Desktop shortcuts no longer work

If there are no error messages when double-clicking a shortcut, try right-clicking one and see which option is in bold text.

Ben

"Open" is the only highlighted option on any of them.

You might try switching the default browser to something else, like Edge, then switch it back. Try one of the shortcuts on Edge before you switch it back.

Ben

Didn't work any differently.

No-one else I know is having this problem..............even though my IT man said it was a major problem for many. Recently was having I/O error problems and he blamed it on my 2 Tb hard drive. He bought and installed a new one and all was well until this access problem happened. Now tonight, every time I try and get on the new hard drive I get the I/O error problem. Needless to say, I"m not a happy puppy!!!!!

davidhk said:

Don't sell yourself short.
The tutorial is really simple.
Go to Option One > click the Download blue button > Save As > save it to your desktop > exit.
At your desktop, RIGHT click at that bat file saved at desktop > click Open > tap on any key to start the process > when done, you will be asked if you want to restart or not > type y as in yes, n as in no. (For good measure, type y to restart. I never have to.)
That's it.
Now try your desktop shortcuts.

Forgot to tell you, David...............followed your instructions and nothing had changed. Still have the problem.

Still having the problem. Can't access my shortcuts on the desktop. With some sites, I can change the http: to https: and get through, but only about a third or less of the sites on my desktop. Nobody seems to know what's happening. My IT guy says a lot of people are having the problem and many more will in the near future. I'm beginning NOT to believe him! I need access to the sites!

Try creating new shortcuts. Find the appropriate page without using the existing shortcut and create a new one.

Ben

Tried that. Worked on a couple..................but none of the others. Perplexing problem. Example of my frustration: I can click on my Fox News link. The site comes up. But I can't gain access to any of the stories. Fox Insider won't even come up! The Blaze works perfectly. None of my forums work. I can get to the home pages of a couple by changing the http: to https:, but then I can't get from the home page to the individual forums or threads.

Possible that Firefox is trying to access invalid or unusable data from cookies or a cache. I use Firefox, but I use bookmarks, not shortcuts. When I click a link to an insecure website, Firefox blocks it until I specifically allow it. Firefox Quantum 61.0 32 bit. I would be interested in knowing if you get any error messages or if the pages just fail to load.

Ben

Usually I just can't access a site. On the rare occasions I get a pop-up message it's something to the effec the website is insecure or hasn't put into effect the latest security measures....................hence my reference to Google holding websites "hostage" until they pay the $110 fee for the security certificate like my IT man had to for his website.