Windows XP help - How to create a desktop link to a website

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January 20th 19 10:33 PM

How to create a desktop link to a website

I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

I want to put a link on my desktop to open a regularly used website. I
thought it was as follows:

---
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.google.com
---

(I am just using google.com as an example)

This is then saved as a text file.

I did this in notepad. If I save it as a .txt file, it just opens in
notepad. If I save it with no extension, I get a "windows can not open
this file extension" error.

What am I doing wrong?

Im using XP Pro SP3

[email protected]

January 21st 19 12:01 AM

How to create a desktop link to a website

On Sun, 20 Jan 2019 16:33:57 -0600, wrote:

I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

I want to put a link on my desktop to open a regularly used website. I
thought it was as follows:

---
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.google.com
---

(I am just using google.com as an example)

This is then saved as a text file.

I did this in notepad. If I save it as a .txt file, it just opens in
notepad. If I save it with no extension, I get a "windows can not open
this file extension" error.

What am I doing wrong?

Im using XP Pro SP3

Go to the web site, right click on the url in the top bar and COPY
Right click on a vacant area of the desktop, select NEW, then
SHORTCUT.
Paste the URL there, click NEXT add the name and hit finish.

Paul[_32_]

January 21st 19 12:05 AM

How to create a desktop link to a website

wrote:
I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

I want to put a link on my desktop to open a regularly used website. I
thought it was as follows:

---
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.google.com
---

(I am just using google.com as an example)

This is then saved as a text file.

I did this in notepad. If I save it as a .txt file, it just opens in
notepad. If I save it with no extension, I get a "windows can not open
this file extension" error.

What am I doing wrong?

Im using XP Pro SP3

I don't know the answer, but I can point out a small
trick they use. File extensions aren't always what they seem,
even when you have the "show extension" turned on and you'd
swear you applied it to "all folders".

I opened Internet Explorer, and I see "MSN.com" is one of
my favorites. That's put there at install time.

OK, so I search for that, and yeah, it's in my Favorites folder.
Good so far. I look at the name, it says "MSN.com" and yet when
I do properties, you can see it's doing something goofy.

I open Command Prompt and use "dir" on the favorites folder
complete path name. I put quotes around it, even though you're
not supposed to need to do that.

What do I see

119 bytes MSN.com.url

So the file extension is actually ".url" even though I can't
see it in Explorer.

I was prepared to say at first, that the "http" in your
shortcut is a "protocol" and the OS should be looking for
a binding of protocol to program (handler). That's how
the browser gets started.

But what is wrong with that idea, is Windows is extension
based, and that idea violates the "triggered by extension"
principle.

So what you'll find, is files ending in .lnk, ending
in .url and other tricks. And rather than the OS "taking
the high road" and analyzing the "http" part to figure out
you want a browser, at least some of the behavior is related
to the file extension, which is .url in my example.

So the basic idea would be, where ever you saw a "file"
that was behaving the way you wanted, go and do a "dir"
on the folder while in the Command Prompt window and
double check your understanding of the extension issue.

You can try changing the .txt to .url and see what
happens. I don't know if the desktop.ini that causes the
Favorites folder to be a Favorites folder, is part of
this process or not. It might be. It really should be,
that every .url file behaves the same way, but who
knows for sure until you test.

Paul

JJ[_11_]

January 21st 19 12:31 AM

How to create a desktop link to a website

On Sun, 20 Jan 2019 16:33:57 -0600, wrote:
I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

I want to put a link on my desktop to open a regularly used website. I
thought it was as follows:

---
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.google.com
---

(I am just using google.com as an example)

This is then saved as a text file.

I did this in notepad. If I save it as a .txt file, it just opens in
notepad. If I save it with no extension, I get a "windows can not open
this file extension" error.

What am I doing wrong?

Im using XP Pro SP3

The file extension's name must be "url". e.g. "TheSite.url".

Nil[_5_]

January 21st 19 12:49 AM

How to create a desktop link to a website

On 20 Jan 2019, wrote in
microsoft.public.windowsxp.general:

I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

If using Firefox, click and hold the leftmost part of the URL in the
address bar, then drag it to the desktop and release. I would expect it
would work similarly with other browsers.

Paul in Houston TX[_2_]

January 21st 19 02:54 AM

How to create a desktop link to a website

Mike	January 21st 19 03:47 AM

How to create a desktop link to a website

On 1/20/2019 2:33 PM, wrote:
I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

I want to put a link on my desktop to open a regularly used website. I
thought it was as follows:

---
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.google.com
---

(I am just using google.com as an example)

This is then saved as a text file.

I did this in notepad. If I save it as a .txt file, it just opens in
notepad. If I save it with no extension, I get a "windows can not open
this file extension" error.

What am I doing wrong?

Im using XP Pro SP3

https://www.aurelitec.com/htmtied/windows/

never tried it in XP, but works fine in win7/10

Shadow

January 28th 19 12:40 PM

How to create a desktop link to a website

On Sun, 20 Jan 2019 19:01:33 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 20 Jan 2019 16:33:57 -0600, wrote:

I recall doing this once in the past, but I cant remember how.

I want to put a link on my desktop to open a regularly used website. I
thought it was as follows:

---
[InternetShortcut]
URL=https://www.google.com
---

(I am just using google.com as an example)

This is then saved as a text file.

I did this in notepad. If I save it as a .txt file, it just opens in
notepad. If I save it with no extension, I get a "windows can not open
this file extension" error.

What am I doing wrong?

Im using XP Pro SP3

Go to the web site, right click on the url in the top bar and COPY
Right click on a vacant area of the desktop, select NEW, then
SHORTCUT.
Paste the URL there, click NEXT add the name and hit finish.

Yes. The classic way. Windows adds the invisible".url"
extension and the icon with the "shortcut arrow" automatically.
Plus you can copy or move the shortcut anywhere.
[]'s
--
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