Managing Files, Folders, and Search Methods
In Windows 2000 Professional, Windows Explorer is located in the Accessories folder. Using Windows Explorer, you can easily add, remove, reorder, and size columns by right-clicking any column heading.
By default, the My Documents folder is selected when Windows Explorer opens. You can change the focus to My Computer.
To open Windows Explorer with My Computer selected
Click Start , point to Programs , point to Accessories , right-click Windows Explorer , and then click Properties .
On the Shortcut tab, type the following text in the Target box:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
To restore Windows Explorer to the default My Documents view
Click Start , point to Programs , point to Accessories , right-click Windows Explorer , and then click Properties .
On the Shortcut tab, type the following text in the Target box:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
Command Line Switches for Windows Explorer
You can control the functionality of Windows Explorer by using the command-line switches listed in Table 9.4.
Use the following syntax:
EXPLORER.EXE [/n][/e][,/root,<object>][[,/select],<sub object>]
Table 9.4 Command-Line Switches to Control Windows Explorer
Command-Line Switch |
Description |
|---|---|
/n |
Opens a new window in single-paned (My Computer) view for each item selected, even if the new window duplicates a window that is already open. |
/e |
Uses Windows Explorer view. Windows Explorer view is similar to File Manager in Windows version 3. x . Note that the default view is Open view. |
/root,<object> |
Specifies the root level of the specified view. The default is to use the normal namespace root (the desktop). Whatever is specified is the root for the display. |
/select,<sub object> |
Specifies the folder to receive the initial focus. If / select is used, the parent folder is opened and the specified object is selected. |
The following examples illustrate how you can use command-line switches to modify the way you view folders and objects in Windows Explorer:
To view objects on \\<server name> only:
explorer /e,/root,\\<server name>
To view the C:\Windows folder and select Calc.exe:
explorer /select,c:\windows\calc.exe
Group Policy Settings That Affect Windows Explorer
You can use a Group Policy setting or a combination of Group Policy settings to control the functioning of Windows Explorer. For more information about using Group Policy with Windows 2000 Server, see Group Policy and Introduction to Desktop Management in the Distributed Systems Guide .
Table 9.5 lists some of the Group Policy settings that affect Windows Explorer and provides a brief description of each. Before you change a Group Policy setting, you should be familiar with using Group Policy and MMC snap-ins. To make changes to these settings, you must log on as a member of the Administrators group. You can find these Group Policy settings by using the Group Policy MMC snap-in and then following this path:
Local Computer Policy\User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer
Table 9.5 Group Policy Settings That Affect Windows Explorer
Group Policy Setting |
Description |
|---|---|
Enable Classic Shell |
Disables Active Desktop, Web View, Thumbnails view, and single-click mouse option. User interface looks and acts like Windows NT 4.0. |
Remove File menu from Windows Explorer |
Hides the File menu in My Computer and Windows Explorer. Does not disable other methods of performing the same tasks. |
Remove Map Network Drive and Disconnect Network Drive |
Prevents you from using Windows Explorer and My Network Places to connect to or disconnect from other computers. |
Remove Search button from Windows Explorer |
Hides the Search button in Windows Explorer but shows it in Internet Explorer and on the Start menu. |
Disable Windows Explorer's default context menu |
Prevents shortcut menus from appearing when you right-click items in Windows Explorer. |
Hides the Manage item on the Windows Explorer context menu |
Prevents the Compmgmt.msc file from running when you choose the Manage command in Windows Explorer or shortcut menus in My Computer. |
Hide these specified drives in My Computer |
Removes icons that represent selected disk drives from My Computer and Windows Explorer. |
Prevent access to drives from My Computer |
Prevents viewing content on selected drives in My Computer, Windows Explorer, and My Network Places. Disables the Run command, the Map Network Drive dialog box, and the Dir command at the command prompt. |
Disable UI to change menu animation setting |
Disables the option that animates the movement of windows, menus, and lists. |
Disable UI to change keyboard navigation indicator setting |
Disables the Hide keyboard navigation indicators until I use the Alt key check box on the Effects tab of Display in Control Panel. |
Disable DFS tab |
Removes the DFS tab from the Properties dialog box when you right-click a folder in Windows Explorer or in other programs that use the Windows Explorer browser, such as My Computer. As a result, users cannot use this tab to view or change the properties of the Distributed file system shares that are available from their computer. |
No Computers Near Me in My Network Places |
Prevents computers in the user's workgroup or domain from appearing in My Network Places or Windows Explorer. |
No Entire Network in My Network Places |
Prevents any computer that is outside the user's workgroup from appearing as network resources in My Network Places or Windows Explorer. |
For additional information about Group Policy settings, including a more complete description of each setting, right-click the Group Policy setting, click Properties , and then click the Explain tab, or refer to the Group Policy Reference on the Microsoft Windows 2000 Resource Kit companion CD.