Administrative Tools folder is empty

Symptom

When you open the Administrative Tools folder in the Start Menu, the shortcuts in the folder may be missing.

This article is applicable for Windows XP systems only.

Cause

This happens due to one of these reasons:

•The Administrative Tools shell folder path is incorrectly set.

•The Administrative Tools shortcuts are deleted accidentally or by a malware/virus or a utility remover.

Solution for Case 1

Important: Backup the registry before modifying it.

•Start Regedit.exe and navigate to the following locations one by one:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ User Shell Folders

-and-

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer \ Shell Folders

•Delete the value named Common Administrative Tools (if present).

•Close regedit.exe and restart Windows.

See if the shortcuts in the Administrative Tools folder are restored. If not, see Solution 2 below.

Solution for Case 2

Automate

The utility AdminTools (~8kb) restores the missing shortcuts to the Administrative Tools folder.

Creating the shortcuts manually

To re-create the shortcuts manually, refer this table. Re-create the shortcuts in the following folder:

C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Start Menu\Programs\Administrative Tools

Display Administrative Tools folder in the Start menu

Tip: To display Administrative Tools folder in the Start menu, you will need to enable one of these two options under Taskbar and Start Menu options applet in the Control Panel:

•Display on the All Programs menu

•Display on the All Programs menu and the Start menu

Administrative Tools folder is empty