Member Avatar for caperjack

Hi ,XP PRO,3 users,2 have a active bar on the left side ,same as the active one in mycomputer and Windows manager window .It just appeard one day months apart on the 2 users ,can't get rid of it anyone know how!1 see attachec picture .

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The narrow left-hand "active" column shown in the screenshots is the Explorer task pane (the folder "Common Tasks"/WebView area) that Windows XP can display in My Computer and other folders. 's suggestion to run a known fix from Doug Knox solved the problem for , but the same result can be achieved manually and is worth knowing for cases where third-party fixes aren't wanted or Folder Options is hidden.

To remove it without extra tools: open any Explorer window, choose Tools -> Folder Options -> General, and under Tasks select "Use Windows classic folders" instead of "Show common tasks in folders". Apply and close the window, then close and reopen Explorer (or log off/on) to confirm the pane is gone.

If Folder Options is missing or you cannot change that setting, check the registry for a policy hiding it. Run regedit and inspect these locations:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
and
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer
Look for a NoFolderOptions DWORD; a value of 1 hides Folder Options. Back up the registry before changing or deleting keys, and restart Explorer or the PC after edits.

If the manual route doesn't help, investigate shell extensions or tweaks that affect Explorer. Tools such as Autoruns (Sysinternals) or ShellExView can help disable non-Microsoft Explorer extensions for testing. Because the issue appeared for multiple users, also review recently installed software or system policies that apply machine-wide.

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Member Avatar for Bear

Run this file from Doug Knox on the machine, that should take care of the problem for you. :cheesy:

Member Avatar for caperjack

Run this file from Doug Knox on the machine, that should take care of the problem for you. :cheesy:

Thanks ,that worked ,I didn't know the name of the thing so I couldn't find anything in a search and forgot about Knoxs' site .

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