Recently I received a tweak request from one of our readers to add the Videos folder to the Windows Vista Start menu. Currently in Start Menu properties you can add Music, Documents, Pictures and Games but for some reason there is no option for Videos.
There is no GUI option to add Videos folder to the Start menu. This can however be done using a registry hack, and that too, only by replacing an existing item in the Vista Start menu with Videos.
Examples
Restore the Start menu Search link in Vista Service Pack 1
Add Favorite Links folder to the Vista Start menu
Below is a registry tweak that replaces Games in the Start menu with Videos. Important: If you apply this tweak, the Games Explorer functionality will be disabled. However, you can run individual games from Start, All Programs, Games folder.
Replacing Games with Videos
1. Download video-sm-vista.zip and save the file to your Desktop.
2. Unzip the file and extract the two .REG files to your Desktop.
3. Right-click on the file videos_sm.reg and choose Merge.
4. Click Yes when asked for confirmation.
5. Logoff and login back so that the Start menu is refreshed.
Editor’s Note: The Info Tip that appears when you hover the mouse cursor over the Videos icon seems to be unchangeable. It still reads Play and manage games on your computer.
Undo Information
To reverse the above setting, right-click on the file undo-videos_sm.reg (which is present in the above Zip file) and choose Merge. Click Yes when asked for confirmation. Logoff and login back.
Related Posts
- Add “Downloads” Folder to the Windows Vista Start Menu
- Add Favorite Links Folder to the Vista Start Menu
- Games Explorer Link in the Vista Start Menu Does Not Work
- My Pictures, My Music and My Videos Namespace Extensions for the Windows Explorer Folder Pane
- Windows 7 Feature Walkthroughs From Microsoft
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hi can the info tip changed also? or maybe just make it doesn’t show up when we hover at it? if yes then it’ll be perfect
See Add Downloads folder to the Windows Vista Start menu
anyway you could show us how to add the “downloads folder”
The only problem is it always point to the ‘Favorites folder for Video’s. There dosnt seem to be a way to set the target to a partition or another drive.
This is absolutely a must if you’re not a big gamer but have a lot of videos. One problem I’ve noticed aside from the info tip though is that if you have it setup as a menu for mouse over it should extend and display what’s in the videos folder but instead it fails to do anything. I find it pretty odd that it does this since it’s a 1/100 chance for it to work as it worked once for me so far but hasn’t worked again. Wonder why Microsoft decided to leave videos out? Why not just have an option at the very least to toggle it on. Hope they fix that in windows 7
is there any way to change the info tip too??
Ramesh Srinivasan. Thanks Ramesh Srinivasan.
And thanks uploader!
Juhuuuuuuuuuuu was looking for ages for this tip, big thanks. Is it possible to change the documents folder icon on the right side? I dont want my documents between all the programm documents, and senseless empty folders which are created by some applications.
Thanks alot !!! I was wanting a video folder for awhile. You made my dreams come true! Kinda… But thanks a bunch.
Great tip! I have been looking for this for a while and was frustrated that I could not get that into the start menu. One quick observation: you don’t have to log off and log back on. You just have to go into the task manager (ctrl-shift-esc) and select explorer, then click end task. Then go to file-new task and type in explorer, and walla, you have video in the start menu.