Icons Disappearing, not from desktop but from Start Menu 7 v3.88

[Brad Grubb]

I have spent hours on Google trying to determine why the program icons
would start disappearing from the custom Tabs I have created; most of
them are even gone from your default "All Programs" tab. I have
determined that Win-7 MUST want to find all folders and files in
certain locations -- and while I am an independent type who thinks I
should be able to put them where I want them -- I have been beaten
into submission.

PLEASE tell me the SAFEST, SUREST location to put these folders so
that Win-7 stops losing the icons (they're just blank, although the
shortcuts still work). Right now, I have them on drive E (since my
boot drive is a smaller SSD) and "Start Menu" is in the root of E with
the sub-folders beneath it. All of the icons were copied from the
desktop into the folder structure I created.

MY best guess is that Win-7 wants them under some special User
Account, could this be it? And if so, should I put them under Public
so that all users see the same thing (which is what I want anyway)?

PLEASE HELP !! I've been using this product since it first came out
for Vista, Dennis.

Thanks!
Brad