Folder double-click or Open doesn't do anything

[dave xnet]

Some of the folders have this odd behavior while others
are working normally.

If I attempt to open (right click/Open) or
double click, nothing happens. However, if I
right click/explore, it operates normally and the explore
window opens displaying the contents.

Any thoughts on this?
Thanks,
Dave

 

[thanatoid]

dave xnet <davexnet02DEL@ETEyahoo.com> wrote in
news3v12417boi890viht782bejbmhki7t1j9@4ax.com:

> Some of the folders have this odd behavior while others
> are working normally.
>
> If I attempt to open (right click/Open) or
> double click, nothing happens. However, if I
> right click/explore, it operates normally and the explore
> window opens displaying the contents.
>
> Any thoughts on this?
> Thanks,
> Dave

I have never personally run across this, but:

Is/has it ALWAYS been like this? Does it continue like that
after a complete reboot?

It's Windows. We should be grateful it works at all. (I
suppose).

You might consider getting a real file manager. I bought, use
constantly (you would not believe what it can do) and recommend
the one from www.ghisler.com, or a free (but missing some
advanced features) ripoff called "free commander". Google. There
are about a hundred others.


--
There is no doubt that life is given us, not to be enjoyed, but
to be overcome--to be got over.

- Arthur Schopenhauer

 

[PCR]

dave xnet wrote:
| Some of the folders have this odd behavior while others
| are working normally.

(1) Is it always the same folders that are abnormal?
(2) Which are they, then, & what are their Properties?
(3) Can you close & reopen Explorer to fix it?
(4) Does a reboot fix it?

| If I attempt to open (right click/Open) or
| double click, nothing happens. However, if I
| right click/explore, it operates normally and the explore
| window opens displaying the contents.
|
| Any thoughts on this?

(1) "Start button, Settings, Folder Options".
Switch from style to style to jog a setting. But, in the end,
Web style is to be avoided.

(2) "START, Run, MSInfo32, Tools menu, IE Repair Tool"
It produces a rather large "Fix IE Log.txt" in C:\Windows. IE & E
are basically one & the same. If this crashes, an over-install of IE is
indicated.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=194177
Description of the Internet Explorer Repair Tool

| Thanks,
| Dave

--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net

 

[dave xnet]

On Fri, 9 May 2008 21:04:32 -0400, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:

>dave xnet wrote:
>| Some of the folders have this odd behavior while others
>| are working normally.
>
>(1) Is it always the same folders that are abnormal?
>(2) Which are they, then, & what are their Properties?
>(3) Can you close & reopen Explorer to fix it?
>(4) Does a reboot fix it?
>
>| If I attempt to open (right click/Open) or
>| double click, nothing happens. However, if I
>| right click/explore, it operates normally and the explore
>| window opens displaying the contents.
>|
>| Any thoughts on this?
>
>(1) "Start button, Settings, Folder Options".
> Switch from style to style to jog a setting. But, in the end,
> Web style is to be avoided.
>
>(2) "START, Run, MSInfo32, Tools menu, IE Repair Tool"
> It produces a rather large "Fix IE Log.txt" in C:\Windows. IE & E
>are basically one & the same. If this crashes, an over-install of IE is
>indicated.
>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=194177
>Description of the Internet Explorer Repair Tool
>
>| Thanks,
>| Dave
Wasn't able to fix it by playing with folder options.
I remembered that I had an ancient Windows 95
install on this machine, it's in a 600MB hidden
partiton.

I booted it up and checked he registry at
hkey-classes-root/Folder and exported it.
Checked it against Windows 98 and found the follwoing difference
at location Hkey_classes_root\folder\shell\open\ddexec:

windows 98
@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"

Windows 95
@="[ViewFolder(%l, %I, %S)]"

As soon as I changed it to the Win95 value,
the problem was fixed.

 

[PCR]

dave xnet wrote:
| On Fri, 9 May 2008 21:04:32 -0400, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:
|
|>dave xnet wrote:
|>| Some of the folders have this odd behavior while others
|>| are working normally.
|>
|>(1) Is it always the same folders that are abnormal?
|>(2) Which are they, then, & what are their Properties?
|>(3) Can you close & reopen Explorer to fix it?
|>(4) Does a reboot fix it?
|>
|>| If I attempt to open (right click/Open) or
|>| double click, nothing happens. However, if I
|>| right click/explore, it operates normally and the explore
|>| window opens displaying the contents.
|>|
|>| Any thoughts on this?
|>
|>(1) "Start button, Settings, Folder Options".
|> Switch from style to style to jog a setting. But, in the end,
|> Web style is to be avoided.
|>
|>(2) "START, Run, MSInfo32, Tools menu, IE Repair Tool"
|> It produces a rather large "Fix IE Log.txt" in C:\Windows. IE &
|>E are basically one & the same. If this crashes, an over-install of
|>IE is indicated.
|>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=194177
|>Description of the Internet Explorer Repair Tool
|>
|>| Thanks,
|>| Dave
| Wasn't able to fix it by playing with folder options.
| I remembered that I had an ancient Windows 95
| install on this machine, it's in a 600MB hidden
| partiton.
|
| I booted it up and checked he registry at
| hkey-classes-root/Folder and exported it.
| Checked it against Windows 98 and found the follwoing difference
| at location Hkey_classes_root\folder\shell\open\ddexec:
|
| windows 98
| @="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
|
| Windows 95
| @="[ViewFolder(%l, %I, %S)]"
|
| As soon as I changed it to the Win95 value,
| the problem was fixed.

Mine in Win98SE is...

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
"NoActivateHandler"=""

HOWEVER, I guess you are fine with the Win95 setting, if all seems to be
working well now. It's not like you are XP-irradiated!


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Sounds to me like the problem wasn't fixed, only a symptom. Sounds to me
like you have a mis-matched file(s) there. What did you
install/update/uninstall around the time this behavior started?

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"dave xnet" <davexnet02DEL@ETEyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:cvap2414i77aplsljp73gtgrakg98k8ik9@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 9 May 2008 21:04:32 -0400, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:
>
>>dave xnet wrote:
>>| Some of the folders have this odd behavior while others
>>| are working normally.
>>
>>(1) Is it always the same folders that are abnormal?
>>(2) Which are they, then, & what are their Properties?
>>(3) Can you close & reopen Explorer to fix it?
>>(4) Does a reboot fix it?
>>
>>| If I attempt to open (right click/Open) or
>>| double click, nothing happens. However, if I
>>| right click/explore, it operates normally and the explore
>>| window opens displaying the contents.
>>|
>>| Any thoughts on this?
>>
>>(1) "Start button, Settings, Folder Options".
>> Switch from style to style to jog a setting. But, in the end,
>> Web style is to be avoided.
>>
>>(2) "START, Run, MSInfo32, Tools menu, IE Repair Tool"
>> It produces a rather large "Fix IE Log.txt" in C:\Windows. IE & E
>>are basically one & the same. If this crashes, an over-install of IE is
>>indicated.
>>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=194177
>>Description of the Internet Explorer Repair Tool
>>
>>| Thanks,
>>| Dave
> Wasn't able to fix it by playing with folder options.
> I remembered that I had an ancient Windows 95
> install on this machine, it's in a 600MB hidden
> partiton.
>
> I booted it up and checked he registry at
> hkey-classes-root/Folder and exported it.
> Checked it against Windows 98 and found the follwoing difference
> at location Hkey_classes_root\folder\shell\open\ddexec:
>
> windows 98
> @="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
>
> Windows 95
> @="[ViewFolder(%l, %I, %S)]"
>
> As soon as I changed it to the Win95 value,
> the problem was fixed.

 

[dave xnet]

On Thu, 15 May 2008 16:10:25 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:

>Sounds to me like the problem wasn't fixed, only a symptom. Sounds to me
>like you have a mis-matched file(s) there. What did you
>install/update/uninstall around the time this behavior started?
Hello Gary,
unfortunately, very difficult to tell.
The machine is seldom used, just a few old games my
kids play. I did recently go through a cycle of the video
driver (ATI Radeon catalyst) and Via 4in1, chipset drivers,
but I think it may have existed before, just not certain.

One other thing I updated recently was the
Microsoft foundation class MFC redistributable VC++ from 2005,
but I can't swear the problem didn't already exist
before that either. I did this because the Norton registry
search tool was crashing in mfc42??.dll - (it still crashes after
running the VC++ update)

It's just a few folders - reboot doesn't affect it, I've tried
scandisk and and Nortons Disk Doctor (I've had NU2000 installed for
years - not running real time progs)

Now it seems I've installed a value from Windows 95, and at the
moment, it appears as if it's fixed.

PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.

 

[Gary S. Terhune]

Well, like I said, the "Problem" is almost certainly not the behavior your
observed, that was just a symptom that you managed to alleviate. Not sure
there's anything you can do about it, either. You can't uninstall that set
of runtimes.

Perhaps than force reinstalling IE6SP1. I dunno. Of course, you've fixed
what bothered you, so you could of course proceed as if everything is fine
unless and until you run into other odd behavior.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS-MVP Shell/User
www.grystmill.com

"dave xnet" <davexnet02DEL@ETEyahoo.com> wrote in message
news0kp24h24df3el51g8gr4r2f2mqg89p133@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 15 May 2008 16:10:25 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:
>
>>Sounds to me like the problem wasn't fixed, only a symptom. Sounds to me
>>like you have a mis-matched file(s) there. What did you
>>install/update/uninstall around the time this behavior started?
> Hello Gary,
> unfortunately, very difficult to tell.
> The machine is seldom used, just a few old games my
> kids play. I did recently go through a cycle of the video
> driver (ATI Radeon catalyst) and Via 4in1, chipset drivers,
> but I think it may have existed before, just not certain.
>
> One other thing I updated recently was the
> Microsoft foundation class MFC redistributable VC++ from 2005,
> but I can't swear the problem didn't already exist
> before that either. I did this because the Norton registry
> search tool was crashing in mfc42??.dll - (it still crashes after
> running the VC++ update)
>
> It's just a few folders - reboot doesn't affect it, I've tried
> scandisk and and Nortons Disk Doctor (I've had NU2000 installed for
> years - not running real time progs)
>
> Now it seems I've installed a value from Windows 95, and at the
> moment, it appears as if it's fixed.
>
> PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.
>

 

[PCR]

dave xnet wrote:
| On Thu, 15 May 2008 16:10:25 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:
|
|>Sounds to me like the problem wasn't fixed, only a symptom. Sounds to
|>me like you have a mis-matched file(s) there. What did you
|>install/update/uninstall around the time this behavior started?
| Hello Gary,
| unfortunately, very difficult to tell.
| The machine is seldom used, just a few old games my
| kids play. I did recently go through a cycle of the video
| driver (ATI Radeon catalyst) and Via 4in1, chipset drivers,
| but I think it may have existed before, just not certain.
|
| One other thing I updated recently was the
| Microsoft foundation class MFC redistributable VC++ from 2005,
| but I can't swear the problem didn't already exist
| before that either. I did this because the Norton registry
| search tool was crashing in mfc42??.dll - (it still crashes after
| running the VC++ update)
|
| It's just a few folders - reboot doesn't affect it, I've tried
| scandisk and and Nortons Disk Doctor (I've had NU2000 installed for
| years - not running real time progs)
|
| Now it seems I've installed a value from Windows 95, and at the
| moment, it appears as if it's fixed.
|
| PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.

You are welcome. That is a complex area of the Registry. I see both
avast! & WinZip have added entries nearby, & the Briefcase (which I
hate) is nearby too. But here is everything under Folder than seems to
be pure Win98SE, unaffected by those...


===== Export starts after this line=============
REGEDIT4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
"NoActivateHandler"=""
@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\application]
@="Folders"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\topic]
@="AppProperties"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\ifexec]
@="[]"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command]
@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
@=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
"NoActivateHandler"=""
@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
@="Folders"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
@="AppProperties"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
@="[]"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L"

===== Export ends before this line ============
===== and includes the blank line ============


Other than the single Win95 datum you've now got, does your Registry
look just like that from ...Shell on? If not, maybe export what you've
got & import mine. If you revert to the unwanted behavior, switch it
back again.

OR... just let it be, if all seems to be working well enough.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net

 

[dave xnet]

On Fri, 16 May 2008 19:12:01 -0400, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:

>dave xnet wrote:
>| On Thu, 15 May 2008 16:10:25 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:
>|
>|>Sounds to me like the problem wasn't fixed, only a symptom. Sounds to
>|>me like you have a mis-matched file(s) there. What did you
>|>install/update/uninstall around the time this behavior started?
>| Hello Gary,
>| unfortunately, very difficult to tell.
>| The machine is seldom used, just a few old games my
>| kids play. I did recently go through a cycle of the video
>| driver (ATI Radeon catalyst) and Via 4in1, chipset drivers,
>| but I think it may have existed before, just not certain.
>|
>| One other thing I updated recently was the
>| Microsoft foundation class MFC redistributable VC++ from 2005,
>| but I can't swear the problem didn't already exist
>| before that either. I did this because the Norton registry
>| search tool was crashing in mfc42??.dll - (it still crashes after
>| running the VC++ update)
>|
>| It's just a few folders - reboot doesn't affect it, I've tried
>| scandisk and and Nortons Disk Doctor (I've had NU2000 installed for
>| years - not running real time progs)
>|
>| Now it seems I've installed a value from Windows 95, and at the
>| moment, it appears as if it's fixed.
>|
>| PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.
>
>You are welcome. That is a complex area of the Registry. I see both
>avast! & WinZip have added entries nearby, & the Briefcase (which I
>hate) is nearby too. But here is everything under Folder than seems to
>be pure Win98SE, unaffected by those...
>
>
>===== Export starts after this line=============
>REGEDIT4
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
>@=""
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open]
>@=""
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
>"NoActivateHandler"=""
>@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\application]
>@="Folders"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\topic]
>@="AppProperties"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\ifexec]
>@="[]"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command]
>@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
>@=""
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
>"NoActivateHandler"=""
>@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
>@="Folders"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
>@="AppProperties"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
>@="[]"
>
>[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
>@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L"
>
>===== Export ends before this line ============
>===== and includes the blank line ============
>
>
>Other than the single Win95 datum you've now got, does your Registry
>look just like that from ...Shell on? If not, maybe export what you've
>got & import mine. If you revert to the unwanted behavior, switch it
>back again.
>
>OR... just let it be, if all seems to be working well enough.
Well I just took a cursory glance at the 98 values
before I deleted it and merged in the whole of the 95
"folder" key.
I had winzip and winrar installed in both.
AS you say, both have entries in there.
I expected them to be the same, and they nearly were,
except a couple of the CLSID's eferenced by winzip had a slight
difference. (fixed that).
Before I deleted the 98 "folder" key I EXPorted it first.
I haven't been through it line by line yet,
but I can put it back as it was if I have to.
I'll do a compare tomorow with the 95 version,
compare it to your lines above, and I'll
post back what comes up.
Thanks !

 

[PCR]

"dave xnet" <davexnet02DEL@ETEyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:qhms245chjf9ac1hn0ovnhv9akjj7er13t@4ax.com...
| On Fri, 16 May 2008 19:12:01 -0400, "PCR" <pcrrcp@netzero.net> wrote:
|
| >dave xnet wrote:
| >| On Thu, 15 May 2008 16:10:25 -0700, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> wrote:
| >|
| >|>Sounds to me like the problem wasn't fixed, only a symptom. Sounds
to
| >|>me like you have a mis-matched file(s) there. What did you
| >|>install/update/uninstall around the time this behavior started?
| >| Hello Gary,
| >| unfortunately, very difficult to tell.
| >| The machine is seldom used, just a few old games my
| >| kids play. I did recently go through a cycle of the video
| >| driver (ATI Radeon catalyst) and Via 4in1, chipset drivers,
| >| but I think it may have existed before, just not certain.
| >|
| >| One other thing I updated recently was the
| >| Microsoft foundation class MFC redistributable VC++ from 2005,
| >| but I can't swear the problem didn't already exist
| >| before that either. I did this because the Norton registry
| >| search tool was crashing in mfc42??.dll - (it still crashes after
| >| running the VC++ update)
| >|
| >| It's just a few folders - reboot doesn't affect it, I've tried
| >| scandisk and and Nortons Disk Doctor (I've had NU2000 installed
for
| >| years - not running real time progs)
| >|
| >| Now it seems I've installed a value from Windows 95, and at the
| >| moment, it appears as if it's fixed.
| >|
| >| PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.
| >
| >You are welcome. That is a complex area of the Registry. I see both
| >avast! & WinZip have added entries nearby, & the Briefcase (which I
| >hate) is nearby too. But here is everything under Folder than seems
to
| >be pure Win98SE, unaffected by those...
| >
| >
| >===== Export starts after this line=============
| >REGEDIT4
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
| >@=""
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open]
| >@=""
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
| >"NoActivateHandler"=""
| >@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\application]
| >@="Folders"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\topic]
| >@="AppProperties"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\ifexec]
| >@="[]"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command]
| >@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
| >@=""
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
| >"NoActivateHandler"=""
| >@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
| >@="Folders"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
| >@="AppProperties"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
| >@="[]"
| >
| >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
| >@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L"
| >
| >===== Export ends before this line ============
| >===== and includes the blank line ============
| >
| >
| >Other than the single Win95 datum you've now got, does your Registry
| >look just like that from ...Shell on? If not, maybe export what
you've
| >got & import mine. If you revert to the unwanted behavior, switch it
| >back again.
| >
| >OR... just let it be, if all seems to be working well enough.
|
| Well I just took a cursory glance at the 98 values
| before I deleted it and merged in the whole of the 95
| "folder" key.
| I had winzip and winrar installed in both.
| AS you say, both have entries in there.
| I expected them to be the same, and they nearly were,
| except a couple of the CLSID's eferenced by winzip had a slight
| difference. (fixed that).
| Before I deleted the 98 "folder" key I EXPorted it first.
| I haven't been through it line by line yet,
| but I can put it back as it was if I have to.
| I'll do a compare tomorow with the 95 version,
| compare it to your lines above, and I'll
| post back what comes up.
| Thanks !

You are welcome. OK-- sounds as if you know what you're doing. It is
always good to do an export before a delete! Right, make the comparisons
& report back. I did not post the nearby area of that Registry key that
contains my WinZip & avast! modifications.

If you restore your Win98 registry key, & the problem reappears, then...

You say it was only a few folders that were not opening when clicked in
Explorer? Did they have different Property settings than the others? For
instance, was Thumbnail view enabled for them? Were they customized?
Perhaps turn both of those off & on again to jog a setting. Also...

(1) Undo Active Desktop.

(a) R-Clk the Desktop, point to Active Desktop, & select Customize my
Desktop.
(b) Uncheck "View my Active Desktop as a WEB page" & Apply.

Is there anything in the box under that item? Those are WEB sites that
would appear on the Desktop. Delete them.

(c) At the Effects tab, uncheck "Hide icons when the Desktop is viewed
as a WEB page" & OK.
(d) R-Clk the Desktop, & uncheck "View as WEB page".

(2) "START, Settings, Folder Options, General tab". Set to "Classic
style". If all gets better, click "Custom...", & gingerly go back to how
you like it. But stay away from "Enable all Web related content...".

 

[davexnet01@yahoo.com]

On May 17, 4:52 pm, "PCR" <pcr...@netzero.net> wrote:
> "dave xnet" <davexnet02...@ETEyahoo.com> wrote in message
>
> news:qhms245chjf9ac1hn0ovnhv9akjj7er13t@4ax.com...
<snip>

> | >| PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.
> | >
> | >You are welcome. That is a complex area of the Registry. I see both
> | >avast! & WinZip have added entries nearby, & the Briefcase (which I
> | >hate) is nearby too. But here is everything under Folder than seems
> to
> | >be pure Win98SE, unaffected by those...
> | >
> | >
> | >===== Export starts after this line=============
> | >REGEDIT4
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
> | >@=""
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open]
> | >@=""
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
> | >"NoActivateHandler"=""
> | >@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\application]
> | >@="Folders"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\topic]
> | >@="AppProperties"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\ifexec]
> | >@="[]"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command]
> | >@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
> | >@=""
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
> | >"NoActivateHandler"=""
> | >@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
> | >@="Folders"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
> | >@="AppProperties"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
> | >@="[]"
> | >
> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
> | >@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L"
> | >
> | >===== Export ends before this line ============
> | >===== and includes the blank line ============
> | >
> | >
> | >Other than the single Win95 datum you've now got, does your Registry
> | >look just like that from ...Shell on? If not, maybe export what
> you've
> | >got & import mine. If you revert to the unwanted behavior, switch it
> | >back again.
> | >
> | >OR... just let it be, if all seems to be working well enough.
> |
> | Well I just took a cursory glance at the 98 values
> | before I deleted it and merged in the whole of the 95
> | "folder" key.
> | I had winzip and winrar installed in both.
> | AS you say, both have entries in there.
> | I expected them to be the same, and they nearly were,
> | except a couple of the CLSID's eferenced by winzip had a slight
> | difference. (fixed that).
> | Before I deleted the 98 "folder" key I EXPorted it first.
> | I haven't been through it line by line yet,
> | but I can put it back as it was if I have to.
> | I'll do a compare tomorow with the 95 version,
> | compare it to your lines above, and I'll
> | post back what comes up.
> | Thanks !
>
> You are welcome. OK-- sounds as if you know what you're doing. It is
> always good to do an export before a delete! Right, make the comparisons
> & report back. I did not post the nearby area of that Registry key that
> contains my WinZip & avast! modifications.
>
> If you restore your Win98 registry key, & the problem reappears, then...
>
> You say it was only a few folders that were not opening when clicked in
> Explorer? Did they have different Property settings than the others? For
> instance, was Thumbnail view enabled for them? Were they customized?
> Perhaps turn both of those off & on again to jog a setting. Also...
>
> (1) Undo Active Desktop.
>
> (a) R-Clk the Desktop, point to Active Desktop, & select Customize my
> Desktop.
> (b) Uncheck "View my Active Desktop as a WEB page" & Apply.
>
> Is there anything in the box under that item? Those are WEB sites that
> would appear on the Desktop. Delete them.
>
> (c) At the Effects tab, uncheck "Hide icons when the Desktop is viewed
> as a WEB page" & OK.
> (d) R-Clk the Desktop, & uncheck "View as WEB page".
>
> (2) "START, Settings, Folder Options, General tab". Set to "Classic
> style". If all gets better, click "Custom...", & gingerly go back to how
> you like it. But stay away from "Enable all Web related content...".
I checked the 98 registry against your sample.
Mine is identical to your except for the value to these lines.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
"NoActivateHandler"=""
@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
"NoActivateHandler"=""
@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"

where in my case the data value now is
[ExploreFolder("%l", %I, %S)] and [ViewFolder("%l", %I, %S)]
respectively. Active desktop is turned off, I checked all the items
you mentioned.
I tried generic classic and the problem still existed.
I first noticed the problem after creating a few folders right on the
desktop.
Doubleclicking on them did nothing, but right click/explore worked.
I then opened "my computer" double clicked a few of the folders in
there and found one or two
more that exhibited the problem.
I've been unable to account for any attributes that may be involved.
The PC is dual boot with
win2k - opening the same folders in win2k is not an issue - works
normally.
For now I'm going to leave it as-is, since it appears to be working
normally since I
replaced those registry values. The ddeexec part of the key may be a
clue.
Perhaps I'll research that and see if I can find out anything.
Dave

 

[PCR]

davexnet01@yahoo.com wrote:
| On May 17, 4:52 pm, "PCR" <pcr...@netzero.net> wrote:
|> "dave xnet" <davexnet02...@ETEyahoo.com> wrote in message
|>
|> news:qhms245chjf9ac1hn0ovnhv9akjj7er13t@4ax.com...
| <snip>
|
|> | >| PCR - thanks for pointing out the registry information.
|> | >
|> | >You are welcome. That is a complex area of the Registry. I see
|> | >both avast! & WinZip have added entries nearby, & the Briefcase
|> | >(which I hate) is nearby too. But here is everything under Folder
|> | >than seems to be pure Win98SE, unaffected by those...
|> | >
|> | >
|> | >===== Export starts after this line=============
|> | >REGEDIT4
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
|> | >@=""
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open]
|> | >@=""
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
|> | >"NoActivateHandler"=""
|> | >@="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\application]
|> | >@="Folders"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\topic]
|> | >@="AppProperties"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec\ifexec]
|> | >@="[]"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\command]
|> | >@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /idlist,%I,%L"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore]
|> | >@=""
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
|> | >"NoActivateHandler"=""
|> | >@="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\application]
|> | >@="Folders"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\topic]
|> | >@="AppProperties"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec\ifexec]
|> | >@="[]"
|> | >
|> | >[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\command]
|> | >@="c:\\windows\\Explorer.exe /e,/idlist,%I,%L"
|> | >
|> | >===== Export ends before this line ============
|> | >===== and includes the blank line ============
|> | >
|> | >
|> | >Other than the single Win95 datum you've now got, does your
|> | >Registry look just like that from ...Shell on? If not, maybe
|> | >export what you've got & import mine. If you revert to the
|> | >unwanted behavior, switch it back again.
|> | >
|> | >OR... just let it be, if all seems to be working well enough.
|> |
|> | Well I just took a cursory glance at the 98 values
|> | before I deleted it and merged in the whole of the 95
|> | "folder" key.
|> | I had winzip and winrar installed in both.
|> | AS you say, both have entries in there.
|> | I expected them to be the same, and they nearly were,
|> | except a couple of the CLSID's eferenced by winzip had a slight
|> | difference. (fixed that).
|> | Before I deleted the 98 "folder" key I EXPorted it first.
|> | I haven't been through it line by line yet,
|> | but I can put it back as it was if I have to.
|> | I'll do a compare tomorow with the 95 version,
|> | compare it to your lines above, and I'll
|> | post back what comes up.
|> | Thanks !
|>
|> You are welcome. OK-- sounds as if you know what you're doing. It is
|> always good to do an export before a delete! Right, make the
|> comparisons & report back. I did not post the nearby area of that
|> Registry key that contains my WinZip & avast! modifications.
|>
|> If you restore your Win98 registry key, & the problem reappears,
|> then...
|>
|> You say it was only a few folders that were not opening when clicked
|> in Explorer? Did they have different Property settings than the
|> others? For instance, was Thumbnail view enabled for them? Were they
|> customized? Perhaps turn both of those off & on again to jog a
|> setting. Also...
|>
|> (1) Undo Active Desktop.
|>
|> (a) R-Clk the Desktop, point to Active Desktop, & select Customize
|> my Desktop.
|> (b) Uncheck "View my Active Desktop as a WEB page" & Apply.
|>
|> Is there anything in the box under that item? Those are WEB sites
|> that would appear on the Desktop. Delete them.
|>
|> (c) At the Effects tab, uncheck "Hide icons when the Desktop is
|> viewed as a WEB page" & OK.
|> (d) R-Clk the Desktop, & uncheck "View as WEB page".
|>
|> (2) "START, Settings, Folder Options, General tab". Set to "Classic
|> style". If all gets better, click "Custom...", & gingerly go back to
|> how you like it. But stay away from "Enable all Web related
|> content...".
| I checked the 98 registry against your sample.
| Mine is identical to your except for the value to these lines.
| HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\explore\ddeexec]
| "NoActivateHandler"=""
| @="[ExploreFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
| [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open\ddeexec]
| "NoActivateHandler"=""
| @="[ViewFolder(\"%l\", %I, %S)]"
|
| where in my case the data value now is
| [ExploreFolder("%l", %I, %S)] and [ViewFolder("%l", %I, %S)]
| respectively. Active desktop is turned off, I checked all the items
| you mentioned.

Alright. I was thinking that maybe there were more differences between
what you had to begin with & true Win98 lines. Then, if you went back to
true lines as a whole, it might fix you better than the small reversion
to Win95 did. I guess it won't. Still -- I don't know -- unless you have
already done it -- maybe revert those two lines temporarily anyhow --
just to see whether it was a coincidence that taking the Win95 lines was
the cure. If not, go back again.

| I tried generic classic and the problem still existed.

I was hoping it might jog a setting. Too bad it didn't!

| I first noticed the problem after creating a few folders right on the
| desktop.
| Doubleclicking on them did nothing, but right click/explore worked.

Mine all work.

| I then opened "my computer" double clicked a few of the folders in
| there and found one or two
| more that exhibited the problem.

Mine all work in there too. Open (whether by click of an icon or R-Clk,
Open) seems to open it in the same instance of Explorer-- so that the
back & forward arrows work. R-Clk, Explore, opens it in a new instance--
so that it may be minimized & the original window shows up. But that
behavior to some extent is controlled by settings... uh, such as...

"START button, Settings, Folder Options, bolt Custom, Settings button,
bolt Open each Folder in the Same Window"

That is why I wanted you to switch settings to & fro-- too, too bad it
didn't work!

| I've been unable to account for any attributes that may be involved.

Alright. Too bad.

| The PC is dual boot with
| win2k - opening the same folders in win2k is not an issue - works
| normally.

I don't know whether Win2K could be putting secret markings on folders.
I never heard of such a thing, though, & I guess it would happen to all
of them, not just to some.

| For now I'm going to leave it as-is, since it appears to be working
| normally since I
| replaced those registry values.

That may be best for now. As Terhune suggested, keep in mind you may
some day notice other peculiarities. Then, bring up this matter again
along with the new thing.

| The ddeexec part of the key may be a
| clue.
| Perhaps I'll research that and see if I can find out anything.

Absolutely, & keep us informed. I don't know what that is. It doesn't
appear to be a separate program, but may be a function of Explorer.exe.
What is your version of it. Here is what I've got for Win98SE...

EXPLORER.EXE
Desc: Windows Explorer
Loc: C:\WINDOWS
Size: 180,224 bytes
Mod: Friday, April 23, 1999 10:22:00 PM
Ver: 4.72.3110.1

You should have only one, & it should be in C:\Windows...!...

C:\>DIR C:\Explorer.exe /a /s
Directory of C:\WINDOWS
EXPLORER EXE 180,224 04-23-99 10:22p EXPLORER.EXE

| Dave

--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
Should things get worse after this,
PCR
pcrrcp@netzero.net