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71-472: The SCM executable, Services.exe , runs as a Windows console program and is launched by the Wininit process early during the system startup . Its main function, SvcCtrlMain() , launches all the services configured for automatic startup. First an internal database of installed services is initialized by reading the following two registry keys: In the next step, SCM's main function SvcCtrlMain() calls

142-537: A circular dependency an error is noted and the service depending on a service that belongs to a group coming later in the load order is skipped. For delayed auto-start services, grouping has no effect, and those are loaded at a later stage of system startup. For each service it wants to start, the SCM calls the ScStartService() function which checks the name of the file that runs the service's process, ensuring that

213-484: A delay, there are no other differences between delayed and non-delayed services. Services whose Type registry value is SERVICE_KERNEL_DRIVER or SERVICE_FILE_SYSTEM_DRIVER are handled specially: these represent device drivers for which ScStartService() calls the ScLoadDeviceDriver() function which loads the appropriate driver (usually a file with an extension .sys ) which must be located in

284-403: A delayed (120 seconds by default) work item associated with a corresponding worker thread. Other than being initialized after a delay, there are no other differences between delayed and non-delayed services. Services whose Type registry value is SERVICE_KERNEL_DRIVER or SERVICE_FILE_SYSTEM_DRIVER are handled specially: these represent device drivers for which ScStartService() calls

355-626: A folder and hit "Search" was removed in Windows Vista Service Pack 1. Users must open the folder they wish to search in and enter their keywords in the search field located on the top right corner of the window. Alternatively, users can specify other search parameters through the "Advanced Search" UI, which can be accessed by clicking on the Organize Bar and selecting Search Pane under the Layout submenu. Pressing F3 also opens

426-410: A folder on the local network, publish files or folders to a website, and other common tasks like copying, renaming, moving, and deleting files or folders. File types that have identified themselves as being printable also have an option listed to print the file. Underneath "Other Places" is a "Details" pane which gives additional information – typically file size and date, but depending on the file type,

497-464: A folder one can open a command-line prompt in that folder. Windows Explorer also contains modifications in the visualization of files on a computer. A new addition to Windows Explorer in Vista and Server 2008 is the details pane, which displays metadata and information relating to the currently selected file or folder. The details pane will also display a thumbnail of the file or an icon of the filetype if

568-523: A list called ScFailedDrivers . Then a named pipe \Pipe\Ntsvcs is created as a remote procedure call interface between the SCM and the SCPs (Service Control Processes) that interact with specific services. Next, it calls the ScAutoStartServices() function which loops through all the services marked as auto-start, paying attention to the calculated load-order dependencies. In case of

639-493: A new feature of the Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Explorer's search box. When the user clicks in the search box, a menu shows up below it showing recent searches as well as suggested Advanced Query Syntax filters that the user can type. When one is selected (or typed in manually), the menu will update to show the possible values to filter by for that property, and this list is based on the current location and other parts of

710-457: A new layout. The task panes from Windows XP are replaced with a toolbar on top and a navigation pane on the left. The navigation pane contains commonly accessed folders and preconfigured search folders. Eight different views are available to view files and folders, including extra large, large, medium, small, list, details, tiles, and content. In addition, column headers now appear in all icon viewing modes, unlike Windows XP where they only appear in

781-513: A set of XML files that define what these file types are. The Search Companion can be disabled in favor of the classic search pane used in Windows 2000 by using the Tweak UI applet from Microsoft's PowerToys for Windows XP , or by manually editing the registry. Windows XP improves image preview in Explorer by offering a Filmstrip view. "Back" and "Previous" buttons facilitate navigation through

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852-518: A slider or by holding down the Ctrl key and using the mouse scrollwheel. Live icons can display the content of folders and files themselves rather than generic icons. With the release of Windows Vista and Server 2008 and Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP, Internet Explorer is no longer integrated with Windows Explorer. In Windows Vista and Server 2008 (and in Windows XP as well if IE7 or 8

923-415: A special NTFS stream, if the file is on an NTFS volume, or from a COM Structured Storage stream, if the file is a structured storage document. All Microsoft Office documents since Office 95 make use of structured storage , so their metadata is displayable in the Windows 2000 Explorer default tooltip . File shortcuts can also store comments which are displayed as a tooltip when the mouse hovers over

994-522: A thumbnail preview, author, image dimensions, or other details. The "Folders" button on the Windows Explorer toolbar toggles between the traditional tree view of folders, and the task pane. Users can get rid of the task pane or restore it using the sequence: Tools – Folder Options – General – Show Common Tasks/Use Windows Classic Folders. Microsoft introduced animated "Search Companions" in an attempt to make searching more engaging and friendly;

1065-404: A user could type in directory paths directly, and be taken to that folder. Another feature that was based on Internet Explorer technology was customized folders. Such folders contained a hidden web page that controlled the way the Windows Explorer displayed the contents of the folder. The "Web-style" folders view, with the left Explorer pane displaying details for the object currently selected,

1136-515: A well-defined API , and the same API is used internally by the interactive Windows service management tools such as the MMC snap-in Services.msc and the command-line Service Control utility sc.exe . The SCM executable, Services.exe , runs as a Windows console program and is launched by the Wininit process early during the system startup . Its main function, SvcCtrlMain() , launches all

1207-537: Is a file manager application and default desktop environment that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems , as well as user interface elements such as the taskbar and desktop . The application was renamed from "Windows Explorer" to "File Explorer" in Windows 8 ; however,

1278-401: Is also a shortcut key combination: Windows key + E . Successive versions of Windows (and in some cases, Internet Explorer ) introduced new features and capabilities, removed other features, and generally progressed from being a simple file system navigation tool into a task-based file management system. While "Windows Explorer" or "File Explorer" is a term most commonly used to describe

1349-612: Is also hidden by default but is still available by pressing the Alt key or changing its visibility in the layout options. Several other features are removed such as showing the size on the status bar without selecting items, storing metadata in NTFS alternate data streams , the IColumnProvider interface which allowed addition of custom columns to Explorer and folder background customization using desktop.ini. The ability to right-click

1420-601: Is created which serves as a communication channel between the SCM and the service process. Service process connects to the pipe by calling the StartServiceCtrlDispatcher() function, after which the SCM sends the service a "start" command. Delayed auto-start services have been added in Windows Vista , in order to solve the problem of a prolonged system startup, as well as to speed-up the start of critical services that cannot be delayed. Originally

1491-426: Is fairly similar to Windows ME and Windows 2000, with one major addition: Search can also be instructed to search only files that are categorical "Documents" or "Pictures, music and video"; this feature is noteworthy largely because of how Windows determines what types of files can be classified under these categories. In order to maintain a relevant list of file types, Windows Explorer connects to Microsoft and downloads

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1562-411: Is installed), Windows Explorer no longer displays web pages, and IE7 does not support use as a file manager, although one will separately launch the other as necessary. When moving or copying files from one folder to another, if two files have the same name, an option is now available to rename the file; in previous versions of Windows, the user was prompted to choose either a replacement or cancel moving

1633-444: Is resumed, a named pipe \Pipe\Net\NtControlPipeX (where X is a number incremented for each service iteration) is created which serves as a communication channel between the SCM and the service process. Service process connects to the pipe by calling the StartServiceCtrlDispatcher() function, after which the SCM sends the service a "start" command. Delayed auto-start services have been added in Windows Vista , in order to solve

1704-624: Is turned on by default. For certain file types, such as pictures and media files, a preview is also displayed in the left pane. The Windows 2000 Explorer featured an interactive media player as the previewer for sound and video files. However, such a previewer can be enabled in Windows ME through the use of folder customization templates. Windows Explorer in Windows 2000 and Windows ME allows for custom thumbnail previewers and tooltip handlers. The default file tooltip displays file title, author, subject and comments; this metadata may be read from

1775-1188: The %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\ directory. For that purpose, the NtLoadDriver system call is invoked, and the SeLoadDriverPrivilege is added to the SCM's process. SCM provides an additional functionality completely unrelated to Windows services: it notifies GUI applications such as the Windows Explorer when a network drive-letter connection has been created or deleted, by broadcasting Windows messages WM_DEVICECHANGE . Windows Explorer 24H2 (10.0.26100.2454) (November 21, 2024 ; 3 days ago  ( 2024-11-21 ) ) [±] 23H2 (10.0.22635.4515) (November 22, 2024 ; 2 days ago  ( 2024-11-22 ) ) [±] 24H2 (10.0.26120.2415) (November 22, 2024 ; 2 days ago  ( 2024-11-22 ) ) [±] 10.0.27754.1000 (November 20, 2024 ; 4 days ago  ( 2024-11-20 ) ) [±] File Explorer , previously known as Windows Explorer ,

1846-777: The HKLM\SECURITY\Policy\Secrets\ registry key, which were stored by the SCP using the LsaStorePrivateData() API, when the service was originally configured. Next, the ScLogonAndStartImage() function is called for every service whose service process has not been already launched. Service processes are created in a suspended state via the CreateProcessAsUser() API. Before the service process' execution

1917-468: The ScAutoStartServices() function which loops through all the services marked as auto-start, paying attention to the calculated load-order dependencies. In case of a circular dependency an error is noted and the service depending on a service that belongs to a group coming later in the load order is skipped. For delayed auto-start services, grouping has no effect, and those are loaded at a later stage of system startup. For each service it wants to start,

1988-447: The ScLoadDeviceDriver() function which loads the appropriate driver (usually a file with an extension .sys ) which must be located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Drivers\ directory. For that purpose, the NtLoadDriver system call is invoked, and the SeLoadDriverPrivilege is added to the SCM's process. SCM provides an additional functionality completely unrelated to Windows services: it notifies GUI applications such as

2059-522: The Image Mastering API , as well as Live File System support was added. If a file is in use by another application, Windows Explorer tells users to close the application and retry the file operation. Also, a new interface IFileIsInUse is introduced into the API which developers can use to let other applications switch to the main window of the application that has the file open or simply close

2130-528: The Windows Explorer when a network drive-letter connection has been created or deleted, by broadcasting Windows messages WM_DEVICECHANGE . Wininit Service Control Manager ( SCM ) is a special system process under the Windows NT family of operating systems , which starts, stops and interacts with Windows service processes. It is located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\services.exe executable. Service processes interact with SCM through

2201-402: The "Advanced Search" interface. Windows Explorer in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 supports libraries, virtual folders described in a .library-ms file that aggregates content from various locations – including shared folders on networked systems if the shared folder has been indexed by the host system – and present them in a unified view. Searching in a library automatically federates

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2272-510: The SCM calls the ScStartService() function which checks the name of the file that runs the service's process, ensuring that the account specified for the service is same as the account that the service process runs in. Every service that does not run in the System account is logged in by calling the LSASS function LogonUserEx() , for which LSASS process looks up "secret" passwords stored in

2343-510: The Shell Technology Preview, and often referred to informally as "NewShell". The update was designed to replace the Windows 3.x Program Manager/File Manager based shell with Windows Explorer. The release provided capabilities quite similar to that of the Windows "Chicago" ( codename for Windows 95) shell during its late beta phases, however was intended to be nothing more than a test release. There were two public releases of

2414-568: The Shell Technology Preview, made available to MSDN and CompuServe users: May 26, 1995, and August 8, 1995. Both held Windows Explorer builds of 3.51.1053.1. The Shell Technology Preview program never saw a final release under NT 3.51. The entire program was moved across to the Cairo development group who finally integrated the new shell design into the NT code with the release of NT 4.0 in July 1996. With

2485-530: The Window Explorer pane is in Details view mode showing a property contained within the metadata (for example Date, Length, Frame Height), Windows Explorer might have to search the contents of the whole file for the meta data. Some damaged files can cause a prolonged delay as well. This is due to metadata information being able to be placed anywhere within the file, beginning, middle, or end, necessitating

2556-409: The account specified for the service is same as the account that the service process runs in. Every service that does not run in the System account is logged in by calling the LSASS function LogonUserEx() , for which LSASS process looks up "secret" passwords stored in the HKLM\SECURITY\Policy\Secrets\ registry key, which were stored by the SCP using the LsaStorePrivateData() API, when

2627-506: The associated program from the temporary location when opened, to make the appearance that the ZIP file is a real directory. Windows Explorer includes significant changes from previous versions of Windows such as improved filtering, sorting, grouping and stacking. Combined with integrated desktop search, Windows Explorer allows users to find and organize their files in new ways, such as stacks. The new Stacks viewing mode groups files according to

2698-504: The auto-start method of service initialization was designed for essential system services upon which other applications and services depend. The SCM initializes the delayed services only after handling all the non-delayed auto-start services, by invoking the ScInitDelayStart() function. This function queues a delayed (120 seconds by default) work item associated with a corresponding worker thread. Other than being initialized after

2769-1108: The criterion specified by the user. Stacks can be clicked to filter the files shown in Windows Explorer. There is also the ability to save searches as virtual folders or search folders. A search folder is simply an XML file, which stores the query in a form that can be used by the Windows search subsystem. When accessed, the search is executed and the results are aggregated and presented as a virtual folder. Windows Vista includes six search folders by default: recent documents, recent e-mail, recent music, recent pictures and videos, recent changed, and "Shared by Me". Additionally, search operators for properties were introduced, such as kind:music . Since at least Windows 7, comparison operators "greater than" and "less than" are supported to search for any supported attribute such as date ranges and file sizes, like size:>100MB to search for all files that are greater than 100 MB. Attributes sortable and searchable in Windows Explorer include pictures' dimensions, Exif data such as aperture and exposure, video duration and framerate and width. When sorting items,

2840-407: The current folder in a simple editable combobox, this new style structures the path into clickable levels of folder hierarchy (though falls back to the classic edit mode when a blank area is clicked), enabling the user to skip as many levels as desired in one click rather than repeatedly clicking "Up". It is also possible to navigate to any subfolder of the current folder using the arrow to the right of

2911-600: The default character is a puppy named Rover (previously used in Microsoft Bob ), with three other characters (Merlin the magician, Earl the surfer, and Courtney) also available. These search companions use the same technology as Microsoft Office 's Office Assistants , even incorporating "tricks" and sound effects, and they can be used as Office Assistants if their files are copied into the C:\Windows\msagent\chars folder. The search capability itself

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2982-457: The details icon viewing mode. File and folder actions such as cut, copy, paste, undo, redo, delete, rename and properties are built into a dropdown menu which appears when the Organize button is clicked. It is also possible to change the layout of the Explorer window by using the Organize button. Users can select whether to display classic menus, a search pane, a preview pane, a reading pane, and

3053-827: The file does not contain visual information. Furthermore, different imagery is overlaid on thumbnails to give more information about the file, such as a picture frame around the thumbnail of an image file, or a filmstrip on a video file. The details pane also allows for the change of some textual metadata such as author and title in files that support them within Windows Explorer. A new type of metadata called tags allows users to add descriptive terms to documents for easier categorization and retrieval. Some files support open metadata, allowing users to define new types of metadata for their files. Out-of-the-box, Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 supports Microsoft Office documents and most audio and video files. Support for other file types can however be added by writing specialized software to retrieve

3124-596: The file from the "File in Use" dialog. If the running application exposes these operations by means of the IFileIsInUse interface, Windows Explorer, upon encountering a locked file, allows the user to close the file or switch to the application from the dialog box itself. Windows Vista introduced pre-included support for the Media Transfer Protocol . The ability to customize the layout and buttons on

3195-618: The file management aspect of the operating system, the Explorer process also houses the operating system's search functionality and File Type associations (based on filename extensions ), and is responsible for displaying the desktop icons , the Start Menu , the Taskbar , and the Control Panel . Collectively, these features are known as the Windows shell . File Explorer is the default user interface for accessing and managing

3266-517: The file systems, but it is possible to perform such tasks on Windows without File Explorer. For example, the File ;▸ Run menu option in Task Manager on Windows NT or later functions independently of File Explorer, as do commands run within a command prompt window. After a user logs in, the explorer process is created by the userinit process. Userinit performs some initialization of

3337-445: The file. Also, when renaming a file, Explorer only highlights the filename without selecting the extension. Renaming multiple files is quicker as pressing Tab automatically renames the existing file or folder and opens the file name text field for the next file for renaming. Shift+Tab allows renaming in the same manner upwards. Support for burning data on DVDs (DVD±R, DVD±R DL, DVD±R RW) in addition to CDs and DVD-RAM using version 2.0 of

3408-464: The function ScGetBootAndSystemDriverState() function which checks whether the device drivers that should be started during the boot or system startup were successfully loaded, and those that have failed to do so are stored in a list called ScFailedDrivers . Then a named pipe \Pipe\Ntsvcs is created as a remote procedure call interface between the SCM and the SCPs (Service Control Processes) that interact with specific services. Next, it calls

3479-422: The last item. The menu bar is now hidden by default but reappears temporarily when the user presses Alt. Check boxes in Windows Explorer allow the selection of multiple files. Free and used space on all drives is shown in horizontal indicator bars. Icons of various sizes are supported: 16 x 16, 24 x 24, 32 x 32, 48 x 48, 64 x 64, 96 x 96, 128 x 128 and 256 x 256. Windows Explorer can zoom the icons in and out using

3550-548: The libraries special folder, which allows them to be displayed on the navigation pane. By default, a new user account in Windows 7 contains four libraries, for different file types: Documents, Music, Pictures, and Videos. They are configured to include the user's profile folders for these respective file types, as well as the computer's corresponding Public folders. In addition to aggregating multiple storage locations, Libraries enable Arrangement Views and Search Filter Suggestions. Arrangement Views allow users to pivot their views of

3621-545: The library's contents based on metadata. For example, selecting the "By Month" view in the Pictures library will display photos in stacks, where each stack represents a month of photos based on the date they were taken. In the Music library, the "By Artist" view will display stacks of albums from the artists in their collections, and browsing into an artist stack will then display the relevant albums. Search Filter Suggestions are

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3692-410: The metadata at the shell's request. Metadata stored in a file's alternate data stream only on NTFS volumes cannot be viewed and edited through the summary tab of the file's properties anymore. Instead, all metadata is stored inside the file, so that it will always travel with the file and not be dependent on the file system. Windows Explorer in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 also introduces

3763-412: The navigation pane. The preview pane enables users to preview files (e.g., documents or media files) without opening them. If an application, such as Office 2007 , installs preview handlers for file types, then these files can also be edited within the preview pane itself. Windows Vista saw the introduction of the breadcrumb bar for easier navigation. As opposed to the prior address bar which displayed

3834-480: The old name of "Windows Explorer" can still be seen in the Windows Task Manager . Windows Explorer was first included with Windows 95 as a replacement for File Manager , which came with all versions of Windows 3.x operating systems. Explorer could be accessed by double-clicking the new My Computer desktop icon or launched from the new Start Menu that replaced the earlier Program Manager . There

3905-448: The options to display these pictures as a slide show, to print them out, or to go online to order prints. Conversely, a folder containing music files would offer options to play those files in a media player or to go online to purchase music. Windows XP had a Media bar but it was removed with SP1. The Media Bar was only available with Windows XP RTM. Every folder also has "File and Folder Tasks", offering options to create new folders, share

3976-523: The pictures, and a pair of "Rotate" buttons offer 90-degree clockwise and counter-clockwise ( lossy ) rotation of images. Aside from the Filmstrip view mode, there is a 'Thumbnails' mode, which displays thumbnail -sized images in the folder. A Folder containing images will also show thumbnails of four of the images from that folder overlaid on top of a large folder icon. Web sites that offer image hosting services can be plugged into Windows Explorer, which

4047-445: The problem of a prolonged system startup, as well as to speed-up the start of critical services that cannot be delayed. Originally the auto-start method of service initialization was designed for essential system services upon which other applications and services depend. The SCM initializes the delayed services only after handling all the non-delayed auto-start services, by invoking the ScInitDelayStart() function. This function queues

4118-450: The query already typed. For example, selecting the "tags" filter or typing "tags:" into the search box will display the list of possible tag values which will return search results. The metadata written within the file, implemented in Vista, is also utilized in Windows 7. This can sometimes lead to long wait times displaying the contents of a folder. For example, if a folder contains many large video files totaling hundreds of gigabytes, and

4189-470: The query to the remote systems, in addition to searching on the local system, so that files on the remote systems are also searched. Unlike search folders, Libraries are backed by a physical location which allows files to be saved in the libraries. Such files are transparently saved in the backing physical folder. The default save location for a library may be configured by the user, as can the default view layout for each library. Libraries are generally stored in

4260-500: The release of the Windows Desktop Update (packaged with Internet Explorer 4 as an optional component, and included in Windows 98 ), Windows Explorer became "integrated" with Internet Explorer, most notably with the addition of navigation arrows (back and forward) for moving between recently visited directories, as well as Internet Explorer's Favorites menu. An address bar was also added to Windows Explorer, which

4331-451: The separate search dialog found in all previous Explorer versions. Search capabilities were added, offering full-text searches of documents, with options to filter by date (including arbitrary ranges like "modified within the last week"), size, and file type. The Indexing Service has also been integrated into the operating system and the search pane built into Explorer allows searching files indexed by its database. The ability to customize

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4402-416: The service was originally configured. Next, the ScLogonAndStartImage() function is called for every service whose service process has not been already launched. Service processes are created in a suspended state via the CreateProcessAsUser() API. Before the service process' execution is resumed, a named pipe \Pipe\Net\NtControlPipeX (where X is a number incremented for each service iteration)

4473-449: The services configured for automatic startup. First an internal database of installed services is initialized by reading the following two registry keys: In the next step, SCM's main function SvcCtrlMain() calls the function ScGetBootAndSystemDriverState() function which checks whether the device drivers that should be started during the boot or system startup were successfully loaded, and those that have failed to do so are stored in

4544-428: The shortcut. The right-hand pane, which usually just lists files and folders, can also be customized. For example, the contents of the system folders aren't displayed by default, instead showing in the right pane a warning to the user that modifying the contents of the system folders could harm their computer. It's possible to define additional Explorer panes by using DIV elements in folder template files. This feature

4615-437: The sort order no longer remains consistently Ascending or Descending. Each property has a preferred sort direction. For example, sort by date defaults to descending order, as does size. But name and type default to ascending order. Searching for files containing a given text string became problematic with Vista unless the files had been indexed. An alternative is to use the findstr command-line function. After right-clicking on

4686-540: The standard buttons was also added. There were significant changes made to Windows Explorer in Windows XP , both visually and functionally. Microsoft focused especially on making Explorer more discoverable and task-based, as well as adding several new features to reflect the growing use of a computer as a digital hub . Windows Explorer in Windows Server 2003 contains all the same features as Windows XP, but

4757-410: The task panes and search companion are disabled by default. The task pane is displayed on the left-hand side of the window instead of the traditional folder tree view . It presents the user with a list of common actions and destinations that are relevant to the current directory or file(s) selected. For instance, when in a directory containing mostly pictures, a set of "Picture tasks" is shown, offering

4828-569: The toolbars has been removed in Windows Vista's Explorer, as has the ability to add a password to a zip file (compressed folder). The Toolbar button in Explorer to go up one folder from the current folder has been removed (the function still exists however, one can move up a folder by pressing Alt + ↑ ). Although still fully available from the menus and keyboard shortcuts, toolbar buttons for Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Delete, Properties and some others are no longer available. The Menu Bar

4899-435: The user can use to select images on their computer, and have them uploaded correctly without dealing with comparatively complex solutions involving FTP or web interfaces. ZIP and CAB files are integrated into the user interface so they can be browsed as if they were ordinary folders. Given that files contained inside ZIP files can not be opened directly, they are automatically extracted to a temporary location and launched with

4970-469: The user environment (such as running the login script and applying group policies) and then looks in the registry at the Shell value and creates a process to run the system-defined shell – by default, Explorer.exe. Then Userinit exits. This is why Explorer.exe is shown by various process explorers with no parent – its parent has exited. In 1995, Microsoft first released test versions of a shell refresh, named

5041-412: Was abused by computer viruses that employed malicious scripts, Java applets, or ActiveX controls in folder template files as their infection vector. Two such viruses are VBS/Roor-C and VBS.Redlof.a. Other Explorer UI elements that can be customized include columns in "Details" view, icon overlays, and search providers: the new DHTML-based search pane is integrated into Windows 2000 Explorer, unlike

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