Add Your Favorite Program Shortcut in Desktop Context Menu in Windows XP

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NOTE: This tutorial has been featured by Microsoft. AskVG.com was the first website posting this unique trick.

In this tutorial, we'll tell you how to add a shortcut of your favorite program, (like Windows Media Player, Firefox, opera, winamp, etc) in Desktop context menu (which is also applied to explorer context menu):

1. Copy your favorite application's EXE file from its own folder (like winamp.exe, firefox.exe, etc) to following folder:

%windir%\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries\

2. Now take a backup of helpctr.exe file in that folder and then delete the file. Now give the same name to your copied EXE file. (i.e., first delete helpctr.exe file and then rename your copied EXE file (like winamp.exe) to helpctr.exe ).

3. Now the final part. Open Shell32.dll file in Resource Hacker and go to: Menu -> 215. In right-side pane, add following line to anywhere you want to add the shortcut (like you can add this line just below the "Refresh" menu, as we have done in screenshot):

MENUITEM "Media Player", 28785, MFT_STRING, MFS_ENABLED

You can replace "Media Player" to some other text if you want.

4. Now compile the file and save it, and finally replace Shell32.dll file with this hacked one.

After restarting the system, you can see a new shortcut in the context menu for your desired application .

NOTE: The above method might cause Help Center to not work properly, because we have replaced the helpctr.exe file with some other EXE file, so apply this method if you don't want to use help center.

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This article was posted by VG in following section: Resource Hacker, Windows XP.

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Suhas

Hi Vishal.... u surprise me with ur tweaks.. i ve been following all the tutorials for the past week and i admit i m amazed:)

Pl keep up the good work.

As in of ur tutorials i put my name on the desktop context menu... could u pl help me link it to a notepad file in which i hav put my contact no. and my grandparents login and password... they always seem to forget thier login details and end up getting exhausted looking for my no :(
All i want is tat wen they click on my name in the desktop context menu .... this previously saved notepad file with the required details should pop up....

Thank you very very much in advance:)
Suhas

I use Windows Xp.. forgot to mention it previously:)
VG

^^ Sorry but it can't be done.
spyder

Hi, i tried this but it doesent seem to work with windows sidebar, as i was thinknig adding a shoirtcut to open up that, and name it Gadgets to make it look abit like windows 7, when i click it something must load as i get like a one sec busy icon on the mouse but it doesent load :/ any reason why? thanks in advance
VG

^^ It might not work for a few applications which depend upon other files.
Ace

Is it possible to add a batch file shortcut to the context menu?
VG

^^ No.
software developer

Hey, that was interesting,

Great shortcuts , I loved it

Thanks
help_needed

hi, ive encountered a problem while following this guide. the firefox.exe file i need to exchange for helpctr.exe wont refer to firefox folder and thus will not execture when invoked. how can i make firefox.exe work at this point if it does not function as a shortcut?
John

My Friend
Veru Nice Tutorials
You Helped Me A loy But I Have One Problem
When I Go To
%WinDir%\PCHealth\HelpCtr\Binaries I Cant Find The EXE File ????
Please Help