Open a Folder in a New Windows XP Explorer Window without Setting that as the Default?

Question

Windows 7 has a feature where you can right click a folder and select "Open in a new window" when Windows Explorer is set to open folders in the same window. Is there a way to replicate this feature in Windows XP?

Answer 1

Explorer.exe has a /n command-line option that can be used to open items in a new window.

You can use the save the following text into a merge.reg file, then merge it into your registry.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Open in New Window\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,\
  65,00,20,00,2f,00,6e,00,2c,00,2f,00,69,00,64,00,6c,00,69,00,73,00,74,00,2c,\
  00,25,00,49,00,2c,00,25,00,4c,00,00,00

This will add the item pictured below to the registry, which will add an "Open in New Window" item to the context menu of folders.

Notes: I duplicated the "open" action and modified it to contain the /n option. The REG_EXPAND_SZ type seems to be required for %SystemRoot% to work properly, but the only way I could manage to make the (Default) value a REG_EXPAND_SZ type was by using a .reg file.

Answer 2

You can hold shift when double-clicking to open a folder in a new window in XP.

Answer 3

SHIFT or CTRL ? It's CTRL under win7. Doubt they would have changed that.