Windows 7: enabling navigation of subfolders in pinned Start Menu folders

Question

I'm just about to move from Windows XP to Windows 7, and I'm struggling with some of the interface changes.

In XP, I was able to throw a folder intoC:\Documents and Settings\username\Start Menuand have it appear on the Start Menu, complete with the ability to navigate through subfolders. I've figured out how to pin a folder onto the Start Menu in Windows 7, which required a registry hack . However, I am unable to view the subfolders of the pinned folder without opening a new Windows Explorer window.

Is there any way to replicate the old XP behavior I'm used to? I'd like to be only a single click away from these handful of application links and folders, since I use them all the time throughout the day.

• Vervious: Btw, you don't need to use a registry hack. All you need to do, I believe, is to drag a folder onto the start button, wait a second or two, wait for the start menu to open, drag it onto the start menu, and it'll get pinned. I may be wrong though.

Answer 1

Yes, you can drag a folder onto the start button, wait for it to pop up, drag to a spot in the pinned list, and drop it there. It'll get pinned but you won't be able to browse it as a menu.

Answer 2

The only way I have found to do this is using the included mklink utility.

Open a terminal in %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu and enter the command:

mklink /D <Name to Pin as> <Target folder to pin>

For example, to pin Program Files, type:

mklink /D "Program Files" "%ProgramFiles%"

However, this method will still require you to open the All Programs menu before you can see the folder. Directly browsing a folder from the start menu does not seem possible.

As an alternative, you could try making a toolbar of the folder in your taskbar.

Answer 3

You can switch back to a previous Windows version Start Menu. This is pretty spectacular:

http://sourceforge.net/projects/classicshell/