Windows XP in a Nutshell

Name

Folder Options

Synopsis

Control the way folders appear in Explorer and configure file type associations.

To Open

Control Panel → [Appearance and Themes] → Folder Options

Windows Explorer → Tools → Folder Options

Command Prompt → control folders

Description

The Folder Options window has four tabs:

General

Of the three settings on this page, the one that may not be entirely self-explanatory is the Tasks section (see Figure 4-33). Microsoft has removed the highly criticized Web View found in earlier versions of Windows and added an optional feature called Common Tasks. When enabled, a common tasks pane appears along the left side of folder listings in Explorer and single-folder windows, which contains information and links related to the currently selected folder. Those new to Windows might appreciate the extra information, although advanced users will probably prefer to turn off Common Tasks to reduce screen clutter.

Figure 4-33. Among other things, the General tab lets you turn off the common tasks pane shown in many single folder windows

Of note in the Common Tasks pane is the feature to turn on or off the category view in Control Panel (covered earlier in this chapter), an otherwise unavailable setting.

Figure 4-34. Many settings that affect the display of folders and files are located ...