How can I open Windows Explorer using a keyboard shorcut, WITHOUT it defaulting into Full-Screen mod

[Guest]

Not 100% what you want but close and dead easy:

Press the Windows key (the one between CTRL & ALT) and the E key together.

 

[ship]

Mine's set to "normal window", but I use "My computer" to navigate. i
drag and drop "My Computer" onto the Start button, make a shortcut
there, then you may then Click start and navigate all of My Computer by
just sliding the mouse cursor around. R-click on and open a folder if
desired.

I dont have My Computer on my desktop so I cant duplicate this
very readily... But I dont like "My Computer" because it doesnt
show the Tree directory in the LH side hence it can be hard to know
where you are (e.g. which "images" directory you are looking at...)

As to it switching automatically to the full screen mode, that is a bit
odd! Is there some extra keystrokes in the short cut?

Dont quite now what you mean, nor how to find out!
It only allows "Control+Alt+" and not Control+ or Alt+ by themselves.

Interestingly "Shift+Alt+" is allowed - but when the window comes
up AGAIN it has the same problem. AAaaaaaaaaaarrrggghhh!

Or does it do the
same if you double click the shortcut?

No!
If you double-click on a shortcut it does NOT open in that vile
full-screen mode!
It seems to be something to do with using short-cut keys...


Ship

Well - I tried them all.
Maximsed, Normal Window and even "Minimised"
None of them seem to make any difference.
Even "Minimised" although it clearly shrinks down
to the task bar first, immediately leaps back up to
Full Screen mode...

Which option do you theoretically recommend, incidentally?


Ship

Is the shortcut properties " Run" set to Normal window, Or Maximized?

ship wrote:


Nope!

Okay I managed to get the hotkeys to fire up Explorer
(I went to Start > All programs > Accessories >
and then I right clicked on Window Explorer and put
the short-cut key in.

BUT the damned thing STILL opens in Full-Screen mode!


Ship



Bob I wrote:


Put the shortcut in the Start, Programs menu. QuickLaunch toolbar won't
work.

ship wrote:



Nope - on my machine it seems to completely ignore shortcut keys unless
they are
on the desktop. Weird.

Ship





Add a shortcut to Windows Explorer to the Start Menu or Desktop or Quick
Launch Bar. This will make sure that the shortcut will be available anywhere.
Then, right-click the shortcut and select Properties. In that screen, make
sure that Run: is set to Normal Window, and set your Shortcut Key preference.

If you don't know how to bring up the Quick-Launch toolbar, right-click an
empty part of the taskbar, point to Toolbars, and click Quick Launch.

Note: The taskbar is that thing with the Start Menu and Time on it


:




WindowsXP Pro (SP2)

Hi

How can I open Windows Explorer using a "keybard shortcut" WITHOUT
explorer defaulting straight into Full-Screen mode?

I've now spent quite a lot of time on this... and it's driving me
bl**dy NUTS.

All I want to do us be able to
- use a hot-key combination, to
- open up WindowsXP Explorer
- in my directory of choice,
- WITH the folders visible (in LH column)
- but WITHOUT it being in "Full-Screen" mode !

I have even tried opening explorer by using a short-cut to a batch file
which then contains something like
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\docs

And although this DID work for a while... Suddenly every time I use
hotkeys to open a directory they are in bl**dy FULL SCREEN mode.
So I keep having to hit F11 to get it back into "Normal" mode every
single time. :^[

Is the way you close the previous ms Explorer view relevant, here?
i.e. If you set it to the correct sort order you want... and then hold
down Control when you click the top right "X", then next time
Explorer opens is seems to keep your previous sort order...

Sorry for starting a second thread on this but I have now simplified
the definition of what the problem is... and I am getting desperate!

Any suggestions?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[ship]

Oh-oh... sorry nope that doesnt do *anything* on my machine.
Windows+E files up a window with two frames.
The left hand one defaulting to My Computer.

Damn. I wonder if it's just my PC then.
Do you think it's terminally ill??

Or just some stupid bl**dy obscure setting that I may have
accidentally set... [DEEP SIGH!]


Ship

Not 100% what you want but close and dead easy:

Press the Windows key (the one between CTRL & ALT) and the E key together.

WindowsXP Pro (SP2)

Hi

How can I open Windows Explorer using a "keybard shortcut" WITHOUT
explorer defaulting straight into Full-Screen mode?

I've now spent quite a lot of time on this... and it's driving me
bl**dy NUTS.

All I want to do us be able to
- use a hot-key combination, to
- open up WindowsXP Explorer
- in my directory of choice,
- WITH the folders visible (in LH column)
- but WITHOUT it being in "Full-Screen" mode !

I have even tried opening explorer by using a short-cut to a batch file
which then contains something like
%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\docs

And although this DID work for a while... Suddenly every time I use
hotkeys to open a directory they are in bl**dy FULL SCREEN mode.
So I keep having to hit F11 to get it back into "Normal" mode every
single time. :^[

Is the way you close the previous ms Explorer view relevant, here?
i.e. If you set it to the correct sort order you want... and then hold
down Control when you click the top right "X", then next time
Explorer opens is seems to keep your previous sort order...

Sorry for starting a second thread on this but I have now simplified
the definition of what the problem is... and I am getting desperate!

Any suggestions?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[ship]

The strange thing is that it doesn ALWAYS go into "full screen" mode...
(i.e. blocking out everything including the task bar)

Sometimes - like just now it opens a normal Windows Explorer
window. And then 30 seconds later when I try it again to goes
back into doing its old tricks!

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Bob I]

have you tried using a different letter key in your CTRL+ALT+key.

 

[ship]

Yes I have about four different shortcuts going at once
each with different keys.

My latest discovery is that the FIRST time after I boot
it DOES open Windows Explorer in the normal (i.e. desired)
way. But thereafter it always puts Explorer into Full-screen type mode
and over-writes the task bar.

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[ship]

Well what the heck !

It's STILL not working.
I cant believe so many great brains have been defeated by such a
simple,
basic problem...!


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Bob I]

The "simple basic problem" is only on your PC. Pretty tough for "us" to
guess what you've put on the box that's causing the aberrant behavior.

 

[DianaH]

Here you go:
Press the key with the windows icon on it (between Ctrl and Alt). Use your
down error key to select "All Programs" is highlighted. (if that doesn't
work, keey pressing arrow keys until you get there). When "All Programs" is
selected, hit the "right" arrow key (wait a couple of seconds). Use the
down arrow key to reach "Accessories". Use the "right" arrow key to reach
"System Tools". Use the "down" arrow key until you reach "windows
explorer". (there's a pattern here!)

Press "enter".

That should do it. Good Luck!


Well what the heck !

It's STILL not working.
I cant believe so many great brains have been defeated by such a
simple,
basic problem...!


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[ship]

This worked in that it opened up a window without full-screen mode.
But it doesnt involve a keyboard short-cut!

And it's ONLY with keyboard short-cuts that the problem EVER occurs.

(i.e. that Windows Explorer opens up in "full-screen" mode, which then
covers the task bars and forces me to hit F11 to get it back to
"normal"
mode... And it's a serious pain to have to do this hitting F11 about
100
times per day!)

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Saruman]

If an Explorer Window is closed while maximised, the next time it is opened,
it also opens maximised. If the Restore Down Button is used before closing
the Window, then that setting is remembered and the next time the window
opens it is not in full screen.

(Normally that is unless something else locally has been done to affect
this)

Saruman

 

[ship]

Confused - where do you find the "Restore Down Button"?

Ship

 

[Wesley Vogel]

If the window is already maximized, the Maximize button changes to a Restore
Down button. When you click the Restore Down button, the window resumes its
previous (pre-maximized) dimensions.

Pictures here...
Minimize, maximize, restore down and close
http://www.pcdoctor-guide.com/wordpress/?p=1725

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In