Solved Customize Vista Start Menu Dark side

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I have windows vista and was wondering if it was possible to CHANGE the links on the right hand side of thee toolbar. I know how to turn the default ones on and off but I want to change my options. For example, Pictures is in at the moment and I would rather this be another folder in my user folder, called "photos"
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
Hi,

Yes this can be done. Right on Pictures and click Rename. Change name to "Photos" and press enter. Now right click on Photos again, click Properties, on the Location tab, type a new directory and click Move. I think this answers your question.

Richard
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 420
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
    Motherboard
    Stock Dell 0TP406
    Memory
    4 gb (DDR2 800) 400MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3870 (512 MBytes)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 x Dell 2007FP and 1 x (old) Sonic flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 and 1280 x 1204
    Hard Drives
    1 x 640Gb (SATA 300)
    Western Digital: WDC WD6400AAKS-75A7B0

    1 x 1Tb (SATA 600)
    Western Digital: Caviar Black, SATA 6GB/S, 64Mb cache, 8ms
    Western Digital: WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device
    PSU
    Stock PSU - 375W
    Case
    Dell XPS 420
    Cooling
    Stock Fan
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    Dell Bluetooth
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    Advent Optical ADE-WG01 (colour change light up)
    Internet Speed
    120 kb/s
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    ASUS USB 3.0 5Gbps/SATA 6Gbps - PCI-Express Combo Controller Card (U3S6)
Hello maccaquacker, welcome to Vista Forums.



I fooled around with this when I first got Vista, I found 3 of the right side links "moveable" have a look at what niemiro said.

C on R  Side.JPG
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    * BFK Customs *
    CPU
    Intel C2Q 9550 Yorkfield
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5Q Pro
    Memory
    8GB Dominator 8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX ATI 1GB 4870 XXX
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD 7-1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1x 47" LCD HDMI & 2x 26" LCD HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080P & 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    2x 500GB 7200RPM 32MB Cache WD Caviar Black
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX
    Case
    CM Cosmos RC-1000
    Cooling
    Tuniq Tower 120, 2x 140mm and 3x 120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    HP Enhansed Multimedia
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    Razer Diamondback 3G
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    18.6Mb/s
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    My First Build ;)
You can edit where the Pictures link is pointing with regedit:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\My Pictures

Change C:\users\Username\Pictures to <path_to your_photos_folder>

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\My Pictures

Change %USERPROFILE%\Pictures to <path_to your_photos_folder>

Restart for it to take effect. Clicking on Pictures Link will open "photos".
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Vista
    CPU
    Intel E8400
    Motherboard
    ASRock1333-GLAN R2.0
    Memory
    4gb DDR2 800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 9500GT 1gb
  • Operating System
    win7/vista
    CPU
    intel i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    ballistix 2x8gb 3200
I just moved the pictures to documents with no problems, right click, properties.

click these images to enlarge
Move.jpg
Move2.jpg
Move3.jpg
Move9.jpg
Move10.jpg
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    * BFK Customs *
    CPU
    Intel C2Q 9550 Yorkfield
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5Q Pro
    Memory
    8GB Dominator 8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX ATI 1GB 4870 XXX
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD 7-1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1x 47" LCD HDMI & 2x 26" LCD HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080P & 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    2x 500GB 7200RPM 32MB Cache WD Caviar Black
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX
    Case
    CM Cosmos RC-1000
    Cooling
    Tuniq Tower 120, 2x 140mm and 3x 120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    HP Enhansed Multimedia
    Mouse
    Razer Diamondback 3G
    Internet Speed
    18.6Mb/s
    Other Info
    My First Build ;)
I don't think maccaquaker wants to move the Pictures folder.

It seems to me he wants to click the Pictures link on the start menu , and have his own separate "photos" folder open up.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Vista
    CPU
    Intel E8400
    Motherboard
    ASRock1333-GLAN R2.0
    Memory
    4gb DDR2 800
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvidia 9500GT 1gb
  • Operating System
    win7/vista
    CPU
    intel i5-8400
    Motherboard
    gigabyte b365m ds3h
    Memory
    ballistix 2x8gb 3200
I don't think maccaquaker wants to move the Pictures folder.

It seems to me he wants to click the Pictures link on the start menu , and have his own separate "photos" folder open up.



Hello SIW, I was just goofing around, trying to give them some ideas; you can point it to any location you choose, look at the snip of my old start menu in my first post in this thread.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    * BFK Customs *
    CPU
    Intel C2Q 9550 Yorkfield
    Motherboard
    ASUS P5Q Pro
    Memory
    8GB Dominator 8500C5D
    Graphics Card(s)
    XFX ATI 1GB 4870 XXX
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD 7-1
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1x 47" LCD HDMI & 2x 26" LCD HDMI
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080P & 1920x1200
    Hard Drives
    2x 500GB 7200RPM 32MB Cache WD Caviar Black
    PSU
    Corsair 620HX
    Case
    CM Cosmos RC-1000
    Cooling
    Tuniq Tower 120, 2x 140mm and 3x 120mm case fans
    Keyboard
    HP Enhansed Multimedia
    Mouse
    Razer Diamondback 3G
    Internet Speed
    18.6Mb/s
    Other Info
    My First Build ;)
I don't think maccaquaker wants to move the Pictures folder.

It seems to me he wants to click the Pictures link on the start menu , and have his own separate "photos" folder open up.

SIW2 Is right, I have two folders, "Photos" and "Pictures."
They have totally separate items in them and I do not want them to merge, just simply have the shortcut on the start menu point to another location
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
Hello,

So is this issue solved now?

Richard
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell XPS 420
    CPU
    Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 2.50GHz
    Motherboard
    Stock Dell 0TP406
    Memory
    4 gb (DDR2 800) 400MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon HD 3870 (512 MBytes)
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    1 x Dell 2007FP and 1 x (old) Sonic flat screen
    Screen Resolution
    1600 x 1200 and 1280 x 1204
    Hard Drives
    1 x 640Gb (SATA 300)
    Western Digital: WDC WD6400AAKS-75A7B0

    1 x 1Tb (SATA 600)
    Western Digital: Caviar Black, SATA 6GB/S, 64Mb cache, 8ms
    Western Digital: WDC WD1002FAEX-00Z3A0 ATA Device
    PSU
    Stock PSU - 375W
    Case
    Dell XPS 420
    Cooling
    Stock Fan
    Keyboard
    Dell Bluetooth
    Mouse
    Advent Optical ADE-WG01 (colour change light up)
    Internet Speed
    120 kb/s
    Other Info
    ASUS USB 3.0 5Gbps/SATA 6Gbps - PCI-Express Combo Controller Card (U3S6)
No,

I need it changing as if it were a shorcut, not an entire folder location
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
You can edit where the Pictures link is pointing with regedit:

HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders\My Pictures
Change C:\users\Username\Pictures to <path_to your_photos_folder>
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders\My Pictures
Change %USERPROFILE%\Pictures to <path_to your_photos_folder>
Restart for it to take effect. Clicking on Pictures Link will open "photos".

But wont this change the links to my pics folder everywhere?????

Also, see above message
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
I found 2 very clever work-arounds on the Windows 7 Forum that would probably work with Vista and might just solve your problem, or at least be pretty close.

In regard to suggestion #1, there's another way to look at your problem that may be more helpful. For clarity, I would describe it this way: you can ADD your Photos folder to the Start Menu Right Pane, and DELETE the default Pictures folder. (I think this is what the OPs were alluding to. . .)

1. Substitute an Added 'Default' Folder with Your Custom (Photos) Folder
Right click Start Menu, go to Properties, Start Menu, Customize and choose any listed default folder that you don’t already have in your Start Menu Right Pane. Opt to display that folder as a link or menu. Add that folder to the list, remove the default location, and add the location of your own Photos folder, selecting the "Include a folder" button. Once it’s in the Start Menu Right Pane, right-click it and Rename it to Photos. (Then, if you wish, you can delete the default Pictures folder -- or leave it and have both Pictures and Photos in your menu.)

2. Reset User Folder Option: Although you can't add custom folders to the right side of the Start Menu, you can however set your User folder to open as a menu instead of a link, and it will expand out and you can get to your custom Photos folder that way. One extra step but that's about all you can do. Start Menu - Customize
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t (Gen. 1)
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz)
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.4" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display
    Screen Resolution
    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
    Keyboard
    built in - HP
    Mouse
    built in - Synaptics TouchPad V6.5 on PS/2 Port
    Internet Speed
    max
    Other Info
    ~ Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card w/Bluetooth ~ Blu-Ray ROM DVD+/-R/RW ~ Integ. HDTV Hybrid Tuner ~ 12 Cell Battery ~ MS Office (Home Premium) 2007 ~
But wont that move the contents of the folder I pick
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
Considering that you've created a new folder, the folder itself, obviously won't move. As to the contents, they're still going to be in your User files, so I don't think they would move any more than changing the title of the file or folder would cause them to move.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t (Gen. 1)
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz)
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.4" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display
    Screen Resolution
    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
    Keyboard
    built in - HP
    Mouse
    built in - Synaptics TouchPad V6.5 on PS/2 Port
    Internet Speed
    max
    Other Info
    ~ Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card w/Bluetooth ~ Blu-Ray ROM DVD+/-R/RW ~ Integ. HDTV Hybrid Tuner ~ 12 Cell Battery ~ MS Office (Home Premium) 2007 ~
Yes but last time I tried that on another program, changed the default location of ALL the files WITHIN folder A to folder B, moving them
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
Okay, but in this case, aren't you just moving them from one location within the User folder to another --- which you would have to do even if you just changed the name of the folder.

In any event, it may come down to your having to make a decision of priorities -- whether you want your Photos shortcut enough to pay whatever price you have to, in order to have that.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    HP Pavillion dv5t (Gen. 1)
    CPU
    Intel(R) Core(TM)2 Duo Processor T9400 (2.53 GHz)
    Memory
    4GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
    Graphics Card(s)
    512 MB NVIDIA GeForce 9600M GT
    Monitor(s) Displays
    15.4" diagonal WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display
    Screen Resolution
    1680 x 1050
    Hard Drives
    320GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive with HP ProtectSmart Hard Drive Protection
    Keyboard
    built in - HP
    Mouse
    built in - Synaptics TouchPad V6.5 on PS/2 Port
    Internet Speed
    max
    Other Info
    ~ Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini-card w/Bluetooth ~ Blu-Ray ROM DVD+/-R/RW ~ Integ. HDTV Hybrid Tuner ~ 12 Cell Battery ~ MS Office (Home Premium) 2007 ~
Yes, I suppose you're right, thanks for trying everyone, but it doesnt matter to me that much, Id just prefer it that way
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Advent 9515
    CPU
    AMD Turion 64X2 2.0GHz
    Memory
    2GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1250
    Screen Resolution
    1280x800
    Cooling
    Fan
    Internet Speed
    Should be 10Mbps, often less
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