Windows 10: Can't create a shortcut in C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Startup

I'm trying to create a shortcut of Setpoint.exe to "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Startup" but Windows won't let me.

It's showing "Windows can't create a shortcut here. Create a shortcut to the desktop instead" error popup.

Need some workarounds guys.

:)

 

How can I add shortcuts to the Windows 10 start menu?

I am using this hack:

1. Create a shortcut in some non privileged helper folder like documents by dragging executable with right button into helper folder and choose "create shortcut here" after drop.

2. Move shortcut into folder "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu" (admin rights required). Shortcut can't be created in Start Menu but can be moved there. Hopefully Microsoft will not disable this in the next update.

 

Symbolic Links and Windows 10

Thanks for the quick response.

My Windows version is 1511 OS Build 10586.318



I created a link to partition O:\

mklink /d “C:\Program Files (x86)\ Infogrames Interactive” “O:\ Infogrames Interactive”

with the same problems as above.

I'm not sure what you mean by "create a shortcut manually and check."

I created a shortcut of the symbolic link C:\Program Files (x86)\
Infogrames Interactive shortcut,

using right mouse button, click and choose create shortcut. It was created on the desktop.

When I opened the desktop shortcut, the same message, as above, appeared:
“C:\Program Files (x86)\ Infogrames Interactive is unavailable.”

When I opened Properties and File Location, of the desktop shortcut, I was taken to the folder

C:\Program Files (x86).

 

Create it on the desktop then cut and paste it in the Startup folder; you'll need to be signed on as Admin.

 

Welcome to TenForums @AndyTh


Yes, you are only allowed to create folders there. As @Edwin says, copy/cut and paste is the workaround.

There are actually three places you can customise the Start Menu (All apps or Start-up), the area you are looking at is for 'all accounts'.

All apps in Start menu - Add or Remove Items in Windows 10

You are allowed to create a shortcut in the Start-up for your own account.
C:\Users\<your-account>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup

 

Guys, like you said, I just sent a shortcut to the desktop and successfully moved the shortcut from the desktop to "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Startup".

However, I've yet to find out if this will really work.

The reason why I'm doing this is because strangely, Logitech Setpoint.exe is not starting up with Windows as it normally used to. So I'm trying to force it to startup when I login or reboot my system by manually creating shortcuts to the all users and current user startup directories.

Let me know if you guys know a surefire trick.

Anyway, big thanks to both of you for replying.

 

This is a wrong place to create item for startup. You either create the shorcut in:

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup ===> startup applied for yourself
Or:
%ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup ===> applied for all users

 

Roger that! Thanks!

By the way, I've always been curious to know this. In "%APPDATA%" or as in "%TEMP%", what does the two %(percent) symbol signify or denote?

 

It means read the value of the named environment variable and use it here in place of the %name%. Try it in a command prompt to see how it works...