start bar help...

Tuesday, April 13, 2004 by rjallard2 | Discussion: Stardock Software

I have the entire Object desktop suite - Object Bar included.

All I want to do is customize the existing folders in my start menu - i.e., replace 'My Pictures' with a different folder. Seems simple enough - is there any easy way to do this? Do I have to create an ENTIRE new start menu with Object Bar? If so, is there a template I could use that is just the normal XP start menu, so I could just make a few changes from there?

Thanks in advance...
20 Reply 6 Referrals
Essencay
Reply #1 Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:27 PM
If you want to change the icon...use iconpackager

rjallard2
Reply #2 Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:28 PM
Thanks, but I'm not talking about the icon - I want it to link to a different folder.

DigitalDanes
Reply #3 Tuesday, April 13, 2004 9:54 PM
I wanted to do this same thing with the My Music folder (I keep music files on a separate external hard drive). I landed up right clicking on the start menu, then going to customize, creating a new folder and calling it My Music (made it a link) and then removed the My Music folder that XP had in the original start menu that linked to the C:\My Documents\My Music folder. Hope this helps.
DD

rjallard2
Reply #4 Tuesday, April 13, 2004 10:07 PM
Yeah, I just found out you can do that with the classic start menu. I can't find any way to do it with the XP start menu. I would switch to classic, but that messes up the Beacon theme I have going on.

*sigh*

Koasati
Reply #5 Tuesday, April 13, 2004 10:52 PM
Can't you right click, Properties, and change the Target?

DigitalDanes
Reply #6 Wednesday, April 14, 2004 12:57 AM
Can't you right click, Properties, and change the Target?


With the XP Start Menu you can't change the Target of My Pictures or My Music (it always points this folder at C:\My Documents\etc.). I just did the addition of a new folder in the XP start bar (ps Rjallard..if you don't know how in the XP start, change to Classic start then after applying the change switch it back to the XP start and the change is still there). Unfortunately, if you click on the My Pictures/My Music folder in the menu and choose Properties, it will show you the target but not allow you to change it.

Sput
Reply #7 Wednesday, April 14, 2004 1:05 PM
You can change the folder that "My Pictures" and other special folders point to using Tweak UI in the XP power tools, but the list of things you can include or not on the right side of the start menu seems to be hard coded in this registry key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced

As you can see, there are entries for Start_ShowX where X is:

ControlPanel
Help
MyComputer
MyDocs
MyMusic
MyPics
NetConn
NetPlaces
Printers
RecentDocs
Run
Search
and SetProgramAccessAndDefaults

The way this looks, explorer must check these explicitly named keys to decide what to display, but it then uses the paths defined for each elsewhere (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders or HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders, I'm not sure which - probably the latter though)

So, you can change the name of "My Pictures" on the menu by right click and rename, and you can change where it points using Tweak UI - but it's a bit of a cludge, and would result in your setting for "My Pictures" pointing to that place too if you used it elsewhere as a shortcut. If you never choose "My pictures" to jump to the current My pictures folder, then this isn't an issue.

If you want though, you could turn on one of the other special folders on the start menu which you don't use (My music is the only other one I think), and rename and relocate that one instead to get what you want.

BTW - I've not tested out changing the location myself with Tweak UI, as I'm quite happy where my "My pictures" folder is

Sput
Reply #8 Wednesday, April 14, 2004 1:28 PM
(actually, those keys _aren't_ hard coded it seems, they seem to be picked up from here:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\StartMenu\StartPanel

But, that doesn't help as even if extra options were added using these keys which would be far from trivial, I don't see how explorer would actually do anything with the resulting settings unless it were patched, or extended somehow elsewhere - which I haven't found yet....)

SelfExiled
Reply #9 Thursday, April 15, 2004 6:46 AM
Personally, I don't see the necessity of changing anything. Why not just move your files to the proper folder? (I.E. move music files to my music, move pictures to my pictures) It seems that one is trying to unneccessarily complicate simple matters. One thing I did was to create a shortcut to my preferred folder in the My Pictures folder. One just needs to work within the constraints of the operating system. It is flexible, but beyond that there comes instability.

SelfExiled
Reply #10 Thursday, April 15, 2004 6:50 AM
It is similar to someone wanting to remove the windows gif image from IE. Why? It is windows, it was made this way. If you don't want it there, use another OS. Sorry if it sounds harsh.

Another saying goes, "If it ain't broke, why try to break it?" or, something like that.

Koasati
Reply #11 Thursday, April 15, 2004 7:22 AM
Personally, I don't see the necessity of changing anything. Why not just move your files to the proper folder?

Perhaps the My Music folder isn't in the proper place to begin with. Personally I store things of this nature on my storage drive, not my main drive. Your attitude is a little strange considering this is a customization site. Do you use the default skins? Why not? It is Windows, and if you don't like the Luna skins, go to classic, or use another OS.......... see how silly that sounds?


Sput
Reply #12 Thursday, April 15, 2004 9:27 AM
The initial post wasn't asking to change where the "My Pictures" folder points, it was wanting to change to having a different folder listed on the panel. Customizing the My pics link was the way I suggested it might be attchieved as there doesn't seem a way to add user ed folders to the list any other way.

Besides, I agree with Koasati that it seems strange to object to someone wishing to customise one bit of their interface over any others on a skinning site...surely everything is up for grabs. If something _can_ be changed, then chances are someone will prefer it to the default....especially that silly windows flag in IE

xan der
Reply #13 Thursday, April 15, 2004 7:12 PM
You can drag an app or folder to the start button to pin it to the top left column, near browser and mail choices. Editing those on the right does seem a bit more complicated, though.

I think the best way is, as you suggest, letting ObjectBar replace the standard windows startbar. I took a look, and this seems promising:
In ObjectBar, File->Load Theme->Them Browser->Windows XP.
*Before clicking load, use the Styles down menu to Use WindowBlinds Skin*
This looks like a versatile startbar replacement. You can use OB to move and things. The area where the MyFolders are usually displayed is called Floating Bars->WinXP~Right->My Stuff. Add and whatever you want to appear here! Save under a different name.

I think this comes standard with OB as a sample, and noone will get mad if you configure it to your hearts content.

xan der
Reply #14 Thursday, April 15, 2004 7:14 PM
Many words like d-r-o-p and d-e-l-e-t-e were censored in my above post, but I think the concept is clear

Sput
Reply #15 Thursday, April 15, 2004 7:30 PM
xan der - that does sound like the most practical way forward....much better than the convoluted kludge I came up with

DigitalDanes
Reply #16 Thursday, April 15, 2004 10:24 PM
Personally, I don't see the necessity of changing anything. Why not just move your files to the proper folder? (I.E. move music files to my music, move pictures to my pictures)


For those that have stable OS systems and LOTS and LOTS of space on their internal hard drive...great and goodie sweets for you. There are still those of out here that prefer to use external storage medium and backup drives because their system doesn't have the ability or capacity to store 50+gb of photos and music files. When you have a digital camera that takes images that are over 5mb each in medium mode and have 200 photos or more on just one camera card and need to transfer them to another storage area to take more photos and 500 MP3s at 3-5mb each and need some place to store them (and that's only a month's worth of collecting), well, seems quite silly to use up that 50gb internal hard drive space with that stuff when I've got software that needs that valuable space for installation. And to be quite frank and honest, I paid good money for my back up drive and external storage...I'm darned tootin' going to make sure that I get my full George Washingtons out of it!
[Message Edited]

rjallard2
Reply #17 Friday, April 16, 2004 6:19 PM
It is windows, it was made this way. If you don't want it there, use another OS. Sorry if it sounds harsh.


This seems like a pointless post to me. You're wondering why someone that comes to a website specifically about customizing every single aspect of windows would want to do this?

I think the best way is, as you suggest, letting ObjectBar replace the standard windows startbar. I took a look, and this seems promising:
In ObjectBar, File->Load Theme->Them Browser->Windows XP.
*Before clicking load, use the Styles down menu to Use WindowBlinds Skin*
This looks like a versatile startbar replacement. You can use OB to move and things. The area where the MyFolders are usually displayed is called Floating Bars->WinXP~Right->My Stuff. Add and whatever you want to appear here! Save under a different name.


That sounds good to me. I'll try it this weekend and see how it goes. Thanks!
[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]

SelfExiled
Reply #18 Saturday, April 17, 2004 2:54 AM
One thing I did was to create a shortcut to my preferred folder in the My Pictures folder. One just needs to work within the constraints of the operating system.


Maybe I should have posted the suggestion in the first sentence and left out the rest of the dribble. And yes, windowblinds does work within the constraints, so I wasn't referring to modifications/customizations that do that. This is why I like windowblinds. It doesn't make my system unstable, and it allows me to replace the boring Luna GUI. I was referring to modifications that might make the system unstable.

SelfExiled
Reply #19 Saturday, April 17, 2004 3:14 AM
For those that have stable OS systems and LOTS and LOTS of space on their internal hard drive...great and goodie sweets for you.


I only have 13GB on my hard drive and I still have 5GB free space. This is because I conserve space on my main drive and put accessory/games programs on another drive. I only use my main drive for utilities and drivers.

Actually, I have over 5000 MP3's and I do store then on an external hard drive. But, a reference to them in my start menu is unnecessary. Because they are linked in the library of the music programs that I use(I.E. MusicMatch, Winamp,WMP etc.).

I also have no need for the My pictures folder. But, it is a critical folder to the system which is linked in the registry and modifying such things unneccessarily is what I meant by making the system unstable. I just use a few wallpapers which I d-r-o-p in the Windows folder. The rest are copied in windowblind themes so they autoload with the skins. All my other pretty pictures are linked by a shortcut folder that I placed in the My Pictures Folder. I click that folder from the My pictures folder and I'm there.

This is what I meant by working within the constraints of the operating system.

[Message Edited]
[Message Edited]

Koasati
Reply #20 Sunday, April 18, 2004 3:14 PM
You can move the folder location with TweakUI........ or use the instructions given in the program.

To change the location of a special folder, and simultaneously move the files, right-drag the folder to it's desired new location and "Move Here"





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