Problem with desktop shortcuts and Start Programs menu

Archived from groups: microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers (More info?)

I have XP Pro. I am setting up two accounts.

For one account, I put Word and Excel shortcuts on
the desktop. I might have done that by dragging
those names from Start Programs to the desktop.

(Instead of using "Send To Desktop". Is that wrong?).

When I tried to do the same for the second account,
I discovered that Word and Excel at not in the Start
Programs menu.

How do I put Word and Excel back into the Start
Programs menu?

I worked around the problem by copying the shortcuts
from the Desktop folder of the first account and
pasting them into the Desktop folder of the second
account, using (right-click) Start Explore.

But when I shutdown the system and powered it on
later, I discovered that the desktop shortcuts are
gone from the first account. They appear only on
the desktop of the second account.

Any idea how that might have happened? What should
I do differently?

(I am "pretty sure" the shortcuts were on the desktop
of both accounts before I shutdown the system.)