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April 16, 2002 12:00 AM

How can I edit the default Places bar quick links in Windows XP's and Windows 2000's Open and Save common dialog boxes?

Windows IT Pro
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A. You can modify the five default quick links in the Open and Save common dialog boxes by performing the following steps:

  1. Start a registry editor (e.g., regedit.exe).
  2. Navigate to the HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\comdlg32 subkey. (If this subkey doesn't exist, select New, Key from the Edit menu to create it.)
  3. From the Edit menu, select New, Key.
  4. Enter a name of Placesbar and press Enter.
  5. Navigate to the new registry subkey. You can create five entries (Place0, Place1, Place2, Place3, and Place4). Make each entry either a string value (REG_SZ) entry (for a named folder) or a DWORD value (REG_DWORD) entry (for a special folder, such as My Documents or My Network Places).
  6. To create a new entry, go to the Edit menu, select New, DWORD Value or New, String Value (as appropriate), enter a name of Placen (e.g., Place0, Place4), and press Enter.
  7. Double-click the entry and set its REG_SZ "Value data" to a path and folder name or its REG_DWORD "Value data" to a numeric ID (the table below shows a partial list of these numeric IDs--the shlobj.h file, which is part of the platform software development kit (SDK), defines the full list of special numeric IDs).
  8. Close the registry editor.

For example, the registry file below sets shortcuts to My Documents, the CD burning folder, and three named folders.

 Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

 [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion Policies\comdlg32\Placesbar]
 "Place0"=dword:00000005
 "Place1"=dword:0000003b
 "Place2"="d:\\temp"
 "Place3"="d:\\documents"
 "Place4"="g:\\windows" 

This change will not affect applications within the Microsoft Office suite but will affect applications, such as Notepad and Paint, that use the Open and Save common dialog boxes. Each new entry you add will replace one of the default quick links.

0 Desktop
1 Internet Explorer
2 Start Menu\Programs
3 My Computer\Control Panel
4 My Computer\Printers
5 My Documents
6 <user name>\Favorites
7 Start Menu\Programs\Startup
8 <user name>\Recent
9 <user name>\SendTo
a <desktop>\Recycle Bin
b <user name>\Start Menu
c logical "My Documents" desktop icon
d "My Music" folder
e "My Videos" folder
10 <user name>\Desktop
11 My Computer
12 Network Neighborhood (My Network Places)
13 <user name>\nethood
14 Windows\Fonts
16 All Users\Start Menu
17 All Users\Start Menu\Programs
18 All Users\Startup
19 All Users\Desktop
1a <user name>\Application Data
1b <user name>\PrintHood
1c <user name>\Local Settings\Applicaiton Data (nonroaming)0x001d // nonlocalized startup
1e Nonlocalized common startup
1f Common favorites
20 Internet Cache
21 Cookies
22 History
23 All Users\Application Data
24 GetWindowsDirectory()
25 GetSystemDirectory()
26 C:\Program Files
27 C:\Program Files\My Pictures
28 USERPROFILE
29 x86 system directory on RISC
2a x86 C:\Program Files on RISC
2b C:\Program Files\Common
2c x86 Program Files\Common on RISC
2d All Users\Templates
2e All Users\Documents
2f All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
30 <user name>\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools
31 Network and Dial-up Connections
35 All Users\My Music
36 All Users\My Pictures
37 All Users\My Video
38 Resource Directory
39 Localized Resource Directory
3a Links to All Users OEM specific apps
3b USERPROFILE\Local Settings\Application Data\Microsoft\CD Burning

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Comments
  • Craig
    4 years ago
    Dec 22, 2008

    Quoting "Anonymous User Feb 06 2005" maybe "dumb" people such as yourself shouldn't be posting anything.

    For those who aren't aware of how dangerous editing the registry can be. There is a windows based service built into windows to help you customize those Save As Links "Common Open File Dialog"

    Check out this site

    "http://www.simplehelp.net/2007/07/28/how-to-set-custom-shortcuts-in-the-windows-xp-save-as-dialog-box/"

    encase this URL gets stripped just google "Windows XP how to set custom save as"

    later

  • ngggg
    5 years ago
    Jan 07, 2007

    Most easy way:
    1) Use Tweak UI, download it from http://www.microsoft.com/ntworkstation/downloads/PowerToys/Networking/NTTweakUI.asp
    2) or use the third software such as Lightning Bar on http://lbar.leafpicker.com

  • Dan
    6 years ago
    Apr 06, 2006

    Can I customize the text under the icon or the icons themselves in the Places bar? The text defaults to the folder name but I have two icons pointing to same-named folders on different drives. How can I distinguish between them?
    Thanks.

  • Anonymous User
    7 years ago
    Mar 11, 2005

    It works fine, but not for FTP's. Any idea how to make it work with a Webfolder or FTP?

    I'm working on a cheap server for a small company... so instead of buying a Windows 2003 Server license for ~600$ then I'm going to buy WinXP Pro for ~170$ and FTP software for 35$ - It lets me control acces rigths and virtual folders just as well as Active Directory and a Distrubuted File System. Just need to make the FTP the default place/or easy avaiable for the uses wich need to save files on it.

    If you have any idea how to map the FTP with a drive letter then I would really like to know. I found a way by installing the NetBEUI protocol and add " #PRE" in the system32/drivers/etc/lmhosts.sam, but since the protocol is'nt officially supported by WindowsXP I believe in there are some security issues.

    Any help?

  • Anonymous User
    7 years ago
    Mar 02, 2005

    Just to let anyone know. there are editors for both Office (2000-2003) and Windows at http://www.thezjooj.com under their downloads section. The tools there are even easier than using the Microsoft Dialog way. Plus the Places Bar Editors there have save-able lists so the places can be backed up and can I can have unlimited amounts of lists to load too. Easy to use, easy to install. Made for dummies like me :)

    Oh yeah, the names are called Opie 2.0 Places Editor for Office and Winplae for Windows. I think the windows version is only for 2000 and xp. best to all.

    David

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