If Shortcut "Start in" Box Is Blank, Program Starts in Current Working Directory

When you start a program on the desktop by using a custom shortcut key, and the Start in box for the shortcut is blank, the program starts in the current working folder, which is usually the %SystemDrive%\Documents and Settings\Username folder, instead of on the desktop.

This behavior occurs because when the Start in box is blank, the shortcut uses the current working folder by default, which is a process-specific variable.

To resolve this behavior, type the directory in the Start in box in which you want the shortcut to start. Or, double-click the shortcut instead of using the shortcut key.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.