How to reset shortcuts (.lnk file) in Windows 7?

Question

Somehow I went to open a shortcut and Windows couldn't find the target but instead of pointing the shortcut to the .exe it pointed the .lnk file handler to the .exe, so now all my .lnk files are trying to be opened by the borderlands game.

What's going on?

I'm guessing I can do it by resetting the .lnk entry in HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT, but I don't know what to set it to.

Answer 1

Open regedit from the Start Menu (You can also invoke the file using Run command).
Navigate to the following registry branch:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.lnk

Click on the arrow to expand it and delete the sub-key named UserChoice. Exit from Registry Editor.

After this do a reboot.

Answer 2

Follow these steps to save the Registry code below into a .reg file then import it into the Registry:

1. Open Notepad
2. Copy and paste the Registry code below into the Notepad window
3. Save the file to your Desktop with the name fixshortcuts.reg
4. On your Desktop open fixshortcuts.reg and merge the file into the Registry
5. Log off and back on to make the changes take effect

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Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

;LNK file association fix for Windows Vista.
;Updated on April 24, 2007

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk]
@="lnkfile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214EE-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{00021500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellEx\{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew]
"Handler"="{ceefea1b-3e29-4ef1-b34c-fec79c4f70af}"
"IconPath"=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,\
  74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,\
  00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,\
  31,00,36,00,37,00,36,00,39,00,00,00
"ItemName"="@shell32.dll,-30397"
"MenuText"="@shell32.dll,-30318"
"NullFile"=""
"Command"=-

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk\ShellNew\Config]
"DontRename"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]
@="Shortcut"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000001
"FriendlyTypeName"="@shell32.dll,-4153"
"NeverShowExt"=""
"IsShortcut"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\CLSID]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\OpenContainingFolderMenu]
@="{37ea3a21-7493-4208-a011-7f9ea79ce9f5}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers\{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\DropHandler]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile\shellex\IconHandler]
@="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\FileExts\.lnk\UserChoice]

Answer 3

The extension .lnk is associated with the Lnkfile which is more commonly known as a Shortcut.

To repair the misassociation, open a Command Prompt and type:

assoc.lnk=lnkfile

Press Enter and you should be good to go.

Answer 4

A system restore to before the problem started will fix it, and likely any other file association changes.

Thank god for system restore points. I don't know a direct fix, but I'm back up and running.

If you can't fix it with a scalpel, try a sledgehammer.

Answer 5

According to what I have found on several places (like here or there), you can fix this with a registry operation.

• Create a new text file
• Paste the following inside

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk] @="lnkfile"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk\ShellEx]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk\ShellEx{000214EE-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}] @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk\ShellEx{000214F9-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}] @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk\ShellEx{00021500-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}] @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk\ShellEx{BB2E617C-0920-11d1-9A0B-00C04FC2D6C1}] @="{00021401-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.lnk\ShellNew] "Command"="rundll32.exe appwiz.cpl,NewLinkHere %1"

• Save the file as "Something.reg"
• Double-click the file

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I can't guarantee that it will fix your problem (since I don't have it myself), but having tested this on my current computer, I can tell you at least that this is harmless (and reading the keys which are modified, it seems to indeed restore the behavior for .lnk extensions).