I'm using the Cinnamon desktop. I can put programs on the desktop from the 'Start' menu (is that what's it called in Cinnamon?) by e.g. LibreOffice Writer > right-click > Add to desktop.

But, how do I put a folder on the desktop? I have the folder 'Start' > Places > Xdrive, and I want the "Xdrive" folder to show on my desktop. Right-clicking does nothing.

How do I do this?

What file manager are you using? Nautilus, Thunar, PCmanFM, something else?

Is there a subdirectory "Desktop" in your home directory? If so, try using the file manager to place the folder, or a symbolic link to the folder, in that subdirectory.

If you can't accomplish that with the GUI, you can always use the "mv" (move), "cp" (copy), or "ln -s" (link) command from the shell.

Looking at the entries in Places on my system, I see several different types of entries. Some are truly places (like the Music folder in my home directory); these can be dragged to the desktop. Others, like the one labeled Win7, are (unmounted) partitions on my HDD; these are not draggable to the desktop. Looks like Xdrive behaves like a device.

You can mount the drive. Right-click on the folder > Create Link > then move the link to your desktop.
If you click on the Desktop link when the partition is mounted, it will open the File Manager to that folder.
If you click on the Desktop link when the partition is NOT mounted, it will do nothing but give you an error message.

I guess you could create a script which mounts the partition, and then opens the folder.

The simplest way to do it is to open your File Manager > click on the partition to mount it > click on your folder.
If you are dealing with a folder which is buried, and not visible when you open the partition, just make a Bookmark for it.

Dave Lerner: This is my first go at Ubuntu/GUI/Cinnamon -- I'm a 20+ year command line guy. I have no clue what file manager I'm using. How would I find that out? Yes, I can do an '1n -s` at the command line, but I'm trying to figure out a simple way for non-technical office staff to do this themselves ... like they used to in Windows!

Rock Doctor: I should have probably mentioned this in the beginning: Xdrive is an nfs mount from the NAS server.

TxLonghorn: right-clicking on the folder does not produce any drop down menu at all. So, no "create Link" option.

directory *is* mounted -- what do you mean "just make a Bookmark"?

The File Manager (Linux analogue to Window's File Explorer, except that in Linux there are more choices) should have a menu function Help >> About, which will tell you its name and version.

I would use the Report button and include the request "please delete duplicate post."

The default File Manager for Cinnamon should be Nemo. (At least that is what it is in Linux Mint Cinnamon.)
You create a Bookmark to a folder in Nemo in the same way you create a Bookmark in your web browser
http://www.noobslab.com/2013/10/nemo...sions-for.html

Yes, my file manager is Nemo. I can see a way to create a bookmark. But, what I'm really after is a way to create a "Shortcut" of my folder on the desktop without going to the command line and doing `ln -s`.

Is there no way to do this?

If the partition is not mounted, the only way to open a folder on that partition is to mount the partition first.
As I said previously, you might be able to do that with a script.
http://linuxcommand.org/lc3_writing_shell_scripts.php

have you tried Ctrl-click+drag, or Alt-click+drag, or shift-click+drag?

Nautilus has a "Make Link" function in the right-click context menu and in the Edit menu, when a file or folder is selected. Does Nemo lack this feature?

Nemo does the same - if you are the owner of the folder.

In that case, the solution is:

1) In Nemo, navigate to the directory containing the subdirectory of interest.
2) Right-click on the subdirectory and select "Make Link."
3) Move the newly created link to the Desktop directory by one of various methods (right-click >> select "Move To", cut and paste, etc.).
4) Rename the link if desired.

As I mentioned in post #5, the partition is mounted. As I also mentioned, I want users to be able to do something simple like they used to on Windows: right-click > save short-cut. Creating scripts is not the answer.

ondoho: Drag and CTRL/Drag both want to make a copy of the folder. ALT/Drag moves the whole file manager app window.

TxLonghorn and Dave Learner: Apparently Nemo does not have this feature. The right-click menu shows: Open in New Tab, Open in New Windows, Open With, Copy, Open in Terminal, Open as Root, Compress, Properties. Grayed out: Cut, Rename, Move to Trash, Delete.

Possibly the issue is the user is not the owner? This is a NFS mounted folder accssible by all users, so a given user is not the owner.

Still hopin'!