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  • Thread starter Thread starter bonehead
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bonehead

Okay, here's a totally trivial question which actually applies, in one
way or another, to pretty much all versions of Windows I've worked with:

When I open Windows Explorer, the File tree expands by default to

C:\Documents and Settings\my_user_account_folder\Start Menu

which is almost never the directory I want to go into, so the first
thing I usually do is collapse it.

Is there a way to turn off or alter this particular default?
 
Edit the shortcut's "Target" to read
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,D:\
Where D:\ is the drive and or directory you wish to expand.
 
Greetings --

Actually, that location is the default only if you start Windows
Explorer by right-clicking the "Start" button and choosing Explore.
Because you opened Explorer at what is, in affect, the Start Menu,
that's where you start out.

To have Windows Explorer start elsewhere, either open it by
left-clicking Start > Program Files > Accessories > Windows Explorer,
or create a customized shortcut to open where ever you prefer.

Basically, all you need do is modify the target field of your
Windows Explorer shortcut to point where you want it. For instance,
"%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e ,c:\" (without the quotes) would open
Explorer at the root of your C: drive.

Command-Line Switches for Windows Explorer
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q130510

WinNT Explorer Command-Line Options
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q152/4/57.asp


Bruce Chambers

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Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
Bruce said:
Greetings --

Actually, that location is the default only if you start Windows
Explorer by right-clicking the "Start" button and choosing Explore.
Because you opened Explorer at what is, in affect, the Start Menu,
that's where you start out.
Click to expand...

Ahh yes, I should have realized. Actually this is the way I usually
start Explorer; Since I like to use the Desktop toolbar I'll probably
just put a shortcut on the Desktop and open it that way in the future.
And I should have figured there'd be a MSKB article on Command-Line
Switches for Windows Explorer. Thanks for the links.
 
Greetings --

You're welcome. ;-}

Bruce Chambers

--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. -- RAH
 
I don't think it's a trivial question. I have been
wondering about that myself. They should have a section
in the knowledge base called all you ever wanted to know
about windows but were afraid to ask.
 
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