Changing Windows Explorer's Default Folder

Here are two Windows Explorer questions that apply to Windows NT
4/2000/XP. The first question is from reader Robert C.:

"How do I set the default folder that opens when I run Windows Explorer
or My Computer?"

Very closely related to this question is the following question from
reader Kevin McK.:

"I seem to remember that Explorer used to open with Drive C: expanded
in some long-obsolete version, but can't figure out how to do it in
Windows 2000. When I open Windows Explorer, it always expands and
displays the contents of My Documents. I'm sure there's a Registry
setting to achieve the behavior I'm after, but I can't find it.

Can you help?"

Let's suppose that you want Windows Explorer to open in the root folder
of Drive C:. Right-click the Windows Explorer shortcut that you use to
run the program and choose Properties. When the Windows Explorer
Properties dialog box opens, click the Shortcut tab. Click in the
Target entry box, and then press End. Add to the end of the existing
line /e, c:\. The complete line in the Target entry box should now be

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\

The /e switch tells Windows Explorer to open in the two pane explorer
mode and the c:\ tells it to open in folder C:\. If you wish to have
Explorer open at My Documents, you would use

%SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e, c:\My Documents

If you omit the /e switch, Windows Explorer opens in a single pane view.

Read more about how-to in ITworld's How-to section

» posted by ITworld staff

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