Restoring program name in program list

[NonTechie]

I was creating short cut icons for my desktop on a new computer by clicking
and dragging from the list under Microsoft Office. The icons were created ok,
but the programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) are no longer listed in
the program listing. How do I get them back? I have Windows XP Professional.

 

[PaulM]

Did you right click and drag them or make short cut here?
Did you left click and drag them here??

Just left click them and move them back to the program menu or right click
and move them there.

 

[NonTechie]

Thanks, Paul. I left clicked and drug them from the list to the desktop. But
when I try your suggestion, as soon as I click (left or right) on the desktop
icon, the program menu disappears, so there is no where to drag it to.

 

[PaulM]

Open explorer to that folder and drag the files there.

 

[Jose]

I was creating short cut icons for my desktop on a new computer by clicking
and dragging from the list under Microsoft Office. The icons were createdok,
but the programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) are no longer listed in
the program listing. How do I get them back? I have Windows XP Professional.

What you see makes good sense (even though it is a WTH moment).

When you drag and drop from something in the Start menu programs list,
it does just that - drag and drop. This is not the same as a copy and
paste, so you end up dragging the program completely off the Start
menu location to the desktop (or sometimes the Quick Launch area).

I have XP Pro and Office 2007 installed for all users so I'll tell you
how mine is.

Everything you see in the Start menu is just in a folder somewhere.
If I click Start, Programs and right click Microsoft Office, the
Properties tell me the Microsoft Office selection (and everything
under it) is just a folder under here:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs

There is a folder under there called Microsoft Office:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs
\Microsoft Office

I have all my Office products offered there as shortcuts to individual
programs, and I can copy and paste anything in a folder just about
anyplace I want.

Sure enough, if I browse to that folder, all the shortcuts to my
Office programs are there: Access, Excel, Word, etc. If I drag one
out of there to the desktop it drags it right out of the folder (a
copy and paste is what I really want). Since you are not using
Explorer, it looks different but has the same effect. It does what
you told it to do - what you see in the Start menu is just a bunch of
folders and files anyway.

Now that you know that, you can copy the Office shortcuts on your
desktop and paste them back into the:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs
\Microsoft Office

folder and have them in both places. If the whole Microsoft Office
folder is missing, just create one for your Start menu Programs list
in here:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs

Anywho, for stuff like that drag and drop means just what it says.
Copy and paste works much better.

Putting things in the Quick Launch area is similar - don't drag and
drop, copy and paste it into the users QL folder which you can browse
to (you can't paste to the QL area, but you can paste to the QL
folder).

It's all about folders and files, files and folders. When you know
where the folders are, you can make new folders in your Start,
Programs offering, copy, paste, delete, etc. just like regular files

 

[Elmo]

Thanks, Paul. I clicked and drug them from the list to the Desktop. But
when I try your suggestion, as soon as I click (left or right) on the desktop
icon, the program menu disappears, so there is nowhere to drag it to.

Click/drag and hover over the Start Menu button, then over "All
Programs", over the folder you wish to enter, etc..

 

[NonTechie]

Thank you Jose. It works.

What you see makes good sense (even though it is a WTH moment).

When you drag and drop from something in the Start menu programs list,
it does just that - drag and drop. This is not the same as a copy and
paste, so you end up dragging the program completely off the Start
menu location to the desktop (or sometimes the Quick Launch area).

I have XP Pro and Office 2007 installed for all users so I'll tell you
how mine is.

Everything you see in the Start menu is just in a folder somewhere.
If I click Start, Programs and right click Microsoft Office, the
Properties tell me the Microsoft Office selection (and everything
under it) is just a folder under here:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs

There is a folder under there called Microsoft Office:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs
\Microsoft Office

I have all my Office products offered there as shortcuts to individual
programs, and I can copy and paste anything in a folder just about
anyplace I want.

Sure enough, if I browse to that folder, all the shortcuts to my
Office programs are there: Access, Excel, Word, etc. If I drag one
out of there to the desktop it drags it right out of the folder (a
copy and paste is what I really want). Since you are not using
Explorer, it looks different but has the same effect. It does what
you told it to do - what you see in the Start menu is just a bunch of
folders and files anyway.

Now that you know that, you can copy the Office shortcuts on your
desktop and paste them back into the:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs
\Microsoft Office

folder and have them in both places. If the whole Microsoft Office
folder is missing, just create one for your Start menu Programs list
in here:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users.WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs

Anywho, for stuff like that drag and drop means just what it says.
Copy and paste works much better.

Putting things in the Quick Launch area is similar - don't drag and
drop, copy and paste it into the users QL folder which you can browse
to (you can't paste to the QL area, but you can paste to the QL
folder).

It's all about folders and files, files and folders. When you know
where the folders are, you can make new folders in your Start,
Programs offering, copy, paste, delete, etc. just like regular files