Windows Me Annoyances

Chapter 2. Basic Explorer Coping Skills

The face of Windows Me that users see most is Windows Explorer, commonly known simply as Explorer. Explorer (Explorer.exe) is the primary shell interface, handling the desktop, the Start Menu, the Recycle Bin, Control Panel, My Computer, the Explorer window, and about a million other things.

Given the amount of time we spend starting programs, finding files, copying folders, and configuring Windows, it makes sense to invest a little time not only to find better ways to accomplish these tasks, but also to learn how to configure Windows to work more like the way we think. In addition, you can make your experience with Windows a lot more pleasurable by giving it a little personality and reducing the various headache-causing annoyances—think of all the money for codeine you’ll save.

The ideal user interface should adapt to you, rather than the other way around. One of the primary goals of this book is to show you how to change the w ay Windows looks, feels, and operates so that it is more closely in tune with the way you think and work. However, there are some fundamental features of the interface that simply can’t be changed, such as the way icons and folders are drag-dropped.

There are times, on the other hand, when the design of certain basic Windows functionality is so frustrating that it makes you want to tear your hair out: such as how accessing the Search tool from Explorer disables the folder tree, forcing you either to open a new Explorer ...