Windows 2000 Shell Tips
- Add Windows Explorer Context Menu options
In Windows 2000, when you right-click a file or folder in Windows Explorer,
you get a context menu that displays various actions that you can perform on
the file, such as Open, Copy, and Delete. With a small addition to the
registry, you can add options to the context menu that let you choose a
directory to which you can copy or move the file or folder.
Run the registry editor, and navigate to the
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\AllFilesystemObjects\shellex\ContextMenuHandlers subkey.
From the Edit menu, click New, Key; type 'Copy To' as the key name, then press
Enter. Select the Copy To key you just created, and double-click the (Default)
value in the right-hand pane. Set the value to
{C2FBB630-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13} and click OK. The string contains only
hyphens and hexadecimal values, so only numbers and letters that come before G
in the alphabet, so don't mistake the number 0 for the letter O. Close the
Registry Editor and restart Windows Explorer. (You don't have to reboot for
the change to take effect.) Right-click a file or folder, and a context menu
will list a Copy To option. Selecting this option will open a Browse for
Folder dialog box in which you can drill down to find the folder you want to
copy the selected files or folders to. Click OK to complete the copy.
To add a Move To option to the Windows Explorer context menu, follow the
previous instructions. However, when you add the new key, name it 'Move To'
and set the (Default) value to {C2FBB631-2971-11D1-A18C-00C04FD75D13}.
Selecting the Move To option from the context menu will open the same Browser
for Folder dialog box that the Copy To option brings up, but the resulting
action will be a move instead of a copy.
Thanks to Chris Taylor for this tip.
- Open With
If you want to open a file within Windows Explorer, but using another
application than the one specified as default, you can do the following:
Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard and right click with your mouse on
the desired file or application and choose "Open With..." from the shortcut
menu.
Within Windows 2000 this isn't necessary because the system will automatically
keeps a list on the valid associations for the file type. You can add your own
associations to the list, however.
- Run As
If your logged on as a user within Windows 2000, but you have to start a
command under administrative privileges, there is an easy solution:
In Explorer: Hold down the Shift key and right click with your mouse on the
desired application/shortcut and choose "Run as..."
In a command prompt window or using Run in the start menu: Use the command
RunAs /user:<username> "<commando>"
- Add options for the right click in Windows Explorer
When you right click on a file in Explorer, the valid choices for that
extension are presented. To add a new choice, select view/options/File Types.
Scroll to the file type you wish to amend, select it, and click the Edit
button. Click the New button. Type the Action (like "print") and the full path
to the application (and any command line switches/parameters) required to
perform the "Action". If you want to change an "Action", click "Edit" instead
of "New". The possibilities are endless.
- My Computer access through the Start Menu
By placing a shortcut to My Computer in the start menu, it is easy
to access any file located on your PC, without having to use the explorer.
- My Network access through the Start Menu
By placing a shortcut to My Network Places in the start menu, it is
easy to access any network location, without having to use the explorer.
Additional links
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