Add an item to the 'send to' menu for ALL users (winxp)

Question

How to add an item to the 'send to' menu for ALL users (winxp) We want to have a link to a debug log viewer available to all users on a server i'm building. Quite simple to add it to one user (start->run->sendto) but i want it for all. Any ideas thanks?

Solution 1

Here is an idea:

Put a .bat file in your All Users Startup folder (so that it will get run whenever someone logs on).

The .bat file will then copy the shortcut to the users own SendTo folder.

Something like:

copy "c:\Notepad.lnk" "%userprofile%\SendTo" /Y

(Replace Notepad.lnk with your own shortcut)

Simple.

Solution 2

The SendTo folder is determined on a per-user basis (usually at C:\Documents and Settings\USER\SendTo). It's an absolute path that's located in the registry, there is no common SendTo folder that applies to all users. You can, however, easily change the location of the SendTo folder without muddling around in the registry.

Simply right-click-drag the SendTo folder to the new location and select "Move To". The registry entry will be updated automatically for that user. Unfortunately, you have to do this for each user, or load up that user's registry hive and edit it manually (again, per user).

It would probably be best to update one user's registry (By using 'Move To' or manually) then export that registry key to a file. Then, distribute that file to the users and have them double click it themselves, merging the new SendTo location into their respective registries.

The key is at HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders and my default location was the absolute path, C:\Documents and Settings\Grant\SendTo

The contents of the whatever.reg file that could be distributed would look something like:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]
"SendTo"="C:\\Documents and Settings\\Grant\\SendTo"

except with the new file location.

Solution 3

When I used to use windows, I would customize the SendTo menu using a nice little program called 'Send To Toys'. You can still download it here. I can't tell you whether it works for all users or not; it may well do though.

Comments

[PeerBr]

I think that's only for a single user, not ALL users.

[JP Alioto]

@Grant: For a single user, you would put it in the "Documents and Settings\<UserName>\SendTo" folder.

[Chris]

Tried this option, didn't work unfortunately

[PeerBr]

@JP, I tried creating that folder, but nothing showed up on the SendTo list, the folder wasn't there by default.

[Chris]

Had a look there, there's not registry key for the 'send to' folder.

[Chris]

Hmm.. not too keen on messing with registry entries, i was hoping for a simpler method for doing this