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Some people store their folders in a fireproof MacMahon Bros. file cabinet and spread them across a finely polished mahogany desk for viewing. Others spread them across the floor and hope the papers don't fall out. To accommodate different working styles, Windows XP offers several ways of viewing your folders.
To fiddle with folder settings, choose Control Panel from the Start menu and double-click the Folder Options icon from the Appearances and Themes category. (You can also choose Folder Options from nearly any folder's Tools menu.) Here are the choices thrust upon you in the General tab, as shown in Figure 1.
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Figure 1: Windows lets you change how you open your folders, how they look inside, and whether you click or double-click to open files. |
The Tasks area offers two ways for a folder to display its contents. If you like your folders to display that big blue bar along their sides, offering quick links to places, such as My Documents, select the Show Common Tasks in Folders option button. To eliminate that bar and give the folder's icons more room, select the Use Windows Classic Folders option button.
The Browse Folders area defines how a folder opens. If you open a folder that's currently inside another folder, should that new folder open in its own new window? Or should its contents merely replace the existing folder's contents, leaving only one open folder on the screen?
Finally, the Click Items As Follows area establishes your mouse click options. Indicate here whether you want to open files with a single click or a double-click.
There is no right or wrong option for any of these. It comes down to your personal style. If you're afraid you're missing something, try each setting to see which one you prefer.
 | Fiddling with folder options isn't particularly dangerous, but some choices can make Windows XP behave mighty strange. If something terribly weird happens, here's how to return to less troublesome times. Click the Restore Defaults button on the General tab of the Folder Options dialog box, as shown in Figure 1. Your folders and desktop now behave the way they did when Windows XP was first installed. |
The View tab of the Folder Options dialog box offer 18 more advanced settings. Unless you understand what the option does, don't select it. And if you select something and everything acts weird, click the Restore Defaults button.
Finally, don't play with the File Types tab of the Folder Options dialog box until you're more familiar with Windows. If you click the wrong setting, Windows won't know how to open your files.
 | Don't worry if some of these Windows XP options seem rather confusing or pointless. They are: |
- Folder options are aimed at people who really like to fiddle with their computers. Chances are that you can avoid using the folder options.
- If you've been comfortable with Windows 98 or Windows 95, always choose the classic styles. If you're comfortable with Windows XP, leave the default settings. Only choose the other settings if you like to fiddle around with your computer and try new things.
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