How to make Windows stop hiding .url and .lnk file extensions

[Dave Burton]

"Ralph Fox" <***@xtraxtra.coco.nznz.undo-echo.invalid> wrote
in message news:***@news02.tsnz.net
in netscape.public.general in a message entitled "Re: Shortcut
problems"...

Internet shortcuts are .URL files, just as ordinary Windows shortcuts
to files are .LNK files. Windows normally hides the file extensions of
these shortcut files (.URL and .LNK), even when you have turned off
Windows' "Hide file extensions" setting.

I consider that a bug in Windows. Does anyone know how to fix it?
If you tell Windows to stop hiding file extensions, it should not hide them!
(I'm mostly using Win2K, but I'm interested in the answer for other
versions of Windows, too.)

(from windows explorer: tools -> folder options -> view
[uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types"]
does not fix it, even though .url and .lnk certainly are known file types.)

If your internet shortcuts are showing the .URL extension, this suggests
that the entries, which tells Windows to hide the file extension
of internet shortcuts, is missing from the Windows registry.
Cheers,
Ralph

I'd love to know which registry entries to change to get Windows
Explorer and the Search Results window to show the .url and .lnk
extensions when "Hide file extensions for known file types" is
unchecked.

Thanks,
-Dave
dave146 at burtonsys.com

[Jerold Schulman]

Post by Dave Burton
in netscape.public.general in a message entitled "Re: Shortcut
problems"...

Internet shortcuts are .URL files, just as ordinary Windows shortcuts
to files are .LNK files. Windows normally hides the file extensions of
these shortcut files (.URL and .LNK), even when you have turned off
Windows' "Hide file extensions" setting.

I consider that a bug in Windows. Does anyone know how to fix it?
If you tell Windows to stop hiding file extensions, it should not hide them!
(I'm mostly using Win2K, but I'm interested in the answer for other
versions of Windows, too.)
(from windows explorer: tools -> folder options -> view
[uncheck "Hide file extensions for known file types"]
does not fix it, even though .url and .lnk certainly are known file types.)

If your internet shortcuts are showing the .URL extension, this suggests
that the entries, which tells Windows to hide the file extension
of internet shortcuts, is missing from the Windows registry.
Cheers,
Ralph

I'd love to know which registry entries to change to get Windows
Explorer and the Search Results window to show the .url and .lnk
extensions when "Hide file extensions for known file types" is
unchecked.
Thanks,
-Dave
dave146 at burtonsys.com

REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut]
"NeverShowExt"=-

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile]
"NeverShowExt"=-

See tip 3613 in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsiinc.com

Jerold Schulman
Windows: General MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com

[Alex Nichol]

Post by Dave Burton

Internet shortcuts are .URL files, just as ordinary Windows shortcuts
to files are .LNK files. Windows normally hides the file extensions of
these shortcut files (.URL and .LNK), even when you have turned off
Windows' "Hide file extensions" setting.

I consider that a bug in Windows. Does anyone know how to fix it?
If you tell Windows to stop hiding file extensions, it should not hide them!
(I'm mostly using Win2K, but I'm interested in the answer for other
versions of Windows, too.)

The reasoning is that these are mainly desktop items, where their status
as shortcuts is indicated by arrows, and the extensions might be
regarded as intrusive.

You can handle it manually in registry, with regedit.exe (regedt32 in
Win2K), at
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.lnk \Default points you on to lnkfile, so at
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\lnkfile
look in the right pane for a line NeverShowExt
and delete that line. Similarly for other shortcut extensions. .pif
also for example


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