Windows Explorer Views in Windows XP

You can use the command-line switches either to customize the default view that Windows Explorer uses when it starts, or to specify the view when you start Windows Explorer from a command prompt.

You can use the following switches with the Explorer.exe command.

 Switch            Result
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 /n                Opens a new single-pane Window for the default selection.
                   This is usually the root of the drive on which Windows is installed.
 /e                Starts Windows Explorer using its default view.
 /e, <object>      Starts Windows Explorer using its default view with the focus on the specified folder.
 /root, <object>   Opens a window view of the specified object.
 /select, <object> Opens a window view with the specified folder, file or program selected.
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Run Windows Explorer from a Command Prompt To run Windows Explorer from a command prompt:

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type Explorer, and then click OK.

Examples
The following examples describe the use of Windows Explorer switches.

• Explorer /n

This command opens an Explorer window using the default setting. This is usually the root of the drive on which Windows is installed.

• Explorer /e

This command starts Windows Explorer using the default view.

• Explorer /e,C:\Windows

This command starts Windows Explorer using the default view, with the focus on C:\Windows.

• Explorer /root, C:\Windows\Cursors

This command starts Windows Explorer at the C:\Windows\Cursors folder. This example uses C:\Windows\Cursors as the "root" directory for Windows Explorer.

NOTE: Note the comma after the "/root" switch in the command.

• Explorer /select, C:\Windows\Cursors\banana.ani
  

This command starts Windows Explorer with the "C:\Windows\Cursors\banana.ani" file selected.

NOTE: Note the comma after the "/select" switch in the command.

The Windows Explorer switches can be combined in a single command. The following example shows the combination of the Windows Explorer command-line switches.

• Explorer /root, \\server\share, select, Program.exe
  

This command starts Windows Explorer using the remote share as its "root" folder, along with the Program.exe file selected.

Change the Windows Explorer Default Startup Folder
To change the default startup folder for Windows Explorer:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, point to Accessories, and then right-click Windows Explorer.
2. On the menu that appears, click Properties.
3. In the Target box, append the "/root" command-line switch to the "%SystemRoot%\Explorer.exe" command, using the startup location that you want. For example, if you want Windows Explorer to start at the root of drive C, edit the command to the following:

     %SystemRoot%\Explorer.exe /root, C:\

4. Click OK.