If you select NO, the Shortcut should still remain. If you click the Shortcut it should ask you do you wish to search for the original file. At least that was the behaviour in the earlier Windows versions.

Whilst you suggest you have not done anything, Shortcuts break when the original item has been moved from its original position at the time the Shortcut was created. You might have renamed the original file or moved it.

You can do a separate files & folders search for the original item. Once you find the original file/folder & know, note the location down such as in WordPad. Then go to the Shortcut, right-click & choose Properties. Change Target location to the one you noted in WordPad (can probably just copy-paste), select Apply & OK buttons. The Shortcut should now work.

Win 10 Search: . Win XP: . Win 10:


I believe you asked this same question some time ago. https://www.gnutellaforums.com/chat-...shortcuts.html But since I'm personally not highly Windows knowledgeable I probably did not respond at the time (I'm a mac os user.)

I know on Win XP periodically I'm constantly asked by the System about unused or rarely used Shortcuts/icons & cleaning up the desktop. I always select NO. Otherwise I found problems or inconveniences occur. Keep that in mind. Windows did or does have some annoyingly unhelpful built-in routines.