[aarhus2004]

Hello,

In WinMe (and presumably XP) it is possible to 'lose' Folder Options. In this thread http://forums.techguy.org/t321092.html may be found the remedy.

After adding NoFolderOptions to the User Key [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer] and restarting, sure enough Folder Options was no longer available.

I would appreciate learning how such a state of affairs might come into being. Is 'hiding' Folder Options an option itself? If so why would this be a desirable thing to do? And, if so, is this 'option' only available by registry editing?

When editing the registry is collapsing the 'file tree' before searching always a requirement? If so, why?

Thanks.

 

[Elvandil]

I would imagine that it could happen if some malware installed itself, created hidden files, and then didn't want anyone to be able to "unhide" them. As a policy, hiding folder options keeps children and the equivalent from altering settings that they shouldn't have access to.

These settings can be imposed by Group Policy Editors on NT-based machines, and possibly by the optional Group Policies that you see when setting up Windows 98 for the first time.

There are also many "tweaking" programs that can impose this policy. All these things work the same way--by editing the registry from a GUI that is more convenient (and safer) to use than regedit.

 

[Rollin' Rog]

The reason I always suggest completely collapsing the file tree before searching is that typically when you enter a search string the search begins from wherever the editor is currently opened to. Thus it is possible to miss what you are looking for -- especially in XP where the editor, by default, remembers and opens to the last opened location. In WinME and 9x as I recall, it always opens collapsed -- but I include the suggestion anyway.

 

[aarhus2004]

Elvandil,

Thanks. It occurs to me that an expanded control panel might also be made less easily accessible where 'daring and doing' youngsters are concerned. I have to say children had not been part of thinking! Maybe the delete function could also be locked!

Rollin' Rog.

In one way I like WinMe's not collapsing the tree when the registry is closed. That's my WinMe anyway. However it has often occured to me to wonder if the not collapsed tree might result in missed search items. Something to checkout? Perhaps. By adding a nonsense key to all the trees and searching for it/them. After a backup of course!

My thanks for the responses.

 

[Rollin' Rog]

I guess WinME is like XP then, thanks for the clarification. There are hacks in XP to force it to open collapsed, but I like it opening to where I had it last as well.

 

[aarhus2004]

I added 'nonsense' keys to the registry trees with the single exception of the HKDD which declined my attempts to do so.

I made sure each of the trees was fully collapsed and then entered, in Edit>Find, the name of the 'nonsense key'. They were each found in turn.

I learned that the Find entry takes no heed of a letter-case change.

Then I began to experiment by leaving one of the trees not fully collapsed. It soon became clear that in order to successfully find each of the 'nonsense' keys, and one after the other, the entire tree structure of the registry must be fully collapsed.

 

[Rollin' Rog]

That's about what I expected, trial and error having been my teacher here. It seems the Windows registry editor, no matter which version, will just continue a search from the currently opened location. So even in Win98, if you start looking for something manually and then decide to use the search tool -- you better start from the beginning by collapsing the entire key.

There are other tools you can download which work differently and which produce a list of locations where items may be found.

A few tools I've used here:

http://www.safer-networking.org/en/regalyzer/
http://www.resplendence.com/reglite

And for sheer simplicity the vbscript registry search tool here:

http://www.billsway.com/vbspage/

 

[aarhus2004]

Thanks for the links, Rollin' Rog. I like the idea of them. Had no idea such tools existed.

 

[Rollin' Rog]

You're welcome!