Vista installation of various programs issue.. shortcuts not creat

  • Thread starter Thread starter markm75
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markm75

I'm running vista x64 with 4GB memory.. for some reason.. on any new apps i
install.. it seems the shortcuts dont get created.. often it will create the
folder for them, but no icons..

Has anyone run into this and know of a fix?

Thanks
 
Hey there Markm,

Those apps generally don't wind up creating any Desktop or Start Menu icons
because those folders are located in a different location than XP.
(XP-Documents and Settings\%username% where Vista is - Users\%username%)

You can always manually create the shortcuts by locating the app in the
Program Files (x86) directory. Just right click on the desktop, click
New>Shortcut>and then browse to the location of the app. Kind of a pain, but
the 'legacy' apps usualy look for the above pathing and just can't find it.

Best Regards,

Will
 
Mark L. Ferguson said:
Right click, an Command Prompt shortcut, 'run as administrator'
End task on 'Explorer' in Task Manager
At the prompt, go to C:\Users\<user>\AppData\Local
atrib -h IconCache.db
del IconCache.db
start explorer (or restart Windows)

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Mark L. Ferguson
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Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip.. i tried this, though in the step where you have del the
db.. i did a rename.. which i'm assuming should have worked as well..

after rebooting in fact.. tried another install.. i still have just the
program files directory created, but empty for icons..
 
William Anderson said:
Hey there Markm,

Those apps generally don't wind up creating any Desktop or Start Menu icons
because those folders are located in a different location than XP.
(XP-Documents and Settings\%username% where Vista is - Users\%username%)

You can always manually create the shortcuts by locating the app in the
Program Files (x86) directory. Just right click on the desktop, click
New>Shortcut>and then browse to the location of the app. Kind of a pain, but
the 'legacy' apps usualy look for the above pathing and just can't find it.

Best Regards,

Will
Click to expand...

Well.. i know this issue is a problem on only my machine.. IE: i have an
identical and identically configured machine at work, where if i run an
install the icons are created just fine..

For instance.. two apps in particular.. i installed the latest real player..
on my machine which is fine.. it created the folder and icons just fine,
whereas on the corrupt machine.. only the main folder gets made.

I did the same test with the "super" move converter program, the same
results occurred.

Some of the programs i'm installing, like Studio 11, have quite a few icons
that get made for them, so its not practical to just manually create them.

I feel there is a glitch here but dont know what to look for.

Thanks
 
I should add, that its the path C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start
Menu\Programs where the folders get created, but no icons..
 
You bring up an interesting point regarding the 32-bit installs. I still
think that it's got something to do with the x64 OS. I'll go ahead and
install some 32bit apps with verbose logging and let you know what i see. Is
there a program (specifically non microsoft) that you're looking for?
 
William Anderson said:
You bring up an interesting point regarding the 32-bit installs. I still
think that it's got something to do with the x64 OS. I'll go ahead and
install some 32bit apps with verbose logging and let you know what i see. Is
there a program (specifically non microsoft) that you're looking for?
Click to expand...

There doesnt seem to be any specific program that doesnt put the icons in..
like i said even programs like the real player or the super movie converter..
I also installed Pinnacle 11.5 and the icons werent made there either.

Obviously this must be some sort of registry or file system glitch perhaps
security related. I checked security permissions on the start menu under
program data but didnt see anything out of the ordinary.
 
Hey there Markm,

It's very possible that the registry structure or file structure of the OS
differs between x64 and x32 systems...preventing the icons from being
deposited in their correct locations. I'll run the installers and see what
happens.

However, remember that although Vista x64 supports 32-bit applications,
(they have to since manufacturers seem to be dragging their butts in the
64-bit world.) there's no guarantee of complete functionality.

Ultimately, the way the Installer for the application plays a big role in
how it installs on the 64-bit platform. So if the package was created before
Vista 64 came into play, things like this are possible to happen.

Once again, I'll run a couple of those apps that you mentioned, and let you
know where I see it fail. :-)

Best Regards,

Will
 
William Anderson said:
Hey there Markm,

It's very possible that the registry structure or file structure of the OS
differs between x64 and x32 systems...preventing the icons from being
deposited in their correct locations. I'll run the installers and see what
happens.

However, remember that although Vista x64 supports 32-bit applications,
(they have to since manufacturers seem to be dragging their butts in the
64-bit world.) there's no guarantee of complete functionality.

Ultimately, the way the Installer for the application plays a big role in
how it installs on the 64-bit platform. So if the package was created before
Vista 64 came into play, things like this are possible to happen.

Once again, I'll run a couple of those apps that you mentioned, and let you
know where I see it fail. :-)

Best Regards,

Will
Click to expand...

Thanks.. i should add .. these apps used to put icons under x64 just fine..
the work machine which is x64 works fine.. its a sudden change for some
reason...
 
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