Recently a reader asked us how to add "Open File Location" option in Windows XP? Actually Windows Vista and 7 provide this option in file context menu. Whenever you right-click on a shortcut, you get "Open File Location" option which leads you to the folder containing the original file.
You can get this useful option in Windows XP using a very simple registry hack. Simply download following ZIP file, extract it and run the "Add Open File Location Option in Windows XP.Reg" file to add this option. There is also an Undo file in case you want to remove the option:
This article was posted by VG in following section: Windows XP.
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JX Great
Thanks for this great tool.
GODSANGEL
@Someone ----> I UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION... (",
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@Ashish ----> READ/UNDERSTAND B4 REPLYN
@Simo ----> READ/UNDERSTAND B4 REPLYN
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I KNOW WHAT (@SOMEONE) IS SAYING AND PEOPLE IF YOU WOULD ONLY TAKE THE TIME TO READ PEOPLES POSTS AND NOT JUST ASSUME YOU UNDERSTAND PEOPLES NEEDS & JUMP IN WITH ANSWERS.
NOW HERE IS WHAT (@SOMEONE) MEANT...?
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MOST SHORTCUT FILES/ICONS AFTER (RIGHT) CLICKING HAS THE OPTION (PROPERTIES) NORMALLY LOCATED ALMOST ALWAYS AT THE BOTTOM.
NOW AFTER SELECTING (PROPERTIES) A SMALL WINDOW OPEN's & THE (OPEN FILE LOCATION) IS GRAYED DEPENDING ON THE COMPANY WHO DESIGNED THE SOFTWARE & CANNOT BE SELECTED TO BRING YOU TO THE PROGRAM (ROOT/DIRECTORY) OF THAT PARTICULAR SOFTWARE.
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(ROSETTA STONE)'s SHORTCUT IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE AS IT IS GRAYED OUT IN ITs [PROPERTIE]s
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NOW IF THIS OPTION IS [GRAYED OUT] THIS [REG HACK] WHICH HAS NOW GIVEN THE NEW OPTION IN THE [CONTEXT MENU] AS IT IS CALLED TO SELECT THE (OPEN FILE LOCATION) FOR THESE PARTICULAR FILES WILL ONLY OPEN A FOLDER BUT THE FOLDER IS NOT THAT OF THE SOFTWARE [ROOT/DIRECTORY] BUT THAT OF THE [DESKTOP] DISPLAYING ALL ICONS ON THE DESKTOP ONLY & NOT THAT OF THE [ROOT/DIRECTORY] OF A PARTICULAR SOFTWARE.
THAT IS WHY [@SOMEONE] SAID IT WAS POINTLESS TO OPEN A FOLDER THAT SEES THE DESKTOP ONLY TO VIEW THE DESKTOP ICONS & NOT THE CONTENTS OF A PARTICULAR ICON's SOFTWARE...
IF THIS MAKES IT ANY EASIER FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DID NOT PICK UP ON THIS CORRECTLY...
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SO THEN THE CONCLUSION IS THIS [REG HACK] WILL NOT WORK IF THE ICON's [PROPERTIE]'s SHORTCUT [OPEN FILE LOCATION] IS GRAYED OUT...
ALSO THE [TARGET] FIELD WILL BE GRAYED OUT & CANNOT BE MANUALLY CHANGED EITHER.
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ICONS HOWEVER THAT HAVE THE [OPEN FILE LOCATION] AVAILABLE FROM THEIR [PROPERTIE]'s SHORTCUT THIS [REG HACK] FOR THE [CONTEXT MENU] WILL WORK & BRING YOU SUCCESSFULLY TO THE [ROOT/DIRECTORY] OF THAT PARTICULAR SOFTWARE...
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THE QUESTION STILL REMAINS [HOW TO GET THOSE ICON's THAT ARE GRAYED OUT] & UNCHANGEABLE FROM THE [TARGET FIELD] ALSO TO A [OPERATIONAL] & [CHANGEABLE STATE] FOR BOTH THE [REG HACK] IN THE [CONTEXT MENU] & THE ICON's SHORTCUT [PROPERTIE]'s IN THE CONTEXT MENU...?
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ANYONE WHO HAS FIGURED OUT HOW TO DO THIS PLEASE COMMENT HERE, ALL HELP IS WELCOME.
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THANK YOU & GOD BLESS YOU ALL... (",
GODSANGEL... (",
Uewd
In My Windows 7 PC, it is also there in taskmgr.exe (Task Manager). In Windows XP, Can we get this feature in Task Manager?
Bonnie West
'OpenFileLocation.vbs by Bonnie West
'Put this in your WINDOWS folder
Option Explicit
Const OFL = "OpenFileLocation"
Const sKEY = "HKCU\Software\Classes\lnkfile\shell\OpenFileLocation\"
Const sVALUE = "Open &file location"
Const sCMD = "wscript.exe %WINDIR%\OpenFileLocation.vbs ""%1"""
Dim WshShell
Set WshShell = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
If WScript.Arguments.Count Then
OpenFileLocation
Else
InstallUninstallOFL
End If
Set WshShell = Nothing
Sub OpenFileLocation
Dim FSO, sTarget
sTarget = WshShell.CreateShortcut(WScript.Arguments(0)).TargetPath
Set FSO = WScript.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
If FSO.FileExists(sTarget) Or FSO.FolderExists(sTarget) Then
WshShell.Run "explorer.exe /select,""" & sTarget & """"
Else
MsgBox "Could not find:" & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & _
"""" & sTarget & """", vbExclamation, OFL
End If
Set FSO = Nothing
End Sub
Sub InstallUninstallOFL
Dim sPrompt, iButtons
sPrompt = "Do you want to add the ""Open file location"" context menu " & _
"option to shortcut files?" & vbCrLf & "(Select NO to remove)"
iButtons = vbYesNoCancel + vbQuestion + vbDefaultButton3
iButtons = MsgBox(sPrompt, iButtons, "Install " & OFL & ".vbs")
On Error Resume Next
Select Case iButtons
Case vbYes
WshShell.RegWrite sKEY, sVALUE, "REG_SZ"
WshShell.RegWrite sKEY & "command\", sCMD, "REG_EXPAND_SZ"
Case vbNo
WshShell.RegDelete sKEY & "command\"
WshShell.RegDelete sKEY
End Select
If Err Then
MsgBox Err.Description, vbCritical, Err.Source
Else
Select Case iButtons
Case vbYes: MsgBox "Installed successfully!", vbInformation, OFL
Case vbNo: MsgBox "Uninstalled successfully!", vbInformation, OFL
End Select
End If
End Sub