Edhawk -
Kelly has the answer, but perhaps a little more detail would help.
One of the first configuration settings I apply to each Windows environment
in which I work is the change you are describing. By default, shortcuts like
"My Computer" and "My Documents" open with what is often called the "My
Documents" view. This means that only the document area is displayed, with
no Folders tree at the left. The application running is still Explorer.exe,
but it is in a Macintosh-style, document-icons only view mode.
What controls this display mode is the default action defined for files of
type "Folder". The default behavior is named "open", and represents the My
Documents, one-pane view. The behavior you want is named "explore", and will
happen automatically for every future Windows Explorer window when set as the
Default action for files of File Type "Folder".
This setting is found in the Folder Options dialog, accessible either from
Control Panel - Folder Options, or Windows Explorer - Tools - Folder
Options...
On the Folder Options dialog, go to the File Types tab and look for the file
type with the extension (NONE) and the File Type of Folder. In Windows XP,
this is normally the fifth item from the top of the list. In earlier
versions of Windows (all the way back to Windows 95) this entry was much
lower in the list because the (NONE) entries did not sort to the top.
Apparently Microsoft realized that a lot of us want to change this setting.
Anyway, with the (NONE) Folder entry highlighted, click Advanced. In the
Edit File Type dialog Actions: list, you should see two entries: explore and
open. In general, either open will be in bold (the default) or neither
action will be bold, in which case open is what happens.
Click on explore, then on the Set Default button (explore will become bold).
Finally, click OK to close the Edit File Type dialog, and OK to close the
Folder Options control panel.
Now, forever more, whenever you click on My Documents, My Computer, My
Network Places, Windows Explorer, or double-click on a folder in any of these
views, Explorer will open using the two-pane mode with the Folder Tree on the
left and the Documents pane on the right.
As far as the default initial view for Windows Explorer, if you want
something other than My Documents or My Computer, create a shortcut that
points to the EXPLORER.EXE application using specific switches, including /e,
and /select and/or /root as described below:
Syntax
EXPLORER.EXE [/n][/e][,/root,<object>][[,/select],<sub object>]
Switches
/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 most 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.
To get a two pane Explorer window with nothing expanded use the following in
your shortcut:
Target: C:\Windows\EXPLORER.EXE /e,/select
Start in: \
