Windows Explorer

[Jim]

I know I saw the answer somewhere, but??????? Tried a bunch of stuff from MS
web site without success. What I want is that when I right click START, then
Explorer, I want to start at My Computer rather than an expanded C: drive view.
More often than not, I want to go somewhere different from the default
C:/Documents and Settings/*name*/Start Menu.

TIA.................Jim

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Start button right click menu.

You cannot change this. These are all shortcuts to the 2 Start Menu folders
for the user that is logged on. The User and All Users.

The Start button right click menu contains:
Open
Explore
Search
Properties
Open All Users
Explore All Users
And others depending on what software you have installed.

When right clicking the Start button and selecting Explore, you are not
opening Windows Explorer per se. You are opening a Start Menu folder.

You have four choices of how to open two folders; Open, Explore, Open
All Users and Explore All Users. These are just shortcuts to the two
folders.

Depending on a bunch of settings, but generally...
Explore opens folders with Folders pane on the left.
Open opens folders with common tasks showing on the left.

Right click Start button | Open defaults to %userprofile%\Start Menu with
the
Common Tasks pane showing.

Right click Start button | Explore defaults to %userprofile%\Start Menu with
the Folders pane displayed.

Right click Start button | Open All Users defaults to
%allusersprofile%\Start Menu with the Common Tasks pane showing.

Right click Start button | Explore All Users defaults to
%allusersprofile%\Start Menu with the Folders pane displayed.

The %userprofile%\Start Menu folder is the Start Menu folder for whoever
happens to be logged on, i.e. the Current User.

The whole context menu is for the Start Menu and nothing else.

How any folder opens depends on how different options are set on your
machine. Basically Open will open a folder with Common Tasks displayed and
Explore will open a folder with the Folder Pane displayed.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[AEI Computer Tech]

Okay, While this isn't a "fix" persay for your wanting to use the Start
button, howabout the following as an alternative:

1.) Right-click on an open space of your desktop
2.) Highlight "New" and then left-click "Shortcut"
3.) In the first field that displays, type the following:

explorer.exe /e

4.) Left-click Next
5.) Name your icon or leave the default "explorer.exe"
6.) Left-click Finish.
7.) Now you have an icon on your desktop that when clicked will
automatically open Windows Explorer and go straight to the root of C:\

For all I know, there may be a way to edit the Registry and actually
add this type of a shortcut to your Start button, but at the very least
you could add it to the Taskbar as a clickable icon.

Hope this helps

//cobalt2020
www.aeicomputertech.com
www.aeiwebdesign.com

 

[Jim]

Many thanks to you both. The last reply got me thinking, and digging led me to:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/start_explorer_in_c_drive.htm

with lots of things to try.


Jim

 

[Wesley Vogel]

[[When you open Windows Explorer using the Windows Explorer shortcut on the
Start menu, the My Documents folder is selected by default.]]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/221878

[[By default, Windows Explorer starts in the My Documents folder. ]]
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257518

This will create a shortcut to C: with the Folders Pane showing.
Right click the Desktop | New | Shortcut |
Type or copy and paste this in the box:

%windir%\EXPLORER.EXE /e,c:

Click Next | Type or paste WINDOWS EXPLORER in the Type a name for this
shortcut box | Click Finish

Or change the Target of your existing shortcut to
%windir%\EXPLORER.EXE /e,c:
-----

Or create a shortcut to explorer.exe with this as the
Target: %windir%\explorer.scf

-----
Explorer.exe Command-Line Options for Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=314853

HOW TO: Customize the Windows Explorer Views in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307856

HOW TO: Have Windows Explorer Default to the %SystemRoot% Drive When Started
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=257518

HOW TO: Change Windows Explorer Default View to My Computer
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=221878

How to open folder in single pane when using the "Winkey + E" combination
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/winkeye.htm
-----

You can also assign a shortcut key to that shortcut.

Right click the shortcut | Properties | Shortcut tab |
[[With the cursor in the Shortcut key box, select the keyboard key you
want to use in combination with CTRL+ALT. Shortcut keys automatically start
with CTRL+ALT. The Shortcut key box will display None until you select the
key and then the box will display Ctrl+Alt+the key you selected. You cannot
use the ESC, ENTER, TAB, SPACEBAR, PRINT SCREEN, SHIFT, or BACKSPACE keys.

Note
Once you assign a shortcut key combination for a specific program, you will
not be able to use that key combination with other programs.]]

I use Ctrl + Alt + E.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In