Vista Tip: Customize the Favorite Links in Explorer
As a power user I greatly value every effort to simplify common tasks like file operations and other every day stuff. Copying and moving files/folder is one of those things and Windows XP used to do a great job at this with its dynamic ‘File and Folder Tasks’ side-pane. I got used to the fact that these shortcuts appropriately adapt to whichever file type is under your cursor and presents you with a list accordingly. Until…
The new Explorer Shell in Vista incorporated a lesser dynamic sidebar that limits your options to well-known shell destinations like Documents, Music and Searches. The horizontal blue-greenish bar that runs across the window allows for some dynamic behavior, yet it’s limited to only opening stuff with certain applications.
Out of the box, there’s not much you can tag on outside of your own Favorite Links. Which, in retrospect, could come in handy.
- Open up an Explorer Window, right click on some empty space and select ‘Open Favorite Links Folder’
- Add new links by right clicking in an empty spot and selecting New > Shortcut
- Follow the Wizard and presto!
The shortcut be anything, not just folders.