Python locate "all programs" folder in the start menu

Question

I'm trying to create a folder with shortcuts in it inside the windows folder "Programs" in the start menu. I've already found a way of creating shorkuts but I can't find a way to locate the "programs" folder in the start menu. For example to find the desktop folder I use:

os.environ["userprofile"]+"\\Desktop\\"

but I want it with "programs" folder with the programs folder.

Note: I'm not searching for the "Program Files" Folder!!! I'm searching for the folder in the start menu "Programs", that for example in my computer is in "C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs"

I Found a solution!! "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" in the registry — Saúl Pilatowsky-Cameo, Jun 26 '11 at 18:20
a solution using `ctypes` module is here http://stackoverflow.com/questions/2216173/how-to-get-path-of-start-menus-programs-directory — matt wilkie, Oct 24 '11 at 16:26

score 2 · Answer 1 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:04

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This does it for me:

os.path.join(os.environ["userprofile"], "Start Menu", "Programs")

There's probably a more proper way to do it with the Windows API, but I don't know it.

Edit:

Here are a couple related materials for the Windows API that might help. I don't know the Windows API well enough to make a script for you, though.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:04

Community

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answered Jun 26 '11 at 18:03

KeJi

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Nope, for me, that folder doesn't exist... That's a problem, there should be a proper way... maybe in the registry or something like that... – Saúl Pilatowsky-Cameo Jun 26 '11 at 18:12
In case you're willing to try out the Windows API in Python, see my answer again. – KeJi Jun 26 '11 at 18:18
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I found a solution, in the registry, there is a key named "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" that hast the desktop, programs, start menu etc. I will be able to acces it with the _winreg module. – Saúl Pilatowsky-Cameo Jun 26 '11 at 18:25
That's good! If it really works, you can actually post that as an answer to your own question instead of a comment, and accept that answer. – KeJi Jun 26 '11 at 18:27

Saúl Pilatowsky-Cameo · Accepted Answer · 2012-04-15T19:24:26.437

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I found a solution, in the registry, there is a key named "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders" that has the desktop, programs, start menu etc. I will be able to acces it with the _winreg module.

edited Apr 15 '12 at 19:24

answered Jun 27 '11 at 03:49

Saúl Pilatowsky-Cameo

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Python locate "all programs" folder in the start menu

2 Answers2