Desktop short-cuts windows 8

T

Troubled54

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Location
Liverpool UK
I wonder is it possible to click on an app, a tile or anything else connected to the start page side of windows 8 and be able to put it a short cut or Icon on the desktop page for it, so it can be opened from the desktop.

I hope somebody can advise me.

Thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
  1. Right click only one tile
  2. click on Open file location
  3. Right click it in the open folder
  4. click Send to... or Pin to taskbar

Note: If you aren't given the #2 option it is not a Desktop Program
Programs work on the Desktop Screen
Apps work on Modern Screen with address bar at bottom
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
You might like a couple toolbars
Desktop - Right click taskbar , Toolbars , check Desktop
Repeat for others
or create a Programs toolbar
  1. Right click taskbar , Toolbars , click New toolbar....
  2. Paste %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs in the blank box at bottom
  3. click Select Folder
I edited the above #2 line after strollin corrected me in msg #5

You can also create a Quicklaunch Toolbar
to drag frequently used program icons to (from desktop or desktop toolbar

Repeat step 1
Paste %UserProfile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch
Repeat step 3
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
I use the HP "Launchbox" app even though I don't strictly have an HP machine, it still runs, basically it creates an editable permanent Jumplist, it'll make 3 sets of JL's - For Windows Live Apps, HP Apps, and Custom apps. You can show or hide any of them. This way, I don't have to squint at my desktop or flip over to the Start Screen side. You can download it from any recent HP driver page.


Lunchbox.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
pcRat said:
...
  1. Right click taskbar , Toolbars , click New toolbar....
  2. Paste C:\Users\RON\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs in the blank box at bottom
  3. click Select Folder

...
Click to expand...

Instead of the path above, create a toolbar pointing to this folder: %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

All of your installed programs will be listed in the menu of the toolbar, the folder pcRat pointed to doesn't have them all.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W10 Pro (desktop), W10 (laptop), W10 Pro (tablet)
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home built i7-8700K, Hp Envy x360 EVO Laptop, MS Surface Pro 7
    CPU
    3.7Ghz Core i7-8700K, 11th Gen Core i7-1165G7 4.7Ghz, 10th Gen Core™ i5-1035G4 1.1Ghz
    Motherboard
    ASUS TUF Z370-Pro Gaming, HP, MS
    Memory
    16G, 8G, 8G
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon RX580, Intel Iris X Graphics, Intel Iris Plus Graphics G4
    Sound Card
    ATI High Definition Audio (Built-in to mobo)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual Samsung U32J59 32 inch monitors, 13.3" display, 12.3" display
    Screen Resolution
    3840x2160 (Desktop), 1920x1080 (laptop), 2736x1824 Pro 7
    Hard Drives
    500GB ssd boot drive with 2 & 10TB Data (Desktop), 512GB ssd (laptop), 128GB SSD (tablet)
    PSU
    Corsair CX 750M
    Case
    Antec 100
    Cooling
    Coolermaster CM 212+
    Keyboard
    IBM Model M - used continuously since 1986
    Mouse
    Microsoft IntelliMouse
    Internet Speed
    665Mbps/15Mbps down/up
    Browser
    FireFox, MS Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender on all
    Other Info
    Retired in 2015 after working in the tech industry for 41 years. First 10 years as a Technician, the rest as a programmer/software engineer. After 1 year of retirement, I was bored so went back to work as a Robotic Process Automation Consultant. Retired for 3rd (and final) time in 2019.
  1. Does HP Launchbox always stay that big?
  2. On top of open windows?
  3. Does it display vertically if your taskbar is vertical?


XweAponX said:
I use the HP "Launchbox" app even though I don't strictly have an HP machine, it still runs, basically it creates an editable permanent Jumplist, it'll make 3 sets of JL's - For Windows Live Apps, HP Apps, and Custom apps. You can show or hide any of them. This way, I don't have to squint at my desktop or flip over to the Start Screen side. You can download it from any recent HP driver page.


View attachment 28344
Click to expand...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
Vertical, I don't know, I'll try it. YES! It runs vertical if I shove my Taskbar to the side. Hm, I like that.

As far as the size, it is only that big when you press the taskbar icon, otherwise it's all hidden. You can't change the size of the popup items. But it's a great app to put your 8 most used apps at your fingertips.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Thanks for correcting me and I edited msg #3. Copied the wrong line and didn't catch it.
strollin said:
pcRat said:
...
  1. Right click taskbar , Toolbars , click New toolbar....
  2. Paste C:\Users\RON\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs in the blank box at bottom
  3. click Select Folder

...
Click to expand...

Instead of the path above, create a toolbar pointing to this folder: %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

All of your installed programs will be listed in the menu of the toolbar, the folder pcRat pointed to doesn't have them all.
Click to expand...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
Here's the download page for Launchbox if anyone is interested, I had it on an HP I worked on, decided I liked it and downloaded it for myself.

HP Launch Box | HP® Support
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
Congratulations & Thanks XweAponX !! You broke me down and made me install a 3rd party... no... wait a minute... that's not a start menu. It's just a giant quick launch for the 8 programs I use most.
It doesn't let me put anything on the HP bar but not a problem.

XweAponX said:
Vertical, I don't know, I'll try it. YES! It runs vertical if I shove my Taskbar to the side. Hm, I like that.

As far as the size, it is only that big when you press the taskbar icon, otherwise it's all hidden. You can't change the size of the popup items. But it's a great app to put your 8 most used apps at your fingertips.
Click to expand...
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
See what I mean? Once I got the hang of setting it up, it works great. If it detects your Windows Live programs you can have a quickstart for those too, for some reason, it won't detect Movie maker but it will everything else.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8 Pro with Media Center/Windows 7
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus § DualCore AMD Athlon 64 X2, 2300 MHz (11.5 x 200) 4400+ § Corsair Value Select
    CPU
    AMD 4400+/4200+
    Motherboard
    Asus M2N-MX SE Plus/Asus A8M2N-LA (NodusM)
    Memory
    2 GB/3GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce 8400 GS/GeForce 210
    Sound Card
    nVIDIA GT218 - High Definition Audio Controller
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Hitachi 40" LCD HDTV
    Screen Resolution
    "1842 x 1036"
    Hard Drives
    WDC WD50 00AAKS-007AA SCSI Disk Device
    ST1000DL 002-9TT153 SCSI Disk Device
    WDC WD3200AAJB-00J3A0 ATA Device
    WDC WD32 WD-WCAPZ2942630 USB Device
    WD My Book 1140 USB Device
    PSU
    Works 550w
    Case
    MSI "M-Box"
    Cooling
    Water Cooled
    Keyboard
    Dell Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Intellimouse
    Internet Speed
    Cable Medium Speed
    Browser
    Chrome/IE 10
    Antivirus
    Eset NOD32 6.x/Win Defend
    Other Info
    Recently lost my Windows 8 on my main PC, had to go back to Windows 7.
I see what you mean and 8 happens to be the perfect number.
Screenshot (170)HP Launchbox.png
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
pcRat said:
Note: If you aren't given the #2 option it is not a Desktop Program
Programs work on the Desktop Screen
Apps work on Modern Screen with address bar at bottom
Click to expand...

I read the OPs question slightly differently I think. That is can you launch a metro app direct from the desktop. I use a translation app called Free Translate. It would be good if you could pin it (or a link) to the taskbar on desktop and click on it to go straight to Metro and then the app itself. Don't think you can though. It seems you have to go to metro and then pick the app in a two step process whereas if you pin a desktop app to the start screen you can go straight to it in a one step process.

Is that what you are saying in the quote above?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
Don't think you can though. It seems you have to go to metro and then pick the app in a two step process whereas if you pin a desktop app to the start screen you can go straight to it in a one step process.
Click to expand...
Windows does allow you to create shortcut on certain Metro Apps (Not all, especially the third party Metro Apps). Look in the tutorials->Shortcut for how to create.

Here's an example how to create a shortcut for calendar app.
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/16292-calendar-store-app-shortcut-create-windows-8-a.html

 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
Troubled54 said:
I wonder is it possible to click on an app, a tile or anything else connected to the start page side of windows 8 and be able to put it a short cut or Icon on the desktop page for it, so it can be opened from the desktop.

I hope somebody can advise me.

Thanks
Click to expand...

adamf said:
pcRat said:
Note: If you aren't given the #2 option it is not a Desktop Program
Programs work on the Desktop Screen
Apps work on Modern Screen with address bar at bottom
Click to expand...

I read the OPs question slightly differently I think. That is can you launch a metro app direct from the desktop. I use a translation app called Free Translate. It would be good if you could pin it (or a link) to the taskbar on desktop and click on it to go straight to Metro and then the app itself. Don't think you can though. It seems you have to go to metro and then pick the app in a two step process whereas if you pin a desktop app to the start screen you can go straight to it in a one step process.

Is that what you are saying in the quote above?
Click to expand...

If adamf is right & probably is , then this may help Metro Apps - Open from Desktop in Windows 8 .
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    CPU
    i7-3770K
    Motherboard
    ASRock Z77 Extreme4
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17" 24"
    Hard Drives
    1 TB WD
    PSU
    550w
Thanks both of you - those tutorials are a really neat trick.

I found that for third party apps that don't have protocol support built in you can use MetroLaucher2 from Downloads ItsJustWhatever.com - you rename the MetroLauncher2Desktop.exe to "TuneIn Radio" for example and it will open the app search and invoke it. You can then pin a shortcut to taskbar or whatever and repeat for whatever apps don't work with the tutorial method.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 10 Pro Prieview x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    MacBook Pro Core2Duo
    CPU
    T7600
    Memory
    3
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Radeon X1600
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal
    Screen Resolution
    1440 x 800
    Hard Drives
    40GB
    Keyboard
    Apple
    Mouse
    Apple
    Internet Speed
    Varies
    Browser
    Various
    Antivirus
    Defender
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