Copyright: Thursday, October 07, 1999 12:18:54


Tools/Folder Options/ General tab


Specifies whether the desktop looks and works like a Web page.


Specifies whether you want to use the Active Desktop. When this option is selected, your computer’s desktop looks and works like a Web page, and you can add Web content to it.


Specifies that you want your desktop to look and work like a classic Windows desktop instead of like a Web page.


Specifies whether Web content is displayed in folders.


Specifies that folder contents are displayed as Web pages. You can then customize the appearance of folders by modifying or creating Web pages in HTML.

The contents of My Computer and Control Panel are always displayed as Web pages even if this option is not selected.


Specifies that you want your folders to look and work like classic Windows folders, which means that folder contents do not look and work like Web pages.


Specifies how folders open.


Specifies that the contents of each folder open in the same window. To switch back to the previous folder, click the Back button on the toolbar, or press BACKSPACE.


Specifies that the contents of each folder open in a new window. The previous folder is still displayed in a different window, so you can switch between the folders.


Specifies the number of mouse clicks required to open items.


Specifies that you want to open items in folders and on the desktop by single-clicking them, just as you would click a link on a Web page. To select an item without opening it, rest your pointer on it.


Specifies that icon titles in your folders and on the desktop appear underlined, just like links on a Web page. For this to apply, verify that the Underline links setting in the browser is set to Always or Hover, but not Never.

To check the Underline links setting in the browser, open Internet Explorer, click Tools, click Internet Options, and then click the Advanced tab. Under Browsing, find Underline links.


Specifies that icon titles in your folders and on the desktop appear underlined only when you rest your pointer on the title.


Specifies that you want to single-click an item to select it and double-click an item to open it.


Click to restore the settings in this dialog box to the settings that originally came with this version of the operating system.


      Tools/ Folder Options/ View tab


Click to use the current folder settings for all folders on your computer. This does not apply to toolbar settings.


Click to restore the folder settings that were in effect when Windows 2000 was installed. This does not apply to toolbar settings.


Specifies various display options for file, folder, and desktop content.


Specifies various display options for file, folder, and desktop content.


Specifies that compressed files and folders are displayed in a different color than files and folders that are not compressed.


Specifies that the complete path of the open file or folder is displayed in the title bar of the window.


Specifies that the complete path of the open file or folder is displayed in the address bar of the window.


Specifies whether to hide or display files and folders that have the Hidden attribute.


Specifies that hidden files do not appear in the list of files in this folder. Generally, hidden files are program or system files that should not be changed or deleted. To find out whether a file is designated as hidden, right-click the file, and then click Properties. Selecting this check box also reduces clutter in your folder windows.


Specifies that hidden and system files appear in the list of files in Windows Explorer.


Specifies that operating system files do not appear in the list of files in this folder in order to protect them from being deleted or changed accidentally.


Hides the three-letter file-name extensions for certain files, reducing clutter in folder windows.


Specifies that each folder is opened in a separate part of memory. When you open each folder in a separate part of memory, the stability of Windows 2000 can be increased. However, your computer's performance might decrease slightly.


 Specifies that the individual folder settings are retained whenever you close and then reopen the folder. When this box is not selected, all folder settings return to the default.


Specifies that the My Documents folder is displayed on the desktop. My Documents is the default storage location for most documents that you create. My Documents also contains the My Pictures folder, which is the default storage location for your pictures and scanned images.


Specifies that a description of a selected folder or desktop item is displayed in a pop-up window. When you select this check box, the pop-up description appears even if Web content is not enabled on your desktop or in folders. If Web content is displayed in the folder, selecting this check box has no effect because the same information already appears in the left pane of the folder.


Click to restore the settings in this dialog box to the settings that originally came with this version of the operating system.