Windows 7 Explorer not showing Computer

[cluberti]

I'd export that if I was you to be safe and verify it is correct, but if it is correct, then we can assume it's valid (and chuckle at the funny export too ).

 

[SIW2]

Registrar lite doesn't appear to be doing a very good job

Perhaps you could try something else - like regedit for example

 

[Philip Goddard]

Right, let's try again. Here are those two keys exported again, this time from Regedit. Yes, I guess that as there is a question mark over what Registrar Lite has been doing, I'd better look out for another registry editor (Regedit being too basic for me to want to use normally).

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\ActiveDesktop]
"NoAddingComponents"=dword:00000001
"NoComponents"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments]
"ScanWithAntiVirus"=dword:00000003

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer]
"NoActiveDesktop"=dword:00000001
"NoActiveDesktopChanges"=dword:00000001
"ForceActiveDesktopOn"=dword:00000000

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum]
"{BDEADF00-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F}"=dword:00000001
"{6DFD7C5C-2451-11d3-A299-00C04F8EF6AF}"=dword:40000021
"{0DF44EAA-FF21-4412-828E-260A8728E7F1}"=dword:00000020

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"ConsentPromptBehaviorAdmin"=dword:00000000
"ConsentPromptBehaviorUser"=dword:00000003
"EnableInstallerDetection"=dword:00000001
"EnableLUA"=dword:00000000
"EnableSecureUIAPaths"=dword:00000001
"EnableUIADesktopToggle"=dword:00000000
"EnableVirtualization"=dword:00000001
"PromptOnSecureDesktop"=dword:00000000
"ValidateAdminCodeSignatures"=dword:00000000
"dontdisplaylastusername"=dword:00000000
"legalnoticecaption"=""
"legalnoticetext"=""
"scforceoption"=dword:00000000
"shutdownwithoutlogon"=dword:00000001
"undockwithoutlogon"=dword:00000001
"FilterAdministratorToken"=dword:00000000
"EnableLinkedConnections"=dword:00000001

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\UIPI]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\UIPI\Clipboard]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\UIPI\Clipboard\ExceptionFormats]
"CF_TEXT"=dword:00000001
"CF_BITMAP"=dword:00000002
"CF_OEMTEXT"=dword:00000007
"CF_DIB"=dword:00000008
"CF_PALETTE"=dword:00000009
"CF_UNICODETEXT"=dword:0000000d
"CF_DIBV5"=dword:00000011


Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}]
@="Computer"
"InfoTip"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,\
6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,\
2d,00,32,00,32,00,39,00,31,00,33,00,00,00
"LocalizedString"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,\
6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,\
00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
2c,00,2d,00,39,00,32,00,31,00,36,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,69,00,6d,00,\
61,00,67,00,65,00,72,00,65,00,73,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,31,\
00,30,00,39,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\InProcServer32]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,00,68,00,\
65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,00,00
"ThreadingModel"="Apartment"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell]
@="none"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\find]
@=hex(2):40,00,25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,73,00,\
68,00,65,00,6c,00,6c,00,33,00,32,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,00,38,\
00,35,00,30,00,33,00,00,00
"LegacyDisable"=""
"SuppressionPolicy"=dword:00000080

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\find\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,45,00,78,00,70,00,6c,00,6f,00,72,00,65,00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,\
65,00,00,00
"DelegateExecute"="{a015411a-f97d-4ef3-8425-8a38d022aebc}"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Manage]
@=hex(2):40,00,25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,\
00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,6d,00,\
79,00,63,00,6f,00,6d,00,70,00,75,00,74,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,2c,00,2d,\
00,34,00,30,00,30,00,00,00
"MUIVerb"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,72,00,6f,00,\
6f,00,74,00,25,00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,\
00,6d,00,79,00,63,00,6f,00,6d,00,70,00,75,00,74,00,2e,00,64,00,6c,00,6c,00,\
2c,00,2d,00,34,00,30,00,30,00,00,00
"SuppressionPolicy"=dword:4000003c
"HasLUAShield"=""

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\shell\Manage\command]
@=hex(2):25,00,53,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,52,00,6f,00,6f,00,74,00,25,\
00,5c,00,73,00,79,00,73,00,74,00,65,00,6d,00,33,00,32,00,5c,00,43,00,6f,00,\
6d,00,70,00,4d,00,67,00,6d,00,74,00,4c,00,61,00,75,00,6e,00,63,00,68,00,65,\
00,72,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\ShellFolder]
"HideOnDesktopPerUser"=""
"PinToNameSpaceTree"=""


I hope this proves to be more useful, and without a little semi-literate Chinese speaker in sight!

 

[Philip Goddard]

Eureka, Eureka, Eureka! -- Yes, at last I've cracked it.

I felt sure that there was some particular Windows setting that had got applied without my knowledge, which was causing the problem, and so this afternoon I carefully looked through all the customization / tweaking options offered in the Windows tweaking programs Tweaknow PowerPack 2011 and EnhanceMySe7en. I didn't see anything obvious, and was thinking I might have to try a repair reinstall of Windows - but one thing I did do just as an outside fling in EnhanceMySe7en, in case it somehow might affect things, was to click the checkbox for 'Show My Computer' (on Desktop), which was initially unchecked. As I didn't have and didn't want the Computer icon on my desktop, it didn't look significant that the item was unchecked in that program or indeed any other tweaking program - and having the icon present didn't seem at all likely to affect whether Explorer actually displayed Computer.

After save/exit and then re-logon into Windows, the Computer icon was there on the desktop (big deal - I didn't even want it there!), and I idly clicked on it - to get Computer displayed in all its unedifying glory, showing all drives as it should have done all along!! And my regular FTP client was able to work correctly again!

Brilliant so far, BUT when I went into EnhanceMySe7en again and disabled the desktop Computer icon, it was all back to square one. So, apparently I could have Computer displayed only if I had the Computer desktop icon, which I didn't want. That told me that there was a bit more to sort out to fully resolve the issue. At least I was now quite suspicious that EnhanceMySe7en had been the culprit in the first place, because while I was in the late stages of installing my programs onto the new computer I did run EnhanceMySe7en briefly, and I think I did change one or two customization settings in it, and it most likely had actually saved the ' hide Computer icon on Desktop' setting then and so have caused the problem.

Anyway, my next thought was to go to the Windows Personalization options rather than muck about with third-party tweakers, so I looked in there at the 'Common desktop icons' options, but the checkbox for Computer was both unchecked and greyed out, so I couldn't do anything from there. But at least I now was becoming fairly sure what was going to happen after I'd re-enabled the Computer desktop icon from EnhanceMySe7en. Sure enough, with the icon back on my desktop, when I revisited the Windows Personalization options for the desktop icons, the Computer icon checkbox was operational and checked. I unchecked that, so removing the desktop icon. To my relief then, Computer still displayed properly in Explorer and all Explorer based listings, such as in file browsing dialogs in applications.

All's well that ends well! - And thank you for your time, those who have sought to assist on this.

 

[SIW2]

Hi Phil,

Well done for finding that.

We were on the right track with something having messed with your registry settings.


You forgot to mention you had used a tweaking program.

I might have a look at that app. and see what it is getting up to , when I have moment to spare.

 

[Philip Goddard]

Yes, actually I'll have a friendly word with the developer, who seems to be a very nice and approachable character. It's clear that his setting for showing / hiding the desktop Computer icon changes something quite different from what the Windows Personalization setting show / hide Computer icon option does - and his particular setting presumably changes the visibility of the Computer icon through making a more fundamental change that altogether hides 'Computer', and presumably he did not realize that.

 

[SIW2]

Yes, there is an error - I am sure he will correct it.


[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel]
"{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"=-

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\NonEnum]
"{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}"=-

 

[Philip Goddard]

I've already e-mailed him about the issue, so I'm sure he'll do something about it. Really nice to see you've pinpointed the registry errors. ...In fact I'll copy those and put them in a further message to him, so he can see immediately what the trouble is.

 

[SIW2]

Yes, it might save him a bit of time.

Those are the entries for undoing the change.