IE Favorites under WINNT?

[Guest]

After experiencing a problem where IE hung, I've rebooted and found that IE
now looks for Favorites & Links under c:\WINNT\Favorites instead of where
they have always been, under c:\Documents and Settings\myName\Favorites. I'm
still logged in to Windows under myName, and rebooted again to make sure. I
suppose I could import my links from Documents and Settings over to WINNT,
but I'd rather keep them where they're supposed to be. How can I get IE to
look for its Favorites under Documents and Settings again?
Thanks...

 

[Lau Lei Cheong]

I'm not very sure, but it seems to be that you've configured you account to
use shared profile instead of "per user" ones. If this is the case, you'll
also found that you're using c:\WINNT\Desktop instead of c:\Documents and
Settings\myName\Desktop, and so for the "My Documents".

Try take a look at the "user settings" options in Control Panel. (I don't
have Win2k on my desktop in office, so I cannot tell you exactly where to
look for...)

 

[Alan Edwards]

You can change the value of Favorites in the Registry in these
two keys: (ignore the second if the value is not there)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

....Alan

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the replies. Sure enough, in Shell Folders, the Favorites string
and Fonts string somehow got set to "C:\WINNT\Favorites", where everything
else is still "C:\Documents and Settings\myName\<Folder>".
Also, under User Shell Folders, the Favorites string was Type REG_SZ, set to
"C:\WINNT\Favorites", while all the other strings in there are type
REG_EXPAND_SZ with values "%USERPROFILE%\<whatever>".
That explains why only my Favorites (& links) are missing, while my desktop
is still intact.
** However, when I change either of the Favorites registry strings, it is
reset to the WINNT value the instant I open IE, so my problem remains. I
tried adding a dummy string just to make sure that any of my registry changes
are being accepted, and they are.
Also - I can't see how to change a User Shell string type to REG_EXPAND_SZ.
Adding a new String gives me the option of REG_SZ, REG_BINARY or REG_DWORD.
Thanks...

 

[Alan Edwards]

I don't use the same operating system, so I do not see your REG_SZ
etc.
It seems you are correct that it should be REG_EXPAND_SZ and I quote
from Ramesh MVP:
------quote
For Windows 2000/XP:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Window­s\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders]
Set the Favorites path to : %USERPROFILE%\Favorites

The above should be a REG_EXPAND_SZ value, not REG_SZ

Ref: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFA­Q.htm#favorites
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/user­shellfolders.htm
----unquote

Hopefully, you can find the answer in the above pages. I note there is
a REG fix (shellfolders.reg) that resets the User Shell Folders.

....Alan

 

[Guest]

I'm using W2KPro. Thanks for pointing me to mvps.org, that's a great
resource I didn't know about. I learned that REG_EXPAND_SZ is only available
using an advanced registry editor like REGEDT32. Using that editor (instead
of regedit), I deleted the Favorites String from User Shell, and reentered a
new one of type REG_EXPAND_SZ, and gave it the value %USERPROFILE%\Favorites.
That fixed my problem. Thanks for your help!

I don't use the same operating system, so I do not see your REG_SZ
etc.
It seems you are correct that it should be REG_EXPAND_SZ and I quote
from Ramesh MVP:
------quote
For Windows 2000/XP:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Window­s\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders]
Set the Favorites path to : %USERPROFILE%\Favorites

The above should be a REG_EXPAND_SZ value, not REG_SZ

Ref: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFA­Q.htm#favorites
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/user­shellfolders.htm
----unquote

Hopefully, you can find the answer in the above pages. I note there is
a REG fix (shellfolders.reg) that resets the User Shell Folders.

....Alan

--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/index.html

In microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser, MooDog

Thanks for the replies. Sure enough, in Shell Folders, the Favorites string
and Fonts string somehow got set to "C:\WINNT\Favorites", where everything
else is still "C:\Documents and Settings\myName\<Folder>".
Also, under User Shell Folders, the Favorites string was Type REG_SZ, set to
"C:\WINNT\Favorites", while all the other strings in there are type
REG_EXPAND_SZ with values "%USERPROFILE%\<whatever>".
That explains why only my Favorites (& links) are missing, while my desktop
is still intact.
** However, when I change either of the Favorites registry strings, it is
reset to the WINNT value the instant I open IE, so my problem remains. I
tried adding a dummy string just to make sure that any of my registry changes
are being accepted, and they are.
Also - I can't see how to change a User Shell string type to REG_EXPAND_SZ.
Adding a new String gives me the option of REG_SZ, REG_BINARY or REG_DWORD.
Thanks...

 

[Alan Edwards]

Thanks for the feedback. I don't have Regedt32 myself but I am sure
the question will arise again.

....Alan

--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/index.html

In microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser, MooDog

I'm using W2KPro. Thanks for pointing me to mvps.org, that's a great
resource I didn't know about. I learned that REG_EXPAND_SZ is only available
using an advanced registry editor like REGEDT32. Using that editor (instead
of regedit), I deleted the Favorites String from User Shell, and reentered a
new one of type REG_EXPAND_SZ, and gave it the value %USERPROFILE%\Favorites.
That fixed my problem. Thanks for your help!

I don't use the same operating system, so I do not see your REG_SZ
etc.
It seems you are correct that it should be REG_EXPAND_SZ and I quote
from Ramesh MVP:
------quote
For Windows 2000/XP:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Window­s\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders]
Set the Favorites path to : %USERPROFILE%\Favorites

The above should be a REG_EXPAND_SZ value, not REG_SZ

Ref: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFA­Q.htm#favorites
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/user­shellfolders.htm
----unquote

Hopefully, you can find the answer in the above pages. I note there is
a REG fix (shellfolders.reg) that resets the User Shell Folders.

....Alan

--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/index.html

In microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser, MooDog

Thanks for the replies. Sure enough, in Shell Folders, the Favorites string
and Fonts string somehow got set to "C:\WINNT\Favorites", where everything
else is still "C:\Documents and Settings\myName\<Folder>".
Also, under User Shell Folders, the Favorites string was Type REG_SZ, set to
"C:\WINNT\Favorites", while all the other strings in there are type
REG_EXPAND_SZ with values "%USERPROFILE%\<whatever>".
That explains why only my Favorites (& links) are missing, while my desktop
is still intact.
** However, when I change either of the Favorites registry strings, it is
reset to the WINNT value the instant I open IE, so my problem remains. I
tried adding a dummy string just to make sure that any of my registry changes
are being accepted, and they are.
Also - I can't see how to change a User Shell string type to REG_EXPAND_SZ.
Adding a new String gives me the option of REG_SZ, REG_BINARY or REG_DWORD.
Thanks...

:

You can change the value of Favorites in the Registry in these
two keys: (ignore the second if the value is not there)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User
Shell Folders

....Alan
--
Alan Edwards, MS MVP W95/98 Systems
http://dts-l.org/index.html

In microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6.browser, MooDog

After experiencing a problem where IE hung, I've rebooted and found that IE
now looks for Favorites & Links under c:\WINNT\Favorites instead of where
they have always been, under c:\Documents and Settings\myName\Favorites. I'm
still logged in to Windows under myName, and rebooted again to make sure. I
suppose I could import my links from Documents and Settings over to WINNT,
but I'd rather keep them where they're supposed to be. How can I get IE to
look for its Favorites under Documents and Settings again?
Thanks...