'My Documents' Gone from Start menu

'My Documents' disappeared from the bottom half of the Start menu, but is still intact via the desktop and is all whole and accessible.

How can i get it back to the bottom half of the Start Menu?

history: I made a good stable OC that took several Clear CMOS and reloading of the chipset and network drivers. When the smoke cleared (figuratively), My Documents had departed from the start menu.

 

For starters....
Right click on either a blank space on the taskbar or the startmenu button and select "properties ". Click on the "startmenu tab ". Click on the "customize button" and make sure you have the option that allows "My Documents" folder to be listed in the startmenu checked (enabled).

 

Yes it's there, the single reference to it is the checked box "Expand My Documents ".

(btw, i feel like a maroon asking this Q but the windows help file took me in seeming circles. I always get more satisfaction here

 

where exactly on the start menu? note lower LEFT side = based on the customized 'programs' memory checkbox listed in the options for taskbar properties. they are not perm but based on usage. if u can find 'my docs' anywhere in the start menu/progs listing, u can rclik and 'pin to start menu' it.

curious as to OS here as 'expand my docs' is not a standard xp home/pro option. might be nt or server os tho. or some 3rd party add-on

 

Sori for the lengthy reply, tried several ways to fix it:

I should have said i'm using the "Classic" Start menu on the rig with XP Pro. Classic is shorter and sweeter, to me at least. There is no left side, it is organized in one column Top and Bottom with "Expanded" links expanding to the right as usual.

The "Classic" start menu has the "Expand My Documents" option, similar to "show as menu" in the XP default Start Menu format.

Your "Pin It" clue gave me an idea, although a Right Click "Pin It" on My Documents was not a listed option after i had returned the Start Menu back to the XP default style. Probably because it is already on the Right side of the default XP Start Menu, (and on the Top Half of the Classic Start Menu).

So i again reverted the Start Menu back to its default look in XP Pro. Then "Restored" My Documents to its default location. Then switched back to Classic Start Menu hoping it had restored My Documents to the Bottom part of the Classic Start Menu. It didn't.

Again reverted back to XP default Start Menu. Then Rt Click, Properties>Customise>check Display My Documents "as a Menu ". It did. Then revert back to "Classic Menu" and...and.... Nope, no joy, it's still in the top half of the Classic Start menu, with no option to Expand it in Classic format. It had worked fine for 15 months.

So anyhoo, am back at the beginning. Life is not bearable without an expanding MY Documents, so I will use the default XP Start Menu format

until i can figure out how to get My Documents back to the Bottom half of the Classic Start Menu.

 

ah classic! ... i goofed. forgot about that option. it IS faster in my book but i haven't used it in years.

there's gotta be a way to get the expanded option u wish. i DO recall the control panel expansion used to require a code entry to get it on older systems. not sure on why i recall that but ... memory is bad ... anyway ... if i find anything, i'll post back.


quick search find here - relative to expanding menu

http://www.sanx.org/tipShow.asp?index=163

 

Have you tried restarting or a reboot since you made the setting change?

Got a saga for ya'.....
While trying to reproduce your problem I also wound up with the Documents missing from the startmenu. I switched from xpstyle to classic. I removed or disabled the "Documents" from the startmenu. Got curious if Powertoys Tweakui had a setting that would also control this. Found out that in the "Explorer Section" it indeed does have a setting that controls specifically the classic startmenu Documents. The setting is entitled "allow recent documents on the startmenu ". Also has "Show My Documents on classic Start Menu ". While disabling this using tweakui, it would freeze/ "not responding ". I had to endtask on it. The check in the box did disappear, however, so something happened??. I then tried to re-enable the "documents" on the startmenu via the taskbar properties route but no matter what I did it would not reappear. I once again opened Tweakui and gave it shot. Re-enabled the setting by placing a check in the box. Tweakui, once again wound up "not responding ", but the check stayed. I still had no "Documents" in the startmenu. Decided to reboot to see if this was going to be one of those reg changes that was going to need a log off/ log on for the changes to occur. Low and behold the "Documents" did show up in the startmenu.

Do you have xp powertoy/tweakui? If so you may find this handy if your into detective self help: (Note the registry settings pertaining to My Documents in the section Table 5-7 Values in Explorer)
http://www.microsoft.com/mspress/books/sampchap/6232.asp

Hmmm....I think I'll go see if Tweakui has a known problem with botching the Classic "Documents" startmenu setting versus the XPstyle "My Documents" startmenu setting.

=============
As a sidenote, I believe the Documents being located in the top part of your startmenu was due to a dragNdrop of the desktop My Documents folder to the startbutton. This will place the shortcut in the top of the menu. You can right click on this and select "delete" (the one in the startmenu). If you need it back you can dragNdrop it again.

 

goddez1, i hope you don't mind me shortening the 'quote', this is certainly a saga-writing subject me too

No reboot joy... until... :~)

Unngh, sori your menu got messed up too while helping me

Yes, very handy, the box was still checked for "Show My Docs on classic Start menu ", plus the reg entry for "%USERPROFILE%\My Documents" was still present and intact. Now i was really getting confused.

You're right, i dragged it there when the 'hard' one went pfut.

Using your Tweakui tip, the 2nd time in, i Unchecked/Rechecked the "Show My Docs..." box .. and .. it .. Reappeared for me too in it's 'hard' spot on the Classic Start menu.

goddez1, your genius for everything from the mundane to the esoteric has once again shone through! Thankyou! Thankyou!
___

skeet6961, thanks too for the help, that Reg Entry for cascading might have 'awakened' the Documents setting too (ie; KnockKnock Windows shell are u there?).

LOL, but i like it.

Did i say Thanky'all?

 

glad to hear but i think the iou goes to goddezz1 here ... i bow humbly in her general direction on this one too ... everything i typed after classic menu was closing the eyes and pulling the trigger

 

Yahoo! I'm so glad this worked out. I'm no stranger to the technique and style of "closing your eyes and pulling the trigger" . Thanks for the compliments and the update. Looks like all is well once again.

As a side note, I don't mind breaking windows in most cases. In an effort to help others, I find myself trying to do this on a daily basis. Backups and precautions allow one to be courageous.

 

i normally have virtual pc ready for breakin but i just reinstalled. anways ... a great $100 or thereabouts to keep the breakin easy

i'm also glad i didn't shoot any friendlys ... should relax my trigger finger a bit i think