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Cannot pin programs to taskbar in windows 7
Cannot pin programs to taskbar in windows 7
- This problem started with Windows 7 Home Premium freezing when trying to start up from sleep, the desktop and moving mouse pointer appeared but everything else was dead.Sometimes there was disc activity but I could not start Task Manager to see what was going on, maybe it would start up after 3or 4 minutes but not always, then a reboot was the only answer. I removed recently installed programs and switched off indexing, nothing made any difference. Then all icons on the taskbar disappeared including ones previously pinned. When I tried to pin them back again that option was not available in the right click menu. The freezing problem has improved by disabling the screensaver option but how can I revive the 'pin to taskbar option' please?
PS - the freezing problem has returned, desktop and movable mouse pointer but 3 minutes to activate Task Manager - no disc activity.
Answers
Hi,
To avoid confusion, let's focus on the Pin issue first. Regarding the other issue, when the first issue is resolved, I will create a new thread and continue to assist you.
Usually, the pinned items are saved the following folder:
%APPDATA%\\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar
Please click Start menu and copy above command in the open box, and then press Enter. In the popped up box, please clear all items and restart the computer. Then, please pin the application again.
Thanks,
Novak
- Marked As Answer byRonnie VernonMVP, ModeratorMonday, November 02, 2009 3:45 AM
- Well I have done what you suggested with the same result as previously - no improvement at all. With regard to the driver issue, I am using the ones supplied with the installation DVD which as far as I can tell are the latest ones from AMD & ATI for my mobo - Foxconn A6VMX and using the onboard graphics.
The waking from sleep problem has improved. I have found that so long as I don't allow the power scheme to shut down the monitor but just use a screen saver until the sleep setting cuts in, it will start up perfectly every time.
So, as I have very little extra software installed yet, I have decided to carry out a clean reinstall and adopting a 'belt & braces' approach, make a drive image as soon as everything is working correctly and not rely solely on restore points.
Thank you for your efforts to assist me and perhaps the comments may be of assistance to some of the others that I have seen complaining with similar problems. Congratulations for what seems to have the makings of a fine OS.
- Marked As Answer bydeegeeh Wednesday, November 04, 2009 8:39 PM
All Replies
Hi,
To avoid confusion, let's focus on the Pin issue first. Regarding the other issue, when the first issue is resolved, I will create a new thread and continue to assist you.
Usually, the pinned items are saved the following folder:
%APPDATA%\\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch\User Pinned\TaskBar
Please click Start menu and copy above command in the open box, and then press Enter. In the popped up box, please clear all items and restart the computer. Then, please pin the application again.
Thanks,
Novak
- Marked As Answer byRonnie VernonMVP, ModeratorMonday, November 02, 2009 3:45 AM
- Hi Novak,
Thank you for your prompt reply and I am sorry to have confused the two issues.
When I click the start button the only empty box is the search box. putting your suggested text in finds nothing. The 'run' command has disappeared. - Hi Novak,
Disregard my first reply, I have just rebooted the PC and this time your suggestion worked. However it has not resolved the problem. the option to 'pin to the taskbar' does still not appear in the right click menu. - Please drag and drop the application to Taskbar directly. Can the application be pinned successfully?
- Drag and drop does not work, when I tried to do this from the start menu a circle with a slash thro' it appears beside the mouse pointer. I tried to pin Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.
As this behaviour started at about the same time as the start from sleep problem, could it have been caused by one of the recently applied updates? I also notice that I have lost all the early restore points, they restarted on 1.11.09. Please create a new admin account and log in the new account for a test. Does the issue persist in the new account? If the issue persists, you may need perform a Inplace-Upgrade to repair the system.
- Are you sure you have installed all the correct drivers? Chipset drivers, Graphics drivers etc.....?
- Well I have done what you suggested with the same result as previously - no improvement at all. With regard to the driver issue, I am using the ones supplied with the installation DVD which as far as I can tell are the latest ones from AMD & ATI for my mobo - Foxconn A6VMX and using the onboard graphics.
The waking from sleep problem has improved. I have found that so long as I don't allow the power scheme to shut down the monitor but just use a screen saver until the sleep setting cuts in, it will start up perfectly every time.
So, as I have very little extra software installed yet, I have decided to carry out a clean reinstall and adopting a 'belt & braces' approach, make a drive image as soon as everything is working correctly and not rely solely on restore points.
Thank you for your efforts to assist me and perhaps the comments may be of assistance to some of the others that I have seen complaining with similar problems. Congratulations for what seems to have the makings of a fine OS.
- Marked As Answer bydeegeeh Wednesday, November 04, 2009 8:39 PM
http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7itproui/thread/8e3c2a80-392d-44e2-8b9f-6eb5deb9a1e1 ~
- Proposed As Answer by Miguel_pt Friday, November 06, 2009 10:07 AM
None of the above solutions worked for me, and I couldn't find help anywhere, so I decided to post what I did to workaround this w7 bug:
This process erases all the pinned items on all of your programs (you'll have to pin them again afterwards), but the functionality of the windows explorer jumplist will return to normal.
1. Delete all files at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations
2. Delete all files at %APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestinations
3. Reboot
4. Re-pin all the items you wish
Good luck!
This worked! I had 3 entries on the first, 5 in the second, rebooted and functionality came back.- Proposed As Answer byXelkos Monday, November 23, 2009 1:27 AM
- The pinning & jump lists breakage came with a Microsoft update, yet Microsoft blames anything that was installed to the OS as the culprit. So, I have to ask, what good is an OS that one cannot customize and install programs to?
Even Microsoft's own patches break things, so we not supposed to install patches either? - Seems that after following the above, shortly afterward the OS started freezing. Not sure if they are a connected issue, or just coincidence.
After applying the anti-freeze fix (http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en/w7itproinstall/thread/165c1edc-686e-4e5c-9464-a4ebabf9fe68) the issue of the jump-lists/pinning to taskbar/adding to WI's Favorites had returned. - Strange that.
Luckily the programs I had pinned to the taskbar remained after the anti-freeze fix , yet copying any shortcut there now and rebooting won't add the program or folder. (Yes, you can add a folder there with a trick.)
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\AutomaticDestinations has:
- 1b4dd67f29cb1962.automaticDestinations-ms
- 7e4dca80246863e3.automaticDestinations-ms
- 9b9cdc69c1c24e2b.automaticDestinations-ms
%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\CustomDestination s has:
- 28c8b86deab549a1.customDestinations-ms
- 83b03b46dcd30a0e.customDestinations-ms
Back to wondering if I should remove these to gain productivity back, or leave them alone thinking maybe the OS will start freezing after reboot again.
