XYplorer Beta Club

When accessing either the user start menu folder, or the All Users start menu folder using XYplorer, when viewing the properties of .lnk files the path shown is wrong, and therefore the .lnk file's properties cannot be changed and it's also impossible to use the 'Open File Location' button because the path is wrong.

Example: I use XYplorer to go to the All Users start menu location at
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\

Then I open the properties for Word.lnk: The path is wrong (it contains "Program Files (x86)"). Therefore I cannot edit any details or choose Open File Location.

If I then use File Explorer to go to the same location and view the properties for Word.lnk: The path is correct and everything works. I can edit the properties, and I can choose 'Open File Location', etc.

Is XYplorer not suitable for accessing the Start Menu folder locations?

Whatever created these LNK files apparently used bitness sensitive environment variables to refer to the Program Files path, which is obviously a mistake. Instead of %ProgramFiles% it should have used %ProgramW6432%. All you can do is create new LNK files.

This is the case for every lnk file in my start menu that I've checked. The example I showed, Microsoft Word, is just one of hundreds of examples. So I guess I just have to use File Explorer when doing anything start menu related?

Define "anything start menu related".

Modifying the properties of pre-existing lnk files (which are the vast majority of files that make up the start menu) in the filesystem. Does that definition help you? I assume from your question that you were unable to tell that from the context of this conversation.

XYplorer is obviously no good for performing this task on 64-bit Windows, as all the lnk files (from many different installed programs) I've checked so far exhibit the same behavior that I demonstrated. That's OK, it's just something I need to remember to do from File Explorer instead. I guess every other software vendor has made the same mistake with their start menu files, and therefore the workaround for every vendor's start menu files is to use File Explorer.

This also helps explain the real reason why you removed the Start Menu locations from the 'Special System Folders' in the menu some time ago.

Great that you got it all sorted out.