- Messages
- 347
In the course of experimenting with shortcuts and pinning and such, I
stumbled on a bizarre quirk of Windows 8. Find a program –– NOT a shortcut,
but an ACTUAL "exe" file –– such as Notepad.exe, which is in the
"C:\Windows" folder. Copy the actual "exe" file itself into your "My Documents"
folder. Then right–click it there, and select "Send To" followed by
"Desktop (Create Shortcut)."
Warning: Don't try RUNNING Notepad that way; apps are supposed
to run from their own folder locations only.
Now delete the copy of Notepad from My Documents. Naturally, the shortcut
on your Desktop will then do nothing, since it now points to a nonexistent
object. If you double–click it, or try to pin it, you get an error pop–up.
But if you right–click it and select "Properties," something weird happens.
Instead of telling you that the shortcut's target is missing, the system GIVES it
a target by creating a NEW file called "Notepad.exe" in My Documents. And it's
just an EMPTY exe file –– if you then look at ITS Properties, you find that its
length is 0 bytes! So now, both that AND the shortcut will do nothing.
And yet, ironically, this non–shortcut can then be pinned to the Start Screen
and Taskbar –– because, technically, any exe file is a program!
stumbled on a bizarre quirk of Windows 8. Find a program –– NOT a shortcut,
but an ACTUAL "exe" file –– such as Notepad.exe, which is in the
"C:\Windows" folder. Copy the actual "exe" file itself into your "My Documents"
folder. Then right–click it there, and select "Send To" followed by
"Desktop (Create Shortcut)."
Warning: Don't try RUNNING Notepad that way; apps are supposed
to run from their own folder locations only.
Now delete the copy of Notepad from My Documents. Naturally, the shortcut
on your Desktop will then do nothing, since it now points to a nonexistent
object. If you double–click it, or try to pin it, you get an error pop–up.
But if you right–click it and select "Properties," something weird happens.
Instead of telling you that the shortcut's target is missing, the system GIVES it
a target by creating a NEW file called "Notepad.exe" in My Documents. And it's
just an EMPTY exe file –– if you then look at ITS Properties, you find that its
length is 0 bytes! So now, both that AND the shortcut will do nothing.
And yet, ironically, this non–shortcut can then be pinned to the Start Screen
and Taskbar –– because, technically, any exe file is a program!
My Computer
System One
-
- OS
- 64-bit Windows 8
- System Manufacturer/Model
- HP 23-D030