Classic Explorer Problem

[Ambassador]

In the Microsoft Management Console (GPEDIT.MSC) utility included with Windows XP Professional (not Home) and also the 3rd party ultility "FreshUI", there is an option to switch to the "Classic Explorer". In Group Policy, this option is located under "/User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components\Windows Explorer" and is identified as "Turn on Classic Shell", while in FreshUI this option is located under "Windows Interface/Explorer Interface Settings" and is identified as "Classic-Styled Explorer". The FreshUI description is vague at best, stating:

"Use this option to change the explorer to the "good-old-fashioned" explorer style. If enabled, however, you will lose the some features of your "new"-styled explorer."

Microsoft Management Console, on the other hand, is more specific:

"This setting allows you to remove the Active Desktop and Web view features. If you enable this setting, it will disable the Active Desktop and Web view. Also, users cannot configure their system to open items by single-clicking (such as in Mouse in Control Panel). As a result, the user interface looks and operates like the interface for Windows NT 4.0, and users cannot restore the new features.

Note: This setting takes precedence over the "Enable Active Desktop" setting. If both policies are enabled, Active Desktop is disabled.

Also, see the "Disable Active Desktop" setting in User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Desktop\Active Desktop and the "Remove the Folder Options menu item from the Tools menu" setting in User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Windows Explorer.""

Well, I did check on of the other suggestions it recommended, thinking that it would give me more idea of what this option actually does. "Disable Active Desktop". One main thing it does is not allow you to use either JPEG or HTML wallpaper, but otherwise kept the ability to change the wallpaper in "Display Properties".

So I decide to try this "Classic Explorer" setting, and I was impressed. It turned off a bunch of the web intergration crap and made the interface more efficient. I was impressed, up until I found a problem.

For some reason, turning on "Classic Explorer" removes the Wallpaper tab from Display Properties. This doesn't make any sense. If anything, the only thing I would expect it to do is not allow me to use JPEG wallpaper.

So why is this happening?

[fdv]

It's nothing you can control; it happens when you delete a certain DLL.

Now, I know that that's hardly the specific info you were looking for, but I did this in Windows 2000 many years ago and I have NO recollection which DLL is responsible, but when you pull Active Desktop, the tab goes with it. I am sorry my memory fails

[Ambassador]

The thing is though that I tried the ""Disable Active Desktop" option, and the Wallpaper tab remained.

So is this just M$ BS perhaps?

Edited December 11, 2007 by Ambassador