Windows Merged my All Users and Local User's Startup Folder

[Guest]

I was cleaning up my Start meu, when I accidentally dragged my Startup folder
unto the top of the start menu, merging the All User's Startup folder with my
startup folder. Now, I figured a way around this, by creating the Startup
folder in All Users, and keeping my Startup folder under my account. However,
Windows still sees my Startup folder to be both for my account and all users,
hereby running programs in the folder twice (one for me, one for all users).
I can't fix this. Can anybody help me? thanks..

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I was cleaning up my Start meu, when I accidentally dragged my
Startup folder unto the top of the start menu, merging the All
User's Startup folder with my startup folder. Now, I figured a way
around this, by creating the Startup folder in All Users, and
keeping my Startup folder under my account. However, Windows still
sees my Startup folder to be both for my account and all users,
hereby running programs in the folder twice (one for me, one for
all users). I can't fix this. Can anybody help me? thanks..

If I am understanding you correctly, you are saying your start menu and that
of the "All Users" profile were copied in such a way that the "All Users"
start menu contains all the items that was in your start menu and that was
already in the "All Users" start menu.

First - just to make sure you are clear - the Start Menu you actually see is
*always* a combination of the current user's start menu folder in their
profile directory and the start menu folder in the "All Users" profile
folder. Always.

Second - most things in the start menu are *just shortcuts*. Not often is
it that they are more than that.

To 'fix' this - you need to put items you only want to be in your start menu
and not in the "All Users" start menu - you make sure a copy of the item is
in your start menu folder and there is *no* copy of it in the "All Users"
start menu. Now - if there is an item you want all the users of the
computer to have in their start menu - you simply place a copy of that into
the "All Users" start menu folder. If you have the exact same item in the
exact same location in your start menu folder - that is fine - you should
only see one copy of it.

Start button --> RUN --> "%userprofile%\start menu" --> OK (with the
quotation marks) will open YOUR start menu folder.
Start button --> RUN --> "%allusersprofile%\start menu" --> OK (with the
quotation marks) will open the "All Users" start menu folder.

Most things in Windows XP are located under the "Programs" subfolder of the
Start Menu folder.

 

[F. Edwin Felty]

If I am understanding you correctly, you are saying your start menu and
that of the "All Users" profile were copied in such a way that the "All
Users" start menu contains all the items that was in your start menu and
that was already in the "All Users" start menu.

First - just to make sure you are clear - the Start Menu you actually see
is *always* a combination of the current user's start menu folder in their
profile directory and the start menu folder in the "All Users" profile
folder. Always.

Second - most things in the start menu are *just shortcuts*. Not often is
it that they are more than that.

To 'fix' this - you need to put items you only want to be in your start
menu and not in the "All Users" start menu - you make sure a copy of the
item is in your start menu folder and there is *no* copy of it in the "All
Users" start menu. Now - if there is an item you want all the users of
the computer to have in their start menu - you simply place a copy of that
into the "All Users" start menu folder. If you have the exact same item
in the exact same location in your start menu folder - that is fine - you
should only see one copy of it.

Start button --> RUN --> "%userprofile%\start menu" --> OK (with the
quotation marks) will open YOUR start menu folder.
Start button --> RUN --> "%allusersprofile%\start menu" --> OK (with the
quotation marks) will open the "All Users" start menu folder.

Most things in Windows XP are located under the "Programs" subfolder of
the Start Menu folder.

FWIW, I did a similar thing a few days ago, accidentally copying a
subdirectory of files into another subdirectory full of it's own files, and,
out of sheer desperation, tried a 'Ctrl-Z' and I'll be darned, it worked.

Eddie in Loveland

"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an
eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was
'committed'."

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply.

My problem is like this:
Windows 'points' the All User's Startup folder to my Startup Folder.
So these things happen:

My startup programs fires up when Windows starts. All files in my Startup
Folder runs.

Windows fires up the startup items in the All Users folder. This fires up my
startup programs the second time, since Windows sees this as the All Users
folder.

The actual All Users\Programs\Startup is empty, and no program or item here
gets executed when Windows starts. MSCONFIG Startup tab display double items
(the original item in my Startup folder, and a duplicate for the All Users),
and unchecking one unchecks both.

I hope this helps. Thanks!