God Windows is crud - Can't even create a shortcut...

I had the same problem before and it wasnt anything to do with Windows but it was Steam. I solved the problem uninstalling Steam,deleting everything apart from my games from the Steam folder, reinstalled and the shortcut problem was gone.

You're telling me Steam affects the target line for the properties of a shortcut? Nah! :rolleyes:
 
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question for OP: do you have "hide extensions for known file types" enabled? I always turn that off, it leads to all sorts of problems if I don't.
 
I know I'm on Win7 64Bit but I just right click on the folder and click send to desktop "Short Cut" and it creates a short cut to the folder.

Is this just an issue in Vista 64Bit then?
 
It's not just a bug in Vista, you can reproduce it in Windows 7 x86 7 x64:

Create a folder C:\test and put a test.exe file into the C:\test folder, create another folder C:\test\test, and when you type C:\test\test into "target" it'll change to c:\test\test.exe, if you put "C:\test\test." into the target it links to the folder though.
 
No you can't... Any attempt to change the properties/target to the folder "D:\Steam\SteamApps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2\" will fail. Windows will decide it knows better and change it to the application "D:\Steam\SteamApps\common\left 4 dead 2\left4dead2.exe".

Works absolutely fine here... make the shortcut - then edit it to remove the \filename.exe - and it doesn't change itself back - dunno what you've messed up.
 
you have to use an extra period.

"c:\<user>\desktop\test\test."

the extra period fixes your problem.

[edit: paulm beat me to it :p

I tried "\test\test\." which didn't work (. is current directory, .. is parent directory), but it's not a fix which would be obvious to anyone who didn't mess around with command line once in a while.

"\test\test." doesn't mean anything that I know of, so why it works in anyone's guess. Just a peculiarity in the UI?]
 
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It's not just a bug in Vista, you can reproduce it in Windows 7 x86 7 x64:

Create a folder C:\test and put a test.exe file into the C:\test folder, create another folder C:\test\test, and when you type C:\test\test into "target" it'll change to c:\test\test.exe, if you put "C:\test\test." into the target it links to the folder though.

Wow, the "C:\test\test." bit is super odd!
 
I couldn't reproduce the issue in 7 x64.

you're doing it wrong... no, wait, you're doing it right :p

I have 7 64 and I get the same result as OP. to set it up:

"desktop/test/" folder
"desktop/test/test.exe" file
"desktop/test/test/" folder

right-click on desktop, create new shortcut.
navigate to "desktop/test/test/" folder and click OK.
watch as windows makes a shortcut to desktop/test/test.exe instead!
 
you're doing it wrong... no, wait, you're doing it right :p

I have 7 64 and I get the same result as OP. to set it up:

"desktop/test/" folder
"desktop/test/test.exe" file
"desktop/test/test/" folder

right-click on desktop, create new shortcut.
navigate to "desktop/test/test/" folder and click OK.
watch as windows makes a shortcut to desktop/test/test.exe instead!

LOL!
 
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