Solved Here's how to pin to Start the things Metro can't find!

[Dragon Drop]

Some items may not show up on the Metro "All Apps" list. (Such as a file, a folder, a web page that you saved in a folder, or some unusual kind of item, or any item in a folder that Metro doesn't search.) If you want to pin such an item to the Start Screen, here's a way that works. Open this folder:

C:\Users\(Your Username)\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

In that folder, create a shortcut to the item you want. (If Windows insists on creating the shortcut only on your desktop, cut and paste it from there to the folder.)

Right-click the shortcut, select "Rename" and give it a name different from the item's actual name.

Then look on the "All Apps" screen for the name you gave to the shortcut.

 

[Brink]

Hello Dragon Drop,

If you like, after using the tutorial below, you will be able to pin any file to the Start screen in Windows 8 using the normal right click method.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15624-pin-start-files-windows-8-a.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[alphanumeric]

Also if you put your shortcuts in
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
They should show up for all users.

 

[Dragon Drop]

Thanks, Brink. When I have a problem to solve, I never look for available downloads like these. Instead, I just try to figure out a way to do it without any software. I love computers, and figuring things out like that is so much fun!

 

[pcRat]

Dragon Drop - I agree that figuring it out & understanding it is fun. But, once we do, it's ok accept a method created someone else.
Especially when it saves steps, is more liberal and is much faster.
• Your method requires me to repeat all those steps for every file.▬ Imagine the time to create shortcuts and moves for10 files.
• Brink's method only requires me find the file, right click & click Pin to Start. No renaming.▬ Much Fᴀsᴛᴇʀ
• Just copying a file to Public folders creates a shortcut to your original, no matter where you have it located.

 

[Dragon Drop]

I have to agree. I hadn't yet seen that tutorial and didn't know about that particular download. But, since it's there, it makes sense to use it.

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Dragon Drop.

Plus, it's only a .reg file that makes changes to your registry settings so that you can do this using the built-in feature of Windows 8 instead of some 3rd party software.

 

[Dragon Drop]

Very nice! Do you know if it's possible to add any command to any context menu in general, and where I could find instructions on how to do so? I know how to edit the Registry, but I wouldn't know what entries to make for context menus.

 

[Brink]

If you like, look through our tutorials for context menus below to see if we may already have one created for it that would make adding one easier for you. If we don't have one, then please feel free to create a new thread requesting one, and I'll be happy to whip one up for you.

Windows 8 Context Menu Tutorials

and

Context Menu Tutorials - Windows 7 Forums
(most should work in Windows 8 as well)

 

[Dragon Drop]

Thanks. When I have spare time I'm going to look through all of your tutorials. They're excellent.

Sometimes you can customize things just by finding the right folder to put shortcuts in. Over the years, with Windows NT / XP / 7, I discovered on my own the Start Menu folder, the Quick Launch folder, and the Send To folder. Then last week I found the "Quick Links" folder which I posted about, though putting things directly in it might be a bad idea since it appears to have a complicated arrangement based on the digits in the names.

I thought every context menu might be a folder, which would make it easy to change them. But I guess not.