Add Administrative Tools Icon to the Desktop in XP/2003

Daniel Petri

Jan 7, 2009

How can I add the Administrative Tools icon to the desktop in Windows XP/2003?

The administrative Tools folder is in fact a sub-folder of the Documents and SettingsAll UsersStart MenuPrograms folder, but dragging it or moving it around your computer might cause it to stop functioning.

There are 2 methods of adding the Administrative Tools folder to the Quick Launch toolbar:

One method is by dragging it from the Control Panel folder, and NOT from the Programs folder.
The other method is by editing the registry.

Follow these steps to add the Administrative Tools icon to the Windows XP/2003 desktop by editing the registry:

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Open Registry Editor.
In Registry Editor, navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Desktop\NameSpace

Create the following key:

{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}
(just copy/paste, including the brackets)

Note: As always, before making changes to your registry you should always make sure you have a valid backup. In cases where you’re supposed to delete or modify keys or values from the registry it is possible to first export that key or value(s) to a .REG file before performing the changes.