How to add default Games folder to the Start menu in Windows XP?

You may first perform the following steps to know if you had deleted the default games of Windows XP from your computer or if you had deleted only the shortcut for the games from the Start menu.

1. Click Start and click Run.
2. Type freecell.exe and click OK.

If you are able to view Free Cell game then only the shortcut for the games from the Start menu is being deleted. You perform the following steps to create a Games folder in Start menu and adding the shortcuts into the Games folder.

Section 1: Creating the Games folder in the Start menu
1. Click Start and right-click All Programs. Select Open All Users from the context menu that pops up.
2. Double-click on the Programs folder to open it.
3. Right-click an empty place. From the context menu that pops up, click on New and then Folder.
4. Rename the folder to Games and then double click to open it.

Section 2: Copying the games from the default location into the Games folder.
By default, Windows XP includes FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Pinball, Solitaire, and Spider Solitaire games and the default location of these games is C:\Windows\system32. Under this folder, you will see the executable files of the games.

Look for the games with the following names:
freecell
mshearts
winmine
pinball
spider

For each of the above games, click a game to highlight it and press Ctrl + C or right-click on the game and click Copy and then in the Games folder (see Section 1: Creating the Games folder in the Start menu), paste it by pressing Ctrl + V or by right-clicking on an empty space and clicking on Paste.

Repeat for the other games and finally you will see all the default games in Windows XP when you click on Start, All Programs, Games.

Perform the following steps if you had deleted the Windows XP default games from the computer

1. With the Windows XP CD-ROM in the CD-ROM drive, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Add or Remove Programs.
3. Click Add/Remove Windows Components.
4. In the Windows Components Wizard, click Accessories and Utilities (the words, not the check box), and then click Details.
5. Use the appropriate method.
• If the Games check box is not checked (no games are installed), and you want to install all of the games, click to select the Games check box, click OK, and then click Next.
• If the Games check box is not checked (no games are installed), and you want to install one or more of the games, click Games (the word, not the check box), and then click to select the check boxes for the games you want to install. Click OK, click OK, and then click Next.
• If the Games check box is checked and the background of the check box is white (all games are installed), and you want to uninstall all of the games, click to clear the Games check box, click OK, and then click Next.
• If the Games check box is checked and the background of the check box is white (all games are installed), and you want to uninstall only some of the games, click Games (the word, not the check box), and then click to clear the check boxes for the games you want to uninstall. Click OK, click OK, and then click Next.
• If the Games check box is checked and the background of the check box is gray (one or more games are installed), and you want to uninstall all of the games, click to clear the Games check box, click OK, and then click Next.
• If the Games check box is checked and the background of the check box is gray (one or more games are installed), and you want to uninstall only some of the games, click Games (the word, not the check box), and then click to clear the check boxes for the games you want to uninstall. Click OK, click OK, and then click Next.