Bad Shortcut Killer, Delete Broken Shortcuts From Windows PCs
One of the issues that the majority of Windows users experience after some time of using the operating system is that of broken shortcuts.
The best case when uninstalling programs is that the uninstallation routine removes all shortcuts and program folders. Sometimes that is not the case so that shortcuts pointing to directories that no longer exist remain on the system.
The two locations where this becomes apparent the most are the computer desktop and the Windows start menu. Especially the start menu becomes crowded after some time of usage as folders created in it often don't get removed during uninstallation.
Bad Shortcut Killer is a program like the previously reviewed Broken Shortcut Fixer. The program can verify all shortcuts that are stored on the desktop and the start menu.
All that it takes is to click on the Find Bad Shortcuts link after program installation. The program will check all shortcuts in those two locations and display the broken ones in the program interface.
Each shortcut is listed with its status (invalid) and the full path of the shortcut on the local computer system. The program is missing an option to open the containing folder for manual validation, but that's the only missing feature of the program.
Options are available to check individual or all broken shortcuts. A click on the delete selected shortcuts button will remove them from the system.
Some users may find programs to delete broken shortcuts from the computer redundant. This can be the case if they run software like the popular temporary file cleaner CCleaner which comes with the same functionality. CCleaner can remove broken shortcuts both from the Windows start menu and the desktop.
The thing is though that the default configuration does not include the verification of broken shortcuts on the PC. CCleaner users need to locate the System group in the program interface and enable Start Menu Shortcuts and Desktop Shortcuts Manually.
Windows users who like to give Bad Shortcut Killer a try can download the program from the official program website. The application is compatible with 32-bit and 64-bit editions of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
Update: The most recent version of Bad Shortcut Killer comes with adware offers. Make sure you click on decline if you don't want to install those programs or system modifications on your PC.
What to say? I’ve used a number of super-smart broken shortcut killers with an end result of losing a number of legitimate shortcuts. Be careful, I guess.