User Shell Folders - Profile, Start Menu folder...
In Windows 7/2008 the main User Profile folder (%USERPROFILE%) has moved from C:\Documents and Settings\ toC:\Users\ and many profile folders have also changed name or location:
Windows XP/2003 Windows 7/2008 %USERPROFILE%\Application Data %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming %USERPROFILE%\Cookies %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies %USERPROFILE%\History %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\History %USERPROFILE%\Local Settings %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local %USERPROFILE%\My Documents %USERPROFILE%\Documents %USERPROFILE%\NetHood %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts %USERPROFILE%\PrintHood %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Printer Shortcuts %USERPROFILE%\Recent %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent %USERPROFILE%\SendTo %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo %USERPROFILE%\Start Menu %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu %USERPROFILE%\Templates %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Templates %USERPROFILE%\Temporary Internet Files %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
The values above can be found in the registry (as REG_EXPAND_SZ values)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
The following HKCU registry subkeys are common to Windows XP/2003/7/2008 :
AppData, Cache, Cookies, Desktop, Favorites, History, LocalAppData, My Pictures, NetHood, Personal, PrintHood, Programs, Recent, SendTo, Start Menu, Startup, Templates.
By default these all resolve to subfolders below %USERPROFILE% but they can be redirected to other locations.
The registry locations are always the same, but the files and folders may be in different places.
To provide backwards compatibility, in Windows 7/2008 the old locations under C:\Documents and Settings contain junction points (hidden, protected operating system files) which point to the new user-accessible folders.
The folders for All Users settings have also moved:
'All Users' Shell Folders
Windows XP/2003 Windows 7/2008 %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Application Data %ProgramData% %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Desktop %PUBLIC%\Desktop %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Documents %PUBLIC%\Documents %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start menu %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Start Menu\Programs\Startup %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\Startup %ALLUSERSPROFILE%\Templates %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Templates
The values above can be found in the registry (as REG_EXPAND_SZ values)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders
The entries in this subkey can appear in both the Shell Folders subkey and the User Shell Folders and in both HKLM and HKCU. The entries that appear in user User Shell Folders take precedence over those in Shell Folders. The entries that appear in HKCU take precedence over those in HKLM
The following HKLM registry subkeys are common to Windows XP/2003/7/2008 :
Common AppData, Common Desktop, Common Documents, Common Programs, Common Start Menu, Common Startup, Common templates
Examples
Find the location of the Start Menu folder:
For /f "tokens=3*" %%G in ('REG QUERY"HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" /v "Start Menu" ^|Find "REG_"') do Call Set _startmenu=%%H
Echo %_startmenu%
PowerShell function to open the Start menu:
function Open-StartMenu {
$drive = dir env:SystemDrive
$w7path = $drive.value + "\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu"
$xppath = $drive.value + "\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu"
if (test-path $w7path)
{explorer $w7path}
elseif (test-path $xppath) {explorer $xppath}
}
“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going” -