Explorer Not Working When Right Clicking Programs Start Menu

[dazz1973 0]

I just completed a fresh install of Windows XP Professional.

 

All drivers and programs installed and configured and system is running very smoothly.

 

However, when I go to organise the icons in the Start Menu -> All Programs, then one of the folders on this menu (e.g. Accessories) and right click, choose 'Explore' or 'Explore All Users', nothing happens. Explorer doesn't open up, and the right click menu just closes.

 

Explorer works fine when I choose the Explorer icon and in all other instances.

 

I navigated to these files via C Drive, Documents and Settings et cetera, but I do like things to work how they are suppose to, especially after a fresh install.

 

I tried to re-install over the top of the OS, no good, problem still there; I went back to an image of my HD when I was half way through the install and still had the same problem.

 

The programs I have installed are: Ad-aware, Acrobat 5.0, Photoshop 7, Atomic Clock Syn, BFFTP Server, CloneCD, Half-Life, Day of Defeat, EasyRecovery Professional, Fantom CD, Fireburner, FlashFXP, MS Office, mIRC, Nero, Winamp, WinMX, WinRAR, Drive Image 2002, PGP, MSN Messenger, NAV 2002, Webshots, DNS2GO, Netcaptor, and Real One Player.

 

Running WinXP Pro, AMD 1800+ CPU, Asus A7V266-E, ASUS GeForce 4 4600 GFX Card, 512 DDR RAM.

 

This is a long post for a simple question, but somebody with more knowledge than me might know the registry point I should edit to possibly fix this tiny problem (this is my 'uneducated' guess, that the explorer option in the menu is not being pointing to the Explorer program).

 

Any advice will be appreciated.

 

Cheers

 

Dazz

[Sampson 0]

I am not exactly certain what you are saying. Generally, the procedure is - right click on the Start Button. This brings up a menu from which you then choose Explore (if you want to view your own profile) or Explore All Users if you want to view how all other users. After choosing one or the other, Explorer presents you with its typical dual panel and you maneuver by clicking on the (+) in the left panel or double clicking on the folders in the right panel.

 

Perhaps, if you clarify the steps you are taking, I can replicate on my machine the glitch you are speaking of.

[dazz1973 0]

Sampson, yep that's exactly right... except for some reason that doesn't work for me. Click on 'Explore' or 'Explore all users' and nothing happens i.e. Explorer doesn't open.

 

Hope that clarifies.

 

Thanks for your post.

 

Cheers

 

Dazz

[Sampson 0]

Do you have TweakUI installed on your machine? It has been known to turn off the Start Button right click properties - Open the Tweak UI control panel. Click the My Computer tab. Every disk drive letter you see listed in that window should have a check mark beside it. Scroll through and place a check mark in every empty box and then click the OK button. Reboot your computer, and when you right-click your Start button, you should find the Open and Explore menu items fully functional.

[Sampson 0]

The other possibility is that your path to Windows Explorer is not set correctly. Right Click on Explorer Icon the Target should read something like: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe and Start In should read something like: %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%. I am still going through the registry. Look under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion

\Policies\Explorer and see what values are given on your machine.

[dazz1973 0]

The Properties/Target settings seem correct.

 

The registry path you gave, the values I located were:

Name Type Data

ab (Default) Reg_SZ (value not set)

NoDriveTypeAutoRun REG_DWORD 0x00000091 (145)

 

Not sure if this is standard or correct.

 

Thanks for you help Sampson

 

Dazz

[Sampson 0]

Perplexing. Mine is set to 95 (149) but that is probably a function of the menu items so yours is probably correct. There has to be something simple that we are overlooking.

[dazz1973 0]

I haven't tweaked or altered anything I shouldn't have, or installed any tweak programs at all or anything I can think of that may have alter such a setting... I just installed the programs I listed in my original post.

 

Hmmmm... well, still thinking... I can live with it, but I like to have things working how they are suppose to and I've always learnt more from the problems I have with computers (fixing those problems), than anything else.

 

Cheers

 

Dazz

[Admiral LSD 0]

Quote:

Atomic Clock Syn

If this does what I think it does then you shouldn't need it since the capability is built into Windows XP.

[Alien 1]

Quote:

If this does what I think it does then you shouldn't need it since the capability is built into Windows XP.

Yeah, but the built in 1 is crap, & often times out when trying to get a time update.

[dazz1973 0]

Didn't know Windows XP had some clock syncronisation program. Atomic Clock Syn works like a charm and I've been driven made over the years with my PC clock being out. I can buy a $5.00 digital watch which keeps perfect time, WTF can't a PC, which often cost in excessive of $2000, do the same? Doesn't surprise me that the WinXP syncro feature is complete crap.

 

I'll be sticking with Atomic Clock.

 

Dazz

[Cynan 0]

Hmm when I click open, or explore after right-clicking on an item in my Start Menu, it brings up the Move Items dialog box - something thats been bugging me for a while but I live with it.

[Admiral LSD 0]

Quote:

Didn't know Windows XP had some clock syncronisation program. Atomic Clock Syn works like a charm and I've been driven made over the years with my PC clock being out. I can buy a .00 digital watch which keeps perfect time, WTF can't a PC, which often cost in excessive of 00, do the same? Doesn't surprise me that the WinXP syncro feature is complete crap.

I'll be sticking with Atomic Clock.

Dazz

Is your motherboard battery OK?

[dazz1973 0]

Should be considering my mobo was bought in January this year and came with the battery.

 

I've always noticed that windows time keeping has been slack, no matter what version of windows I've been running.

 

Dazz

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