Start Menu and Shortcuts Issues

Applies To: Windows 7, Windows Vista

There are several known Start menu and shortcut issues addressed by the Compatibility Administrator through compatibility fixes and compatibility modes.

Fix Name	Symptom	Fix Description
CorrectFilePaths	The application does not create shortcuts for all users.	Corrects file paths that changed between the Microsoft Windows®°95 operating system or the Microsoft Windows®°95 operating system and the Windows® XP Professional operating system. This compatibility fix works, by converting the file paths to the correct location for Windows XP Professional in the APIs. For example, a Windows 95 path of C:\Windows\Write.exe is converted to C:\Windows\System32\Write.exe.
LUARedirectReg	The application does not create shortcuts for all users.	Relocates registry entries to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER subtree if an application does not have the correct permissions for the subtree to which it is trying to write.
ForceAnsiGetDisplayNameOf	The application does not create a Desktop shortcut.	Modifies the system-implemented IShellFolder::GetDisplayNameOf function to emulate Windows 95 and Windows 98, by returning an ANSI string instead of a Unicode string. This fix allows an application to work properly even if it uses the IShellFolder::GetDisplayNameOf function, and assumes the returned string will be in the STRRET_CSTR format.
CorrectFilePathsUninstall	The application does not remove shortcuts for all users.	Corrects file paths during application removal if the file paths were corrected during application installation. The program that removes the application uses this compatibility fix, while the installation program uses the CorrectFilePaths compatibility fix. Important You must use this fix with the CorrectFilePaths compatibility fix.
DelayShowGroup	A valid and an invalid shortcut appear on the Start menu during application installation.	Delays the return from the DDE command ShowGroup until the group is actually visible. Often an application resumes before the group is visible, which can cause problems if the application issues the DeleteGroup command prematurely.
ProfilesEnvStrings	The application does not appear on the Start menu or the desktop.	Modifies the GetEnvironmentVariable and ExpandEnvironmentStrings functions to emulate Windows 95 and Windows 98. This fix returns the ALLUSERSPROFILE environment variable when the USERPROFILE environment variable is requested. Some applications use the USERPROFILE environment variable to install application shortcuts, which limits visibility to the user that performed the installation. By substituting the ALLUSERSPROFILE environment variable, the shortcut is visible to all users.
ProfilesGetFolderPath	The application does not appear on the Start menu or the desktop.	Modifies the SHGetFolderLocation, SHGetSpecialFolderLocation and SHGetFolderPath functions to substitute an all-users version of a folder even if the application specifies a per-user folder. Some setup applications mistakenly request a per-user folder, such as CSIDL_PROGRAMS, when it should be the all-users version, CSIDL_COMMON_PROGRAMS.
ProfilesRegQueryValueEx	The application does not appear on the Start menu or the desktop.	Returns a common path instead of the paths specified in the Shell Folders registry subkey, emulating Windows 95 and Windows 98. This fix makes the application available to all users of the computer after installation.

See Also

Concepts

Known Compatibility Fixes, Compatibility Modes, and AppHelp Messages
Internet Explorer Compatibility Test Tool