Explorer Shell Configuration
You can customize the Explorer shell by configuring the User Interface Core component. By using Target Designer, you can add the User Interface Core component to your configuration and then customize its settings. The following table shows the settings that are displayed in the details pane when you select Settings under the User Interface Core component in the configuration editor pane.
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Show My Computer on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds an icon for My Computer to the Explorer Start menu. When a user chooses My Computer, an Explorer window opens, providing the user access to drives, files, and folders.
This setting does not apply to the classic Start menu. |
| Show My Documents on Start menu | Disabled | Adds My Documents to the Explorer Start menu. When a user chooses My Documents, the My Documents folder opens, providing the user access to their documents.
This setting does not apply to the classic Start menu. |
| Show My Recent Documents on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds My Recent Documents to the Explorer Start menu. The Explorer shell tracks documents and programs that were recently accessed and adds them to the My Recent Documents menu for easy access.
This setting does not apply to the classic Start menu. |
| Show My Pictures on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds My Pictures to the Start menu. When a user chooses My Pictures, the My Pictures folder opens, providing the user access to imaging and media viewing tools.
The My Pictures folder integrates closely with Windows Image Acquisition (WIA). If you include the My Pictures folder in the Start menu, you should also add the Windows Image Acquisition User Interface component to your configuration. For details, see Digital Image Acquisition with WIA. This setting does not apply to the classic Start menu. |
| Show My Music on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds My Music to the Start menu. When a user chooses My Music, the My Music folder opens, providing the user access to media viewing and listening tools and any saved music.
The My Music folder integrates closely with Windows Media™ Player 8.0. Links in the My Music folder launch Windows Media Player, which can be used to manage play lists and other music features. If you include My Music on the Start menu, you should also add the Windows Media Player 8.0 component to your configuration. |
| Show My Network Places on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds My Network Places to the Start menu. When a user chooses My Network Places, the My Network Places folder opens, displaying recently accessed network locations. The user can also add new network locations to this folder.
This setting does not apply to the classic Start menu. |
| Show Desktop icons | Disabled | Controls the appearance of icons on the Windows-based desktop.
If enabled, icons added to the desktop are displayed. The Recycle Bin icon is added automatically. If disabled, no icons are displayed, including those that are placed on the desktop. To view icons on the desktop, you must to enable this setting. |
| Show Favorites on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds Favorites to the Start menu. When a user chooses Favorites, the folder opens, providing the user access to their favorite locations, for example, Internet Explorer favorites or folders on the local device.
If you include Favorites on the Start menu, you should also add the Internet Explorer component to your configuration. |
| Show Help and Support on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds Help and Support to the Start menu. When a user chooses Help and Support, the Windows Help and Support Center is launched. Enabling this setting automatically adds the Windows Help and Support Center component into your configuration, which significantly increases the size of your run-time image. |
| Show Control Panel on Start Menu | Disabled | Controls the appearance of the Control Panel menu on the Start menu.
This setting works with the Prohibit Access to Control Panel setting to control the access and accessibility of Control Panel programs on a run-time image. If Prohibit Access to Control Panel is enabled, this setting is automatically disabled. |
| Prohibit Access to Control Panel | Disabled | Prevents Control Panel (.cpl) files from launching and prevents the display of the Control Panel folder. |
| Show Printers and Faxes on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds Printers and Faxes to the Start menu. When a user chooses printers and faxes, a folder opens, which provides access to local and network printing and fax devices.
If you add Printers and Faxes to the Start menu, you should also include printing components, for example, the Client Printing component or the Local Printing component. |
| Show Network Connections on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds Network Connections to the Start menu. When a user chooses Network Connections, the Network Connections folder opens and the user can view local and remote network connections, including Local Area Network and Dial-Up Networking Connections. |
| Show Search on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds Search to the Start menu. When a user chooses Search, the Explorer Search Results window opens and the user can search for files on their device. |
| Show Run on Start Menu | Disabled | Adds Run to the Start menu. When a user chooses Run, the Run dialog box appears so that the user can run applications or files on their device. |
| Show Log Off on Start Menu | Enabled | Adds Log Off to the Start menu, which allows the user to log off the current session or switch users. |
| Show Shut Down on Start Menu | Enabled | Adds Shut Down to the Start menu, which allows the user to shut down restart or switch users. |
| Show Internet Explorer on Start menu | Disabled | Adds Internet Explorer to the Start menu so users can launch Internet Explorer directly. |
| Show Outlook Express on Start menu | Disabled | Adds Outlook Express to the Start menu so users can launch Outlook Express directly. |
| Show All Programs list on Start menu | Disabled | Adds All Programs to the Start menu so that users can navigate through program folders and launch applications. This menu is similar to the Programs menu in earlier Windows versions. |
| Show context menu on Shell folders | Disabled | Provides the shortcut menu for the Explorer shell. Enabling this setting may increase your footprint by including features for components not included in your run-time image. |
| Show Notifications on Task bar | Disabled | Displays icons for active and urgent notifications on the notification area, also called system tray, in the taskbar. |
| Show context menu on Task bar | Disabled | Provides the shortcut menu for the taskbar, which allow users to customize the taskbar and launch task manager. |
| Enable Lock/Unlock of Task bar | Enabled | Disables the “Lock the Taskbar” option when selected. |
| Use Windows Classic folders | Enabled | Disables many of the Web view features of the Explorer shell.
If enabled, there is no Web view for the folder. If disabled, the Explorer shell is displayed in Web view. Web view provides an interactive view within Explorer folders and exposes links to features, which may not be included in your run-time image. |
| Enable Drag and Drop on Start Menu | Enabled | Allows users to customize the Start menu by dragging items onto and moving them within the Start menu. |
| Prohibit access to Hot keys | Disabled | Disables many keyboard shortcuts used for the Explorer shell. |
| Number of programs on Start menu | 0 | Defines the number of recently used applications that Windows displays on the Start menu. |
See Also
Last updated on Wednesday, October 18, 2006
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