Check validity of "windows shorcuts"

Is there any simple, automatable method of check for a .lnk file validity?

I mean I got a couple of directories whith these shorcuts to apps, and the only way I know if the executable file stills where the link file points, is to look if the icon appears to be ok... weird.

So I want some sort of command or light tool (oss will be greatly appreciated) to check and perhaps delete any "broken .lnk" in a directory

Thanks!

theist

Posted 2013-03-19T21:12:59.097

Reputation: 321

Are you taking about symbolic-links (also known as junction points) or shortcuts? – Alexey Ivanov – 2013-03-29T11:59:09.297

shorcuts, .lnk files. I wrote that 'symbolic links' betwen quotes because I'm a linux guy and didn't know that new windows OSes support a kind of s-links. – theist – 2013-04-03T09:58:35.840

@theist - This would be a good point to remove symbolic links from your question if your asking about shortcuts since symbolic links do exists in the Windows world. – Ramhound – 2013-04-03T11:05:24.250

@Ramhound I changed the tags from symbolic-links to shorcuts. And that other reference in text is quoted, meaning 'not exactly' the rest of the text and the title talks about Shorcuts or .lnk files. Do you think question isn't clear enough? – theist – 2013-04-04T09:47:04.433

@theist - I still think you shouldn't mention symbolic links since your asking about shortcuts, and shortcuts, are NOT symbolic links. – Ramhound – 2013-04-04T11:10:35.083

Answers

Try ChkLnks.exe by Microsoft. How To Clean Broken Shortcuts In Windows 7

There are some free apps as well to do the same. Apps to get rid of Broken Shortcuts

Gh0sT

Posted 2013-03-19T21:12:59.097

Reputation: 409

Or if you prefer using scripts...this article depicts working with shortcuts using Windows Powershell. http://windowsitpro.com/powershell/working-shortcuts-windows-powershell

– Gh0sT – 2013-04-03T11:07:23.717

Yeah @Gh0sT . In fact in my home box this is fixed with a perl script runing with ActiveState's perl under windows... but I was looking for a 'user' solution :). I'll try your recomendation. – theist – 2013-04-04T09:42:55.337

MS’s FixKit can check common ones for you automatically...

http://support.microsoft.com/mats/system_maintenance_for_windows/en-gb

Ben Lavender

Posted 2013-03-19T21:12:59.097

Reputation: 550

uff strange tool. Once downloaded present a long and unuseful list of "things this can do" After select one who match my problem, it opens IE to download a long named exe. And asks to reboot... If anything of these wouldn't come from MS sites I will think that I've installed some sort of trojan. To be continued... – theist – 2013-03-20T07:14:01.017

After restart seems like that tool can fix several problems I had and I dindn't know, And my broken links still there. – theist – 2013-03-21T07:16:55.140