Games Explorer Link - Fix

How to Fix the Games Explorer Link in the Vista Start Menu

information   Information
If when you click on the Games Explorer Link in the Start Menu to open it, and it may quickly open and close or not open at all, then this will show you how to fix it so it will open again.
Tip   Tip
Even though the Games Explorer window will not stay open, you may still be able to run a selected game from the Start Menu, All Programs, Games folder.
EXAMPLE: Games Explorer Window
NOTE:
Other than the links below, you can type Shell:Games in the white line (Start Search) area of the Start menu, or in the Run window, and press Enter.

Games_Explorer.jpg
EXAMPLE: Games Explorer Link in Start Menu
NOTE:
To add or remove the Games button, see Option One here: How to Customize the Start Menu in Vista and dot/undot Games. There is also a Games Explorer link at Start Menu, All Programs, Games folder, Games Explorer.

Start_Menu.jpg


Here's How:
2. In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below and press Enter. (See screenshot below)​
regsvr32.exe gameux.dll
Command_Prompt.jpg

3. Click on OK in the success message prompt. (See screenshot below)​
Success_Prompt.jpg

4. Close the elevated command prompt.​
NOTE: You should now be able to click on the Games Explorer link in the Start menu and have it stay open now.​
That's it,
Shawn


 

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Last edited:
Re: Games Explorer Link - Fix from sydoz

hey shawn i did this and i still dont have a games explorer folder at all??
no games under microsoft games either
it did tell me the dll thing worked though lol
 

My Computer

Serena,

I have just a few questions first though:

Does it open the Games Explorer window when you type Shell:Games in the white line (Start Search) area of the Start menu and press Enter?

Do you have the Games button on the dark right side of the Start Menu?

Did you mean that you do not have the Start Menu, All Programs, Games folder?


You might also check to see if you have the games you want checked (dotted) in Windows Features under Games.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/67732-windows-features.html
 

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    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Hey Shawn
ok 1. when i type Shell:Games it opens a folder called Games , its empty
2. yes i do have the games button on the right hand side of start menu , it opens the same folder, empty
3. yes all games are ticked in the Turn On Off Windows Features box but it DOES come up with an error!!! tellng my not all changes were able to be saved??
thanks again for all your help i really appreciate, i'd send you a beer if i could lol
sdh
 

My Computer

Ok. It seems that your Games Explorer window is working fine.

Does the error include a message to restart the computer to apply changes?

If not, then you might run a sfc /scannow command to see if it can find and fix any bad system files that may be preventing the games to be listed.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files-sfc-command.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
ok i ran the sfc /scannow
and got this:
Windows resource protection found corrupt files but was unable to fix some of them. Details are included in the CBS.Log windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log.For example
C:\Windows\Logs\CBS\CBS.log

i cant open the CBS.log file?? notepad keeps "not responding " when i try
 

My Computer

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
i just got it to open i so do not understand it lol can i send an attachment?? here
i have to go in a few minutes but will be back in about an hour
i so appreciate the help , thanks

does that mean like a format??? i dont have a restore point i dont think
 

My Computer

Yes, you can just attach the log file a TXT attachment in the post.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
oh dear, this is getting rather complicated for a newbie like me, i know a bit but not that much!!! i have the OEM version of home premium and i have SP1 installed
 

My Computer

A clean reinstall may be easier to do instead. Just be sure to backup anything that you do not want to lose first.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
well it wont let me upload the log file?? takes forever and then tells me error?? cant find it?? too weird
oh well, will have to get back to you on , this cos i have tons of other stuff to do
kids, organizing a trip in a few weeks and need to do stuff
thanks again
will probably get back you on the reinstall
 

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Ok Serena. Take care of whatever you need to first, I'll be here somewhere on the site when your ready.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Problem: When you click on the Vista Game Explorer shortcut in the Start menu or on the desktop the Explorer window flickers and Explorer never starts.

Background: Game Explorer automatically adds games you install on you machine as a shortcut in the Explorer folder. It even goes to the effort of going to the program and extracting the icon for the new game to use as the icon for the shortcut. It’s all a handy trick that is very convenient for the user.

Plot Thickens: However, if you’ve added a non-Vista game (one written before Vista was released), and then un-install the game, the Vista Game Explorer appears to become corrupt. When the non-Vista ready game un-installs, Game Explorer doesn’t seem to know that it needs to remove the game from its list of shortcuts in the registry. This causes an error in Game Explorer where it follows the registry entry to the directory where the game is supposed to be and tries to build the shortcut for the folder. It doesn’t find anything and so the folder goes boom! All you see is a flicker.

Solution: You need to manually remove the game entry from the Vista Game Explorer registry entries. Vista Game Explorer registry entries exist under the path: KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GAMEUX\. So, you must do the following to fix the Game Explorer. It involves editing the Registry, an so if you are skittish about working around in the guts of the operating system then find your local computer geek to do the nasty work for you.

1) Go to the Start Button and click once on it.

2) In the Start Search text box at the bottom of the Start Menu type “Regedit” to open the registry editor.

3) Navigate to the Vista Game Explorer registry key: KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\GAMEUX\

4) You see two sub-keys: “Games” and another that is a long number something like “S-1-5-21-1360280324-1479985282-280780731-1000”

Under the “Games” sub-key are more keys made up of long serial numbers which represent all of the games delivered with Vista: Solitaire, Chess, Ink Ball, Free Cell, Purple Place, etc. But the other key at the same level as “Games” represents games added automatically by Vista Game Explorer. It is the entries under this key that can cause problems when nothing exists in the folder where the registry key points. So, you must delete this entry.

5) Find the key that point to the game that no longer exists. Click on the key to identify it. Go to the menu and click on <Edit: Delete> or press the Delete key on the keyboard. Exit the Registry Editor by clicking on <File:Exit> or click on the big red “X” in the upper right-hand corner of the Regedit window. Now, Vista Game Explorer should work again.

Hope this helps!

Disclaimer: Working in the registry can break stuff including Vista itself. You should have some level of expertise to go mucking around with it. No children or small animals were hurt in the writing of this help guide, no poisonous or toxic gases were emitted, etc. You are your own keeper. Yadda, yadda, yadda.
 

My Computer

Thank you Tom for sharing this tip. :)

Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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