can't change desktop shortcut url

[rlp123]

background: virus caused me to reinstall xp home ed. factory disk at SP1.
very painful upgrades through sp2 & sp3. No one tells you that turning off
system restore is almost required to get a successful upgrade to sp2.

At sp3 now. Bought and installed mcafee.

After sp3, i found that when I change the url in a shortcut on the desktop
and apply, the system keeps restoring the old url. It won't let me change the
shortcut url.

Turned off mcafee and it still happens. Turned off system restore and it
still happens. Tried to change in safe mode and it still happens in safe mode.

What reg key or system setting is preventing me from changing the url in a
shortcut?

I don't think it happens in a shortcut with a target path but only in a
shortcut with a url.

I looked at lnkfiles in hkroot and there is a key called EditFlags or
something and it is set to one.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

One or more options/settings in an ever-growing number of third-party
applications may be disallowing the changes from "sticking." These include
anti-spyware applications (e.g., Ad-aware's Ad-Watch, Spybot Tea Timer,
SpywareBlaster, SpySweeper, Spyware Doctor, CounterSpy, WinPatrol, etc),
anti-virus applications & security suites (Norton, McAfee, ESET/NOD32,
Kasperky, Trend Micro, etc.), and third-party firewalls (e.g., Zone Alarm,
etc.).

Note that temporarily disabling the application(s) or rebooting into Safe
Mode may not disable the application's system protections.

 

[ju.c]

Favorites are just text files with an "URL" extension, which is hidden.

The FavIcon information is contained in the file as shown:

[DEFAULT]
BASEURL=http://website.com/
[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://website.com/
IDList=
IconFile=http://website.com/favicon.ico
IconIndex=1
DefaultIcon=
[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2

Try changing the url directly.

To make it easy, create then merge this registry file to add an "Edit"
command when you right-click a Favorite:

1. Copy below and paste into Notepad.
(Confirm notepad.exe path)

----------copy inside only----------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut\shell\Edit]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut\shell\Edit\command]
@="C:\\WINDOWS\\notepad.exe %1"

----------copy inside only----------

2. Save-as URL_Edit.reg (or any name + .reg).

3. Double-click or right-click and merge into the registry.


ju.c

 

[Jose]

background: virus caused me to reinstall xp home ed. factory disk at SP1.
very painful upgrades through sp2 & sp3. No one tells you that turning off
system restore is almost required to get a successful upgrade to sp2.

At sp3 now. Bought and installed mcafee.

After sp3, i found that when I change the url in a shortcut on the desktop
and apply, the system keeps restoring the old url. It won't let me changethe
shortcut url.

Turned off mcafee and it still happens. Turned off system restore and it
still happens. Tried to change in safe mode and it still happens in safe mode.

What reg key or system setting is preventing me from changing the url in a
shortcut?

I don't think it happens in a shortcut with a target path but only in a
shortcut with a url.

I looked at lnkfiles in hkroot and there is a key called EditFlags or
something and it is set to one.

What is your default browser (IE, Firefox, etc.) You must have some
IE installed but did you install Firefox and set it to your default
browser?

Are you trying to create a desktop shortcut to a WWW page by dragging
from the browser address bar to the desktop? If you have more than
one browser where you are creating your desktop shortcuts do the
shortcuts not work right from both browsers?

No error message when you click Apply/OK?

If you change the URL, Apply and then OK and then turn right around
and check the Properties again is it back to the old setting (without
ever using it) or does it only change back after you use it?

As part of your rebuild, did you install IE8?

Try download Malwarebytes free scanning program, update it and run a
full scan. No AV program knows about everything, so try Malwarebytes
as a second look at your system.

 

[Jose]

background: virus caused me to reinstall xp home ed. factory disk at SP1.
very painful upgrades through sp2 & sp3. No one tells you that turning off
system restore is almost required to get a successful upgrade to sp2.

At sp3 now. Bought and installed mcafee.

After sp3, i found that when I change the url in a shortcut on the desktop
and apply, the system keeps restoring the old url. It won't let me changethe
shortcut url.

Turned off mcafee and it still happens. Turned off system restore and it
still happens. Tried to change in safe mode and it still happens in safe mode.

What reg key or system setting is preventing me from changing the url in a
shortcut?

I don't think it happens in a shortcut with a target path but only in a
shortcut with a url.

I looked at lnkfiles in hkroot and there is a key called EditFlags or
something and it is set to one.

I don't know how you are creating your desktop shortcuts - by hand or
dragging from a browser, so maybe try this.

On your desktop, right click, New, Shortcut. Put in the URL in the
location box (http://...), name it, finish. Make sure it works. Then
change the properties to go to some other URL and see if that sticks.