Quick Tip: Windows Explorer, best shortcut ever!!!

[raddevus]

I just discovered that the path is named %HomeShare% That's basically like %MyDocuments% but we don't use MyDocuments for whatever reason. The point is that %HomeShare% takes me off box to the network share by default and my shortcut helps me to get to the actual local C:\users\ directory. very interesting.

[PIEBALDconsult]

In my Quick Launch I have a shortcut to "This PC", which I prefer, I can get where I want from there. Also a shortcut to open a browser to "about:blank" because I never want to see the corporate website. Ever.

[raddevus]

Those are two good ones. :thumbsup: I like using QuickLaunch for quick access to commonly used apps too. :thumbsup: It's a nice feature that I don't think a lot of people know about.

[PIEBALDconsult]

I think when Win 7 (or 10?) came out, people were saying that the Quick Launch was completely gone, but it isn't. I also have shortcuts for starting Word and Excel empty -- no open document.

[Paul Sanders the other one]

raddevus wrote:

I've been using this for months now it has provided many benefits: 1. Less folder clicking 2. Less screaming, "Why am I automatically navigated to this @#&%@#!!! network folder!!" 3. I used to be bald and all my hair grew back. 4. Previously I was 5'2" and now I'm 6'4" tall 5. A bag of money fell out of the sky and landed next to me. 6. Various other benefits which are too good to mention here.

Sounds too good to be true 🤣

Paul Sanders. If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter - Blaise Pascal. Some of my best work is in the undo buffer.

[Peter Kassenaar]

I believe in Windows 11 Quick Launch is no longer available? If yes, how do I activate/use it? Thanks!

[Gary Wheeler]

Hush! Let raddevus have their moment.

Software Zen: delete this;

[PIEBALDconsult]

I have no Win 11 systems. In Win 10 and earlier, look for C:\Users\\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\ Maybe they've eliminated or changed the [ \Internet Explorer\ ] part?

[Joe Fallon]

I have always used this shortcut to open a specific folder:

C:\Windows\explorer.exe /n, /e, C:\SomeFolder

[raddevus]

Very interesting. Because of your post, I started searching for the windows explorer command-line options to see what /n and /e meant. Those are very difficult to find. There is no : c:\> explorer /? Only thing I could find was: https://superuser.com/questions/21394/explorer-command-line-switches[^] Do you know of a way to get the available options?

[sasadler]

It's gone on Win 11 unless you use a third party app (ExplorerPatcher). I'd still be on Win 10 without ExplorerPatcher.

[PIEBALDconsult]

So, what does ExplorerPatcher do? Create the directory?

[ShawnVN]

Start / Run / "." [win+R] [Period] [Enter]

[sasadler]

It basically gives you the Win 10 taskbar in Win 11. You can then move the taskbar to the top, bottom or the sides. Gives you tool bars so you'll be able to enable Quick Launch, etc. It's basically indistinguishable for the standard Win 10 taskbar. I've been using it for months now and it appears to be working just fine. I also use Open Shell to replace the funky Win 11 start menu.

[raddevus]

Someone else mentioned that. However, if your admins set your (env variable) HOMESHARE then when you do that you will be taken to that network location \\network\username\whatever-Admin-Created\ I wanted it to load directly to:

c:\users\

the local user directory. However, if your admin has set the HOMESHARE, then even when I follow your instructions and use: [win+R][Period][Enter] or [win+R][%userprofile%][Enter] Then it takes me to : \\network\username\whatever-Admin-Created\ Only when I do c:\> explorer %userprofile% does it take me to the local user directory. That's why I was so happy to finally "hack" it.

[ShawnVN]

Good to know, thanks.. It's interesting.. does explorer.exe really use a network share as the current-working-directory? That seems.. scary, to me. Maybe explains why my work laptop hangs, all the dang time.

[englebart]

notepad.exe explorer.exe or better yet, String Dump feature of sys intern Process Explorer. start digging…

[StarNamer work]

raddevus wrote:

At work they have Windows Explorer set to automatically traverse to a place that I rarely, if ever, need to access. Why?!?

It's because most business users don't care about File Explorer taking a few seconds to open, but they do care that if they break their laptop they may lose stuff, so they want it stored on the network so it's safe and backed up etc, but they don't want to actually have to remember to do anything. So it's easiest if group policy or whatever is set so that every user of every PC gets a default network folder opened unless they do something different. Then when you, having stored files locally, accidentally pours coffee on your hard drive and loses a month's work, IT can just shrug and say "Your own fault..."! :)

[John Torjo]

Not to forgo the coolness of this, but I have an app that uses Tabs (for years), and always remembers my locations (I have about 10+ of them). So yeah, whenever I open it, it picks up where last left off. Windows Explorer is, to put it simply, pathetic.

[Choroid]

I don't know if this was

Quote:

Life-Changing Shortcut

I added a desktop icon and made a shortcut to here C:\Users\Dwight\AppData\Local\Temp So I can delete all the files VS 2019 piles up when I am playing (developing) NOW if I was brave I would write a Batch File to delete these files TOO scared I would delete something I should not delete