[Fix] Folders Open in New Window Every time

folders open new window fix

When you open File Explorer and double-click a folder, it may open a new explorer window rather than showing the folder contents in the existing window.

This issue may happen although the “Open each folder in the same window” setting is selected in Control Panel → Folder Options.

folders open new window fix

Cause

Folders may always open in a new window due to the wrong folder association settings in the registry. For example, the (default) registry value data in the following key may be incorrect set as “opennewwindow

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell

Or, an unwanted registry value named LaunchExplorerFlags may be present in the following registry location:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\open

If the LaunchExplorerFlags value exists and its data is a non-zero value (i.e., not equal to 0x0), then this value overrides the “Open each folder in the same window” setting. Due to the incorrect registry setting, the default double-click action folders is set to “Open in new window”.

folders open new window fix

Another possible cause is that the “DelegateExecute” registry value may be missing in the above location.

These incorrect registry settings force Windows to open folders in a new window when you double-click on them. Let’s see how to fix this problem.

The fixes #1 and #2 below apply to all versions of Windows, including Windows 11.Read more

Increase Show Desktop “Aero Peek” Mouse Hover Delay in Windows

delay or disable aero peek taskbar

Aero Peek is feature which allows you to temporarily view the desktop without having to minimize all the open windows. You can temporarily preview the desktop by moving the mouse pointer over the Show desktop button near the taskbar notification area.

The default hover delay is 1 second. If this time is too short for you, you can delay it furthermore to avoid accidental preview of the desktop. This can be done using a registry edit discussed in this article.Read more

Empty the Recycle Bin Without the Confirmation Window Showing Up

recycle bin delete confirmation prompt

When emptying the contents of your Recycle Bin, you’ll be asked for confirmation as below. Here is a registry edit to turn off the prompt in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10, using NirCmd. This registry edit replaces the Empty Recycle Bin command in the right-click menu and the ribbon button action with NirCmd, so that the Recycle Bin can be emptied silently.Read more

How to Add Icon to a Context Menu Item in Windows

add open with notepad to right-click

When working with Windows 7 RC this week, I stumbled upon another nice and useful feature that I thought I should write about. In Windows 7 and higher, you can add icons to your custom right-click (static) menu entries.

Usually, to display a right-click command with an icon, one needs to write a context menu handler Shell Extension (DLL). Now, you can assign icons for static menu items as well, without having to program anything.

The instructions in this article apply to Windows 7 through Windows 10.

Read more

Fix for System File Checker Error 0x000006ba RPC Server is unavailable

When you attempt to run the System File Checker (sfc.exe /scannow command) to restore missing or corrupted system files, the following error message may be seen:

Windows File Protection could not be initiate a scan of protected system files.
The specific code is 0x000006ba [The RPC Server is unavailable.]

This happens if you run Sfc.exe in Safe mode. Or the Windows File Protection (WFP) is disabled in the registry.Read more

How to Make Folders Appear as Cascading Menu in the Quick Launch Toolbar

When you create sub-folders in the Quick Launch folder to better organize the shortcuts, the folders will appear in the Quick Launch toolbar correctly, but clicking them would launch Windows Explorer.

Some people would like to view the contents of the folder (cascaded as a list) rather than opening the folder when clicked. Here is how to make folders in the Quick Launch toolbar cascade as menu when clicked.Read more