With MSWinXP2, prior could do a Start->Open AllUsers->File->New->/Shortcut to
add new shortcuts for all users as the administrator. Now, everything is
greyed out except CLOSE and the FILE option does not even appear. On the
desktop, the Right-Click brings up a menu in which there is no longer the
option to create shortcuts. I have been looking on the Net and all knowledge
bases for over 6 hours to no avail. Best I can figure, there is some security
feature "bit" that was set to prevent users in public environments from
changing the Start Menu program selections. The best I can figure is it has
to do with the Group Policies in the System.Adm arena. I executed gpedit.msc
and was not able to find the hidden "bit" to reset. I AM able to cut and
paste links (shortcuts - .lnk) amoung the AllUsers Start Menu selections, to
edit them (make them for other programs the manual way), and even to manually
create the links. I found a reference to a broken registry entry at the
HCR\.lnk\ShellNew\Command with a value of rundll32.exe AppWiz.Cpl,NewLinkHere
%1. It was there and others removing the rundll32 portion get a message of
"Windows can not create a shortcut here". This tells me the entry is good;
only, I am unable to execute it. The menu handler is simply not allowing me
access to the menu selection to "execute" this registry entry. Mine is a
single user system with my user having full Administrator privileges and even
logged in as Administrator I have lost this privilege. I can see it of value
like at a library where the administrator does not want the public changing
the start menus. I need to back this block OUT. Another user referenced that
the c:\documents and settings\{user}\desktop\desktop.ini file was missing and
recreating it fixed things. I did find it missing from both my area and
Administrator's, but, copying it from the default user did not cause a return
of the "Create Shortcuts" privilege. Too much has transpired for me to reset
the clock via a System Restore point. A friend suggested I add that upon
executing a "Start->Run->regsvr32 /i shell32.dll" I got the message
"DllRegisterServer and DllInstall in shell32.dll succeeded". Still no
shortcut creation capabilities. Further research shows the shortcut
generation is activated via an "execute(missing how)
c:\windows\system32\shell32.dll -21786 (example parameter here is the link to
subroutine found in the desktop.ini in each user's startmenu directory)"
command. Again, it appears there is a Group Policy security bit set that
tells the menu display program to not show "File->New". Great to prevent the
public in say a library from changing the start menu selections; but, I need
to find out how that is done and undo it as it appears that is what I in my
single user XP system inadvertently set.