
2004-12-05, 16:33
if you deleted my computer from the start menu right click task bar/properties..select start menu tab select start menu button, go to customize and see that if computer's checked

I tried that and it didn't work because I didn't see it there in the options to enable. But one thing it occurred to me to try was in Taskbar and Start Menu Properties, to change the view of the Start Menu from "Classic start menu" which I normally use to "Start menu". Once I did that it then put a "My Computer" icon on my desktop. So while it was there I dragged it down to the Quick Launch section and then I switched back to the "Classic start menu". That made it disappear from the desktop, but it stayed in the Quick Launch section.

napho
2004-12-06, 00:51
Something that might be convenient to do is making another toolbar. It can be a My Computer one or the Desktop with My Computer submenu. When you make a toolbar everything slides out like it does in the Start Menu. This allows you to have all your drives and folders/files slide out without having to click all the time.

eclectica
2004-12-06, 09:53
That toolbar thing is pretty cool and I discovered that by accident yesterday after my daughter played with the computer and had it added there. I was then wondering how it got there. It was good timing on her part. Sometimes I find my taskbar on the side rather than on the bottom and I know she's been playing around with it. The worse was when I came home from work to find all the keys removed from the laptop, but I was able to find every one with the plastic pieces and pop them back in.

Thanks for all the help people.

Unregistered
2006-06-02, 15:27
You can also right-click on the desktop, select properties. Click on the Desktop tab and click Customize Desktop. Then, put a check on My computer and apply.

Remus
2006-09-22, 10:13
Make a new shortcut with this target:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
or
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
it worked for me on windows xp

Unregistered
2006-12-29, 11:29
Make a new shortcut with this target:
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
or
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
it worked for me on windows xp

Dude, I always wanted that. I tried it. Works like a charm!
I knew the start key +e opens the explorer in my computer, but I always wanted to have it as a shortcut on the desktop. Brilliant- Thanks
Menno