Windows 7 All Programs Menu broken!

glugglug

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2002
5,340
1
81
The All Programs menu has stopped working on my Windows 7 x64 install.

I can right click it and click "Open" to open an explorer window with the entries for my user account or "Open All Users" to open an explorer window with entries for all users. Neither of these folders seems to have any issue, but for some reason no menu pops up when I left-click "All Programs".

Has anyone run across this before? How do I fix it?
 

KeypoX

Diamond Member
Aug 31, 2003
3,655
0
71
are you moving from xp? You know you dont have to search through that thing anymore? Oh i couldnt stand having to go through that exhaustive list of programs.

Im not sure about your issue but google recommends repairing the registry...
 

glugglug

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2002
5,340
1
81
It seems to be only affecting my user account. If I log in as Administrator the Program Files menu works.
Also, looking through my user folder I see that apparently windows undid some of my junction points and replaced them with real (emptier) folders.
I had (SSD) C:\Users\glugglug\AppData\Local -> E:\Users\glugglug\AppData\Local (if you look at the size & contents of user AppData folders you will understand why, especially with things like Google Desktop running).
C:\Users\glugglug\AppData\LocalLow -> E:\Users\glugglug\AppData\LocalLow
C:\Users\glugglug\AppData\Roaming -> E:\Users\glugglug\AppData\Roaming

But windows undid the latter 2 of these junction points I think during the automatic scandisk that ran after an unclean restart. (and the start menu stuff is in Roaming).

Copying the Roaming & LocalLow data from E: back to C: has not fixed it.

I managed to hack the menu back (sort of, not where it should be) as 2 parts by dropping shorcuts "All Users Program Files" and "My Program Files" into my user folder.

But for some bizarre reason, while explorer can obviously read the folders to create these menus, the "All Programs" menu option still isn't working. Even after fixing up all E:\Users\glugglug\AppData\Roaming reg keys to point back to C: again.