<s>
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
previously	O
known	O
as	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
is	O
a	O
file	B-Application
manager	I-Application
application	O
that	O
is	O
included	O
with	O
releases	O
of	O
the	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
operating	I-Application
system	I-Application
from	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
onwards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
provides	O
a	O
graphical	B-Application
user	I-Application
interface	I-Application
for	O
accessing	O
the	O
file	B-Application
systems	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
the	O
component	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
that	O
presents	O
many	O
user	O
interface	O
items	O
on	O
the	O
screen	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
taskbar	O
and	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Controlling	O
the	O
computer	O
is	O
possible	O
without	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
running	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
the	O
command	O
in	O
Task	O
Manager	O
on	O
NT-derived	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
will	O
function	O
without	O
it	O
,	O
as	O
will	O
commands	O
typed	O
in	O
a	O
command	O
prompt	O
window	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
was	O
first	O
included	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
as	O
a	O
replacement	O
for	O
File	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
,	O
which	O
came	O
with	O
all	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
3.x	O
operating	B-General_Concept
systems	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
Explorer	O
could	O
be	O
accessed	O
by	O
double-clicking	O
the	O
new	O
My	B-General_Concept
Computer	I-General_Concept
desktop	O
icon	O
or	O
launched	O
from	O
the	O
new	O
Start	O
Menu	O
that	O
replaced	O
the	O
earlier	O
Program	O
Manager	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Successive	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
(	O
and	O
in	O
some	O
cases	O
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
)	O
introduced	O
new	O
features	O
and	O
capabilities	O
,	O
removed	O
other	O
features	O
,	O
and	O
generally	O
progressed	O
from	O
being	O
a	O
simple	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
navigation	O
tool	O
into	O
a	O
task-based	O
file	O
management	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
"	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
"	O
or	O
"	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
"	O
is	O
a	O
term	O
most	O
commonly	O
used	O
to	O
describe	O
the	O
file	O
management	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
,	O
the	O
Explorer	O
also	O
houses	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
's	O
search	O
functionality	O
and	O
File	O
Type	O
associations	O
(	O
based	O
on	O
filename	O
extensions	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
responsible	O
for	O
displaying	O
the	O
desktop	O
icons	O
,	O
the	O
Start	O
Menu	O
,	O
the	O
Taskbar	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Control	O
Panel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Collectively	O
,	O
these	O
features	O
are	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
shell	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Userinit	O
performs	O
some	O
initialization	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
environment	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
running	O
the	O
login	O
script	O
and	O
applying	O
group	O
policies	O
)	O
and	O
then	O
looks	O
in	O
the	O
registry	B-Protocol
at	O
the	O
Shell	B-Operating_System
value	O
and	O
creates	O
a	O
process	O
to	O
run	O
the	O
system-defined	O
shell	B-Operating_System
–	O
by	O
default	O
,	O
Explorer.exe	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
why	O
Explorer.exe	B-Protocol
is	O
shown	O
by	O
various	O
process	O
explorers	O
with	O
no	O
parent	O
–	O
its	O
parent	O
has	O
exited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1995	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
first	O
released	O
test	O
versions	O
of	O
a	O
shell	B-Operating_System
refresh	O
,	O
named	O
the	O
Shell	B-Operating_System
Technology	O
Preview	O
,	O
and	O
often	O
referred	O
to	O
informally	O
as	O
"	O
NewShell	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
update	O
was	O
designed	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
Windows	O
3.x	O
Program	O
Manager/File	O
Manager	O
based	O
shell	B-Operating_System
with	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
provided	O
capabilities	O
quite	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
"	O
Chicago	O
"	O
(	O
codename	B-General_Concept
for	O
Windows	B-Application
95	I-Application
)	O
shell	B-Operating_System
during	O
its	O
late	O
beta	O
phases	O
,	O
however	O
was	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
nothing	O
more	O
than	O
a	O
test	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
two	O
public	O
releases	O
of	O
the	O
Shell	B-Operating_System
Technology	O
Preview	O
,	O
made	O
available	O
to	O
MSDN	O
and	O
CompuServe	O
users	O
:	O
May	O
26	O
,	O
1995	O
,	O
and	O
August	O
8	O
,	O
1995	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Both	O
held	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
builds	O
of	O
3.51.1053.1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Shell	B-Operating_System
Technology	O
Preview	O
program	O
never	O
saw	O
a	O
final	O
release	O
under	O
NT	O
3.51	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
entire	O
program	O
was	O
moved	O
across	O
to	O
the	O
Cairo	B-Application
development	O
group	O
who	O
finally	O
integrated	O
the	O
new	O
shell	B-Operating_System
design	O
into	O
the	O
NT	O
code	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
NT	O
4.0	O
in	O
July	O
1996	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
(	O
packaged	O
with	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
4	I-Protocol
as	O
an	O
optional	O
component	O
,	O
and	O
included	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
became	O
"	O
integrated	O
"	O
with	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
,	O
most	O
notably	O
with	O
the	O
addition	O
of	O
navigation	O
arrows	O
(	O
back	O
and	O
forward	O
)	O
for	O
moving	O
between	O
recently	O
visited	O
directories	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
's	O
Favorites	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
address	O
bar	O
was	O
also	O
added	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
a	O
user	O
could	O
type	O
in	O
directory	B-Application
paths	I-Application
directly	O
,	O
and	O
be	O
taken	O
to	O
that	O
folder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
feature	O
that	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
technology	O
was	O
customized	O
folders	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Such	O
folders	O
contained	O
a	O
hidden	O
web	O
page	O
that	O
controlled	O
the	O
way	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
displayed	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
the	O
folder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Explorer	O
featured	O
an	O
interactive	O
media	O
player	O
as	O
the	O
previewer	O
for	O
sound	O
and	O
video	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
such	O
a	O
previewer	O
can	O
be	O
enabled	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
ME	I-Device
through	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
folder	O
customization	O
templates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
ME	I-Device
allows	O
for	O
custom	O
thumbnail	O
previewers	O
and	O
tooltip	O
handlers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
default	O
file	O
tooltip	O
displays	O
file	O
title	O
,	O
author	O
,	O
subject	O
and	O
comments	O
;	O
this	O
metadata	O
may	O
be	O
read	O
from	O
a	O
special	O
NTFS	B-Application
stream	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
file	O
is	O
on	O
an	O
NTFS	B-Application
volume	O
,	O
or	O
from	O
a	O
COM	B-Library
Structured	I-Library
Storage	I-Library
stream	O
,	O
if	O
the	O
file	O
is	O
a	O
structured	B-General_Concept
storage	I-General_Concept
document	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
All	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
documents	O
since	O
Office	B-Operating_System
95	I-Operating_System
make	O
use	O
of	O
structured	B-General_Concept
storage	I-General_Concept
,	O
so	O
their	O
metadata	O
is	O
displayable	O
in	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Explorer	O
default	O
tooltip	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
's	O
possible	O
to	O
define	O
additional	O
Explorer	O
panes	O
by	O
using	O
DIV	B-General_Concept
elements	I-General_Concept
in	O
folder	O
template	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
was	O
abused	O
by	O
computer	O
viruses	O
that	O
employed	O
malicious	O
scripts	O
,	O
Java	B-Language
applets	O
,	O
or	O
ActiveX	B-Application
controls	I-Application
in	O
folder	O
template	O
files	O
as	O
their	O
infection	O
vector	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
Explorer	O
UI	O
elements	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
customized	O
include	O
columns	O
in	O
"	O
Details	O
"	O
view	O
,	O
icon	O
overlays	O
,	O
and	O
search	O
providers	O
:	O
the	O
new	O
DHTML-based	O
search	O
pane	O
is	O
integrated	O
into	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
Explorer	O
,	O
unlike	O
the	O
separate	O
search	O
dialog	O
found	O
in	O
all	O
previous	O
Explorer	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Indexing	B-Library
Service	I-Library
has	O
also	O
been	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
operating	B-General_Concept
system	I-General_Concept
and	O
the	O
search	O
pane	O
built	O
into	O
Explorer	O
allows	O
searching	O
files	O
indexed	O
by	O
its	O
database	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
There	O
were	O
significant	O
changes	O
made	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
both	O
visually	O
and	O
functionally	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Server	I-Application
2003	I-Application
contains	O
all	O
the	O
same	O
features	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
but	O
the	O
task	O
panes	O
and	O
search	O
companion	O
are	O
disabled	O
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
had	O
a	O
Media	O
bar	O
but	O
it	O
was	O
removed	O
with	O
SP1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Media	O
Bar	O
was	O
only	O
available	O
with	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
RTM	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Folders	O
"	O
button	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
toolbar	O
toggles	O
between	O
the	O
traditional	O
tree	O
view	O
of	O
folders	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
task	O
pane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
animated	O
"	O
Search	O
Companions	O
"	O
in	O
an	O
attempt	O
to	O
make	O
searching	O
more	O
engaging	O
and	O
friendly	O
;	O
the	O
default	O
character	O
is	O
a	O
puppy	O
named	O
Rover	O
(	O
previously	O
used	O
in	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Bob	I-Application
)	O
,	O
with	O
three	O
other	O
characters	O
(	O
Merlin	O
the	O
magician	O
,	O
Earl	O
the	O
surfer	O
,	O
and	O
Courtney	O
)	O
also	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
search	O
companions	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
technology	O
as	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
's	O
Office	B-General_Concept
Assistants	I-General_Concept
,	O
even	O
incorporating	O
"	O
tricks	O
"	O
and	O
sound	O
effects	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
as	O
Office	B-General_Concept
Assistants	I-General_Concept
if	O
their	O
files	O
are	O
copied	O
into	O
the	O
C:\Windows\msagent\chars	O
folder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
search	O
capability	O
itself	O
is	O
fairly	O
similar	O
to	O
Windows	B-Device
ME	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
,	O
with	O
one	O
major	O
addition	O
:	O
Search	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
instructed	O
to	O
search	O
only	O
files	O
that	O
are	O
categorical	O
"	O
Documents	O
"	O
or	O
"	O
Pictures	O
,	O
music	O
and	O
video	O
"	O
;	O
this	O
feature	O
is	O
noteworthy	O
largely	O
because	O
of	O
how	O
Windows	O
determines	O
what	O
types	O
of	O
files	O
can	O
be	O
classified	O
under	O
these	O
categories	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
maintain	O
a	O
relevant	O
list	O
of	O
file	O
types	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
connects	O
to	O
Microsoft	O
and	O
downloads	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
XML	O
files	O
that	O
define	O
what	O
these	O
file	O
types	O
are	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Search	O
Companion	O
can	O
be	O
disabled	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
the	O
classic	O
search	O
pane	O
used	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
by	O
using	O
the	O
Tweak	B-Application
UI	I-Application
applet	O
from	O
Microsoft	O
's	O
PowerToys	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
or	O
by	O
manually	O
editing	O
the	O
registry	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
improves	O
image	O
preview	O
in	O
Explorer	O
by	O
offering	O
a	O
Filmstrip	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Back	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
Previous	O
"	O
buttons	O
facilitate	O
navigation	O
through	O
the	O
pictures	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
pair	O
of	O
"	O
Rotate	O
"	O
buttons	O
offer	O
90-degree	O
clockwise	O
and	O
counter-clockwise	O
(	O
lossy	B-Algorithm
)	O
rotation	O
of	O
images	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Web	O
sites	O
that	O
offer	O
image	O
hosting	O
services	O
can	O
be	O
plugged	O
into	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
which	O
the	O
user	O
can	O
use	O
to	O
select	O
images	O
on	O
their	O
computer	O
,	O
and	O
have	O
them	O
uploaded	O
correctly	O
without	O
dealing	O
with	O
comparatively	O
complex	O
solutions	O
involving	O
FTP	O
or	O
web	O
interfaces	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
with	O
images	O
from	O
a	O
digital	B-Device
camera	I-Device
,	O
the	O
Exif	O
information	O
can	O
be	O
viewed	O
,	O
both	O
in	O
the	O
Properties	O
pages	O
for	O
the	O
photo	O
itself	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
via	O
optional	O
additional	O
Details	O
View	O
columns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
also	O
gained	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
burn	O
CDs	O
and	O
DVD-RAM	O
discs	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ability	O
to	O
create	O
and	O
open	O
ZIP	B-General_Concept
files	I-General_Concept
called	O
"	O
compressed	B-General_Concept
folders	I-General_Concept
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
.HTM	B-Language
or	O
.HTML	B-Language
file	O
is	O
copied	O
or	O
moved	O
,	O
the	O
accompanying	O
_files	O
suffix	O
folder	O
is	O
copied	O
or	O
moved	O
among	O
it	O
automatically	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sort	O
order	O
has	O
changed	O
compared	O
to	O
the	O
one	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
2000	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
file	O
names	O
containing	O
numbers	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
now	O
tries	O
to	O
sort	O
based	O
on	O
numerical	O
value	O
rather	O
than	O
just	O
comparing	O
each	O
number	O
digit	O
by	O
digit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
includes	O
significant	O
changes	O
from	O
previous	O
versions	O
of	O
Windows	O
such	O
as	O
improved	O
filtering	O
,	O
sorting	O
,	O
grouping	O
and	O
stacking	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Combined	O
with	O
integrated	O
desktop	O
search	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
allows	O
users	O
to	O
find	O
and	O
organize	O
their	O
files	O
in	O
new	O
ways	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
stacks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stacks	O
can	O
be	O
clicked	O
to	O
filter	O
the	O
files	O
shown	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
search	O
folder	O
is	O
simply	O
an	O
XML	O
file	O
,	O
which	O
stores	O
the	O
query	O
in	O
a	O
form	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
search	I-Application
subsystem	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
includes	O
six	O
search	O
folders	O
by	O
default	O
:	O
recent	O
documents	O
,	O
recent	O
e-mail	O
,	O
recent	O
music	O
,	O
recent	O
pictures	O
and	O
videos	O
,	O
recent	O
changed	O
,	O
and	O
"	O
Shared	O
by	O
Me	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
at	O
least	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
comparison	O
operators	O
"	O
greater	O
than	O
"	O
and	O
"	O
less	O
than	O
"	O
are	O
supported	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
any	O
supported	O
attribute	O
such	O
as	O
date	O
ranges	O
and	O
file	O
sizes	O
,	O
like	O
size:>100MB	O
to	O
search	O
for	O
all	O
files	O
that	O
are	O
greater	O
than	O
100	O
MB	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Attributes	O
sortable	O
and	O
searchable	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
include	O
pictures	O
 '	O
dimensions	O
,	O
Exif	O
data	O
such	O
as	O
aperture	O
and	O
exposure	O
,	O
video	O
duration	O
and	O
framerate	O
and	O
width	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Searching	O
for	O
files	O
containing	O
a	O
given	O
text	O
string	O
became	O
problematic	O
with	O
Vista	B-Application
unless	O
the	O
files	O
had	O
been	O
indexed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
also	O
contains	O
modifications	O
in	O
the	O
visualization	O
of	O
files	O
on	O
a	O
computer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
new	O
addition	O
to	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
Server	B-Device
2008	I-Device
is	O
the	O
details	O
pane	O
,	O
which	O
displays	O
metadata	O
and	O
information	O
relating	O
to	O
the	O
currently	O
selected	O
file	O
or	O
folder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
details	O
pane	O
also	O
allows	O
for	O
the	O
change	O
of	O
some	O
textual	O
metadata	O
such	O
as	O
author	O
and	O
title	O
in	O
files	O
that	O
support	O
them	O
within	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Out-of-the-box	O
,	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
supports	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Office	I-Application
documents	O
and	O
most	O
audio	O
and	O
video	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
other	O
file	O
types	O
can	O
however	O
be	O
added	O
by	O
writing	O
specialized	O
software	O
to	O
retrieve	O
the	O
metadata	O
at	O
the	O
shell	B-Operating_System
's	O
request	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Metadata	O
stored	O
in	O
a	O
file	O
's	O
alternate	O
data	O
stream	O
only	O
on	O
NTFS	B-Application
volumes	O
cannot	O
be	O
viewed	O
and	O
edited	O
through	O
the	O
summary	O
tab	O
of	O
the	O
file	O
's	O
properties	O
anymore	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
all	O
metadata	O
is	O
stored	O
inside	O
the	O
file	O
,	O
so	O
that	O
it	O
will	O
always	O
travel	O
with	O
the	O
file	O
and	O
not	O
be	O
dependent	O
on	O
the	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
also	O
introduces	O
a	O
new	O
layout	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
task	O
panes	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
are	O
replaced	O
with	O
a	O
toolbar	O
on	O
top	O
and	O
a	O
navigation	O
pane	O
on	O
the	O
left	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
addition	O
,	O
column	O
headers	O
now	O
appear	O
in	O
all	O
icon	O
viewing	O
modes	O
,	O
unlike	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
where	O
they	O
only	O
appear	O
in	O
the	O
details	O
icon	O
viewing	O
mode	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
an	O
application	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
Office	B-Application
2007	I-Application
,	O
installs	O
preview	O
handlers	O
for	O
file	O
types	O
,	O
then	O
these	O
files	O
can	O
also	O
be	O
edited	O
within	O
the	O
preview	O
pane	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
saw	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
the	O
breadcrumb	O
bar	O
for	O
easier	O
navigation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
opposed	O
to	O
the	O
prior	O
address	O
bar	O
which	O
displayed	O
the	O
current	O
folder	O
in	O
a	O
simple	O
editable	O
combobox	O
,	O
this	O
new	O
style	O
structures	O
the	O
path	B-Application
into	O
clickable	O
levels	O
of	O
folder	O
hierarchy	O
(	O
though	O
falls	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
classic	O
edit	O
mode	O
when	O
a	O
blank	O
area	O
is	O
clicked	O
)	O
,	O
enabling	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
skip	O
as	O
many	O
levels	O
as	O
desired	O
in	O
one	O
click	O
rather	O
than	O
repeatedly	O
clicking	O
"	O
Up	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Check	O
boxes	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
allow	O
the	O
selection	O
of	O
multiple	O
files	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
can	O
zoom	O
the	O
icons	O
in	O
and	O
out	O
using	O
a	O
slider	O
or	O
by	O
holding	O
down	O
the	O
Ctrl	O
key	O
and	O
using	O
the	O
mouse	O
scrollwheel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Server	B-Device
2008	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Application
Internet	I-Application
Explorer	I-Application
7	I-Application
for	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
,	O
Internet	B-Application
Explorer	I-Application
is	O
no	O
longer	O
integrated	O
with	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
Server	B-Device
2008	I-Device
(	O
and	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
as	O
well	O
if	O
IE7	O
or	O
8	O
is	O
installed	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
no	O
longer	O
displays	O
web	O
pages	O
,	O
and	O
IE7	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
use	O
as	O
a	O
file	B-Application
manager	I-Application
,	O
although	O
one	O
will	O
separately	O
launch	O
the	O
other	O
as	O
necessary	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Support	O
for	O
burning	O
data	O
on	O
DVDs	O
(	O
DVD±R	O
,	O
DVD±R	O
DL	O
,	O
DVD±R	O
RW	O
)	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
CDs	O
and	O
DVD-RAM	O
using	O
version	O
2.0	O
of	O
the	O
Image	B-Library
Mastering	I-Library
API	I-Library
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
Live	B-Device
File	I-Device
System	I-Device
support	O
was	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
a	O
file	O
is	O
in	O
use	O
by	O
another	O
application	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
tells	O
users	O
to	O
close	O
the	O
application	O
and	O
retry	O
the	O
file	O
operation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
running	O
application	O
exposes	O
these	O
operations	O
by	O
means	O
of	O
the	O
IFileIsInUse	O
interface	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
upon	O
encountering	O
a	O
locked	O
file	O
,	O
allows	O
the	O
user	O
to	O
close	O
the	O
file	O
or	O
switch	O
to	O
the	O
application	O
from	O
the	O
dialog	O
box	O
itself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
introduced	O
precluded	O
support	O
for	O
the	O
Media	O
Transfer	O
Protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
customize	O
the	O
layout	O
and	O
buttons	O
on	O
the	O
toolbars	O
has	O
been	O
removed	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
's	O
Explorer	O
,	O
as	O
has	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
add	O
a	O
password	O
to	O
a	O
zip	B-General_Concept
file	I-General_Concept
(	O
compressed	B-General_Concept
folder	I-General_Concept
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
other	O
features	O
are	O
removed	O
such	O
as	O
showing	O
the	O
size	O
on	O
the	O
status	O
bar	O
without	O
selecting	O
items	O
,	O
storing	O
metadata	O
in	O
NTFS	B-Application
alternate	O
data	O
streams	O
,	O
the	O
IColumnProvider	O
interface	O
which	O
allowed	O
addition	O
of	O
custom	O
columns	O
to	O
Explorer	O
and	O
folder	O
background	O
customization	O
using	O
desktop.ini	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
option	O
"	O
Managing	O
pairs	O
of	O
Web	O
pages	O
and	O
folders	O
"	O
is	O
also	O
removed	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
user	O
has	O
no	O
way	O
of	O
telling	O
Vista	B-Application
that	O
a	O
.html	B-Language
file	O
and	O
the	O
folder	O
with	O
the	O
same	O
name	O
that	O
was	O
created	O
when	O
saving	O
a	O
complete	O
web	O
page	O
from	O
IE	O
should	O
be	O
treated	O
separately	O
,	O
that	O
is	O
,	O
they	O
cannot	O
delete	O
the	O
folder	O
without	O
deleting	O
the	O
html	B-Language
file	I-Language
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ability	O
to	O
right-click	O
a	O
folder	O
and	O
hit	O
"	O
Search	O
"	O
was	O
removed	O
in	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
Service	O
Pack	O
1	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	O
supports	O
libraries	O
,	O
virtual	O
folders	O
described	O
in	O
a	O
.library-ms	O
file	O
that	O
aggregates	O
content	O
from	O
various	O
locations	O
–	O
including	O
shared	O
folders	O
on	O
networked	O
systems	O
if	O
the	O
shared	O
folder	O
has	O
been	O
indexed	O
by	O
the	O
host	O
system	O
–	O
and	O
present	O
them	O
in	O
a	O
unified	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Libraries	O
are	O
generally	O
stored	O
in	O
the	O
libraries	O
special	B-General_Concept
folder	I-General_Concept
,	O
which	O
allows	O
them	O
to	O
be	O
displayed	O
on	O
the	O
navigation	O
pane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
user	O
account	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
contains	O
four	O
libraries	O
,	O
for	O
different	O
file	O
types	O
:	O
Documents	O
,	O
Music	O
,	O
Pictures	O
,	O
and	O
Videos	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Search	O
Filter	O
Suggestions	O
are	O
a	O
new	O
feature	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	O
Explorer	O
's	O
search	O
box	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
metadata	O
written	O
within	O
the	O
file	O
,	O
implemented	O
in	O
Vista	B-Application
,	O
is	O
also	O
utilized	O
in	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
example	O
,	O
if	O
a	O
folder	O
contains	O
many	O
large	O
video	O
files	O
totaling	O
hundreds	O
of	O
gigabytes	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Window	O
Explorer	O
pane	O
is	O
in	O
Details	O
view	O
mode	O
showing	O
a	O
property	O
contained	O
within	O
the	O
metadata	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
Date	O
,	O
Length	O
,	O
Frame	O
Height	O
)	O
,	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
might	O
have	O
to	O
search	O
the	O
contents	O
of	O
the	O
whole	O
file	O
for	O
the	O
meta	O
data	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Arrangement	O
Views	O
and	O
Search	O
Filter	O
Suggestions	O
are	O
database-backed	O
features	O
that	O
require	O
that	O
all	O
locations	O
in	O
the	O
Library	O
be	O
indexed	O
by	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Local	O
disk	O
locations	O
must	O
be	O
indexed	O
by	O
the	O
local	O
indexer	O
,	O
and	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
will	O
automatically	O
add	O
locations	O
to	O
the	O
indexing	O
scope	O
when	O
they	O
are	O
included	O
in	O
a	O
library	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Remote	O
locations	O
can	O
be	O
indexed	O
by	O
the	O
indexer	O
on	O
another	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	O
machine	O
,	O
on	O
a	O
Windows	O
machine	O
running	O
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
4	O
(	O
such	O
as	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
or	O
Windows	O
Home	O
Server	O
)	O
,	O
or	O
on	O
another	O
device	O
that	O
implements	O
the	O
MS-WSP	O
remote	O
query	O
protocol	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
also	O
supports	O
federating	O
search	O
to	O
external	O
data	O
sources	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
custom	O
databases	O
or	O
web	O
services	O
,	O
that	O
are	O
exposed	O
over	O
the	O
web	O
and	O
described	O
via	O
an	O
OpenSearch	B-Application
definition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Once	O
installed	O
,	O
the	O
data	O
source	O
becomes	O
queryable	O
directly	O
from	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
features	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
previews	O
and	O
thumbnails	O
,	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
results	O
of	O
a	O
federated	O
search	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2008	I-Device
R2	O
support	O
showing	O
icons	O
in	O
the	O
context	O
menu	O
and	O
creating	O
cascaded	O
context	O
menus	O
with	O
static	O
verbs	O
in	O
submenus	O
using	O
the	O
Registry	B-Protocol
instead	O
of	O
a	O
shell	B-Operating_System
extension	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
,	O
several	O
features	O
have	O
been	O
removed	O
from	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
including	O
the	O
collapsible	O
folder	O
pane	O
,	O
overlay	O
icon	O
for	O
shared	O
items	O
,	O
remembering	O
individual	O
folder	O
window	O
sizes	O
and	O
positions	O
,	O
free	O
disk	O
space	O
on	O
the	O
status	O
bar	O
,	O
icons	O
on	O
the	O
command	O
bar	O
,	O
ability	O
to	O
disable	O
Auto	O
Arrange	O
and	O
Align	O
to	O
Grid	O
,	O
sortable	O
column	O
headings	O
in	O
other	O
views	O
except	O
details	O
view	O
,	O
ability	O
to	O
disable	O
full	O
row	O
selection	O
in	O
details	O
view	O
,	O
automatic	O
horizontal	O
scrolling	O
and	O
scrollbar	O
in	O
the	O
navigation	O
pane	O
and	O
maintaining	O
selection	O
when	O
sorting	O
from	O
the	O
Edit	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
file	B-Application
manager	I-Application
on	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2012	I-Device
is	O
renamed	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
and	O
introduces	O
new	O
features	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
redesigned	O
interface	O
incorporating	O
a	O
ribbon	O
toolbar	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
redesigned	O
file	O
operation	O
dialog	O
that	O
displays	O
more	O
detailed	O
progress	O
and	O
allows	O
for	O
file	O
operations	O
to	O
be	O
paused	O
and	O
resumed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
details	O
pane	O
from	O
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
and	O
7	O
was	O
removed	O
and	O
replaced	O
with	O
a	O
narrower	O
pane	O
with	O
no	O
icons	O
and	O
fewer	O
detail	O
columns	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
icons	O
in	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
have	O
been	O
redesigned	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	O
10	O
Creators	O
Update	O
and	O
later	O
versions	O
come	O
with	O
a	O
new	O
Universal	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
(	O
also	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
UWP	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
"	O
dark	O
mode	O
"	O
has	O
been	O
added	O
to	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
in	O
Windows	O
10	O
,	O
version	O
1809	O
and	O
Windows	B-Device
Server	I-Device
2019	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Universal	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
also	O
includes	O
new	O
features	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
and	O
OneDrive	B-Application
have	O
been	O
integrated	O
into	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
's	O
search	O
feature	O
in	O
Windows	O
10	O
,	O
version	O
1909	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
,	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
had	O
undergone	O
significant	O
UI	O
changes	O
with	O
the	O
Ribbon	O
Interface	O
simplified	O
into	O
a	O
command	O
bar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Translucency	O
,	O
shadows	O
,	O
and	O
rounded	O
geometry	O
have	O
also	O
been	O
added	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
Fluent	B-Application
Design	I-Application
System	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2022	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
adverts	O
into	O
the	O
file	B-Protocol
explorer	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
later	O
stated	O
that	O
these	O
were	O
'	O
not	O
intended	O
to	O
be	O
published	O
externally	O
 '	O
after	O
significant	O
negative	O
media	O
coverage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
5	O
,	O
2022	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
announced	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
adding	O
tabs	O
,	O
favorites	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
homepage	O
to	O
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
features	O
were	O
eventually	O
introduced	O
via	O
an	O
update	O
to	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
11	I-Application
2022	O
Update	O
on	O
October	O
18	O
,	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
can	O
be	O
extended	O
to	O
support	O
non-default	O
functionality	O
by	O
means	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
shell	I-Application
extensions	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
COM	B-Application
objects	I-Application
that	O
plug	O
the	O
extended	O
functionality	O
into	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shell	B-Operating_System
extensions	O
can	O
be	O
in	O
the	O
form	O
of	O
shell	B-Operating_System
extension	O
handlers	O
,	O
toolbars	O
or	O
even	O
namespace	O
extensions	O
that	O
allow	O
certain	O
folders	O
(	O
or	O
even	O
non-filesystem	O
objects	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
images	O
scanned	O
by	O
a	O
scanner	O
)	O
to	O
be	O
presented	O
as	O
a	O
special	B-General_Concept
folder	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
File	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
also	O
allows	O
metadata	O
for	O
files	O
to	O
be	O
added	O
as	O
NTFS	B-Application
alternate	O
data	O
streams	O
,	O
separate	O
from	O
the	O
data	O
stream	O
for	O
the	O
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shell	B-Operating_System
extension	O
handlers	O
are	O
queried	O
by	O
the	O
shell	B-Operating_System
beforehand	O
for	O
modifying	O
the	O
action	O
the	O
shell	B-Operating_System
takes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
shell	B-Operating_System
supports	O
the	O
following	O
extension	O
handlers	O
:	O
</s>
<s>
HandlerDescriptionCan	O
be	O
implemented	O
onRequired	O
shell	B-Operating_System
versionContext	O
menu	O
handlerAdds	O
menu	O
items	O
to	O
the	O
context	O
menu	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Device
7	I-Device
introduced	O
IExecuteCommandDrag-and-drop	O
handlerControls	O
the	O
action	O
upon	O
right-click	O
drag	O
and	O
drop	O
and	O
modifies	O
the	O
context	O
menu	O
that	O
appears.GlobalWindows	O
95	O
and	O
laterDrop	O
target	O
handlerControls	O
the	O
action	O
after	O
a	O
data	O
object	O
is	O
dragged	O
and	O
dropped	O
over	O
a	O
drop	O
target	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
file.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
95	O
and	O
laterData	O
object	O
handlerControls	O
the	O
action	O
after	O
a	O
file	O
is	O
copied	O
to	O
the	O
clipboard	O
or	O
dragged	O
and	O
dropped	O
over	O
a	O
drop	O
target	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
called	O
before	O
file	O
icons	O
are	O
displayed.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
95	O
and	O
laterProperty	O
sheet	O
handlerReplaces	O
or	O
adds	O
pages	O
to	O
the	O
property	O
sheet	O
dialog	O
box	O
of	O
an	O
object.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
95	O
and	O
laterCopy	O
hook	O
handlerAllows	O
running	O
,	O
modifying	O
or	O
denying	O
the	O
action	O
when	O
a	O
user	O
or	O
application	O
tries	O
to	O
copy	O
,	O
move	O
,	O
delete	O
,	O
or	O
rename	O
an	O
object.Not	O
associated	O
with	O
a	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
95	O
and	O
laterSearch	O
handlerAllows	O
shell	B-Operating_System
integration	O
of	O
a	O
custom	O
search	O
engine.Not	O
associated	O
with	O
a	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
95	O
through	O
Windows	O
XPInfotip	O
handlerAllows	O
retrieving	O
flags	O
and	O
infotip	O
information	O
for	O
an	O
item	O
and	O
displaying	O
it	O
inside	O
a	O
popup	O
tooltip	O
upon	O
mouse	O
hover.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
and	O
laterThumbnail	O
image	O
handlerProvides	O
for	O
a	O
thumbnail	O
image	O
to	O
be	O
generated	O
and	O
displayed	O
along	O
with	O
its	O
alpha	O
type	O
when	O
a	O
file	O
is	O
selected	O
or	O
the	O
thumbnail	O
view	O
is	O
activated.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
Desktop	O
Update	O
and	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Application
Vista	I-Application
introduced	O
a	O
newer	O
IThumbnailProvider	O
interface	O
that	O
also	O
shows	O
thumbnails	O
in	O
the	O
Details	O
pane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
older	O
IExtractImage	O
is	O
still	O
supported	O
but	O
not	O
in	O
the	O
Details	O
pane.Disk	O
Cleanup	O
handlerAdd	O
a	O
new	O
entry	O
to	O
the	O
Disk	B-Application
Cleanup	I-Application
application	O
and	O
allows	O
specifying	O
additional	O
disk	O
locations	O
or	O
files	O
to	O
clean	O
up.Per	O
folder	O
Windows	B-Device
98	I-Device
and	O
laterColumn	O
handlerAllows	O
creating	O
and	O
displaying	O
custom	O
columns	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
details	O
view	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
extend	O
sorting	O
and	O
grouping.Per	O
folderWindows	O
2000	O
and	O
laterIcon	O
overlay	O
handlerAllows	O
displaying	O
an	O
overlay	O
icon	O
over	O
a	O
shell	B-Operating_System
object	O
(	O
a	O
file	O
or	O
folder	O
icon	O
)	O
.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
2000	O
and	O
laterMetadata	O
handlerAllows	O
viewing	O
and	O
modifying	O
metadata	O
stored	O
in	O
a	O
file	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
extend	O
details	O
view	O
columns	O
,	O
infotips	O
,	O
property	O
pages	O
,	O
sorting	O
and	O
grouping.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
2000	O
and	O
laterFilter	O
handler	O
(	O
IFilter	O
)	O
Allows	O
file	O
properties	O
and	O
its	O
contents	O
to	O
be	O
indexed	O
and	O
searched	O
by	O
Indexing	B-Library
Service	I-Library
or	O
Windows	O
SearchPer	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
2000	O
and	O
laterAutoPlay	O
handlerExamines	O
newly	O
discovered	O
removable	O
media	O
and	O
devices	O
and	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
content	O
such	O
as	O
pictures	O
,	O
music	O
or	O
video	O
files	O
,	O
launches	O
an	O
appropriate	O
application	O
to	O
play	O
or	O
display	O
the	O
content.Per	O
file	O
type	O
categoryWindows	O
XP	B-Application
only	O
:	O
per	O
device	O
and	O
per	O
file	O
type	O
categoryWindows	O
XP	B-Application
and	O
laterProperty	O
handlerAllows	O
viewing	O
and	O
modifying	O
system-defined	O
and	O
custom	O
properties	O
of	O
a	O
file.Per	O
file	O
typeWindows	O
Vista	B-Application
and	O
later	O
;	O
on	O
Windows	B-Application
XP	I-Application
if	O
Windows	B-Application
Search	I-Application
is	O
installed.Preview	O
handlerRenders	O
enhanced	O
previews	O
of	O
items	O
without	O
launching	O
the	O
default	O
application	O
when	O
a	O
file	O
is	O
selected	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Namespace	O
extensions	O
are	O
used	O
by	O
Explorer	O
and	O
Common	O
Dialogs	O
to	O
either	O
display	O
some	O
data	O
–	O
which	O
are	O
not	O
necessarily	O
persisted	O
as	O
files	O
–	O
in	O
a	O
folder-like	O
view	O
or	O
to	O
present	O
data	O
in	O
a	O
way	O
that	O
is	O
different	O
from	O
their	O
organization	O
on	O
the	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
feature	O
can	O
be	O
exploited	O
by	O
a	O
any	O
hierarchical	O
data	O
source	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
represented	O
as	O
a	O
file	B-Application
system	I-Application
like	O
the	O
Windows	O
one	O
,	O
including	O
Cloud-based	O
implementation	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Special	B-General_Concept
folders	I-General_Concept
,	O
such	O
as	O
My	B-General_Concept
Computer	I-General_Concept
and	O
Network	O
Places	O
in	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
are	O
implemented	O
this	O
way	O
,	O
as	O
are	O
Explorer	O
views	O
that	O
let	O
items	O
in	O
a	O
mobile	O
phone	O
or	O
digital	B-Device
camera	I-Device
be	O
explored	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Source-control	B-Architecture
systems	I-Architecture
that	O
use	O
Explorer	O
to	O
browse	O
source	O
repositories	O
also	O
use	O
Namespace	O
extensions	O
to	O
allow	O
Explorer	O
to	O
browse	O
the	O
revisions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
implement	O
a	O
namespace	O
extension	O
,	O
the	O
IPersistFolder	O
,	O
IShellView	O
,	O
IShellFolder	O
,	O
IShellBrowser	O
and	O
IOleWindow	O
interfaces	B-Application
need	O
to	O
be	O
implemented	O
and	O
registered	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
will	O
instantiate	O
the	O
COM	B-Application
objects	I-Application
as	O
required	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Windows	B-Protocol
Explorer	I-Protocol
natively	O
exposes	O
the	O
extensibility	O
points	O
as	O
COM	B-Application
interfaces	B-Application
,	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
can	O
also	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
write	O
some	O
types	O
of	O
extensions	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
COM	B-Device
Interop	I-Device
functionality	O
of	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Microsoft	O
itself	O
makes	O
available	O
extensions	O
–	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
photo	O
info	O
tool	O
–	O
which	O
are	O
authored	O
using	O
.NET	B-Application
Framework	I-Application
,	O
they	O
currently	O
recommend	O
against	O
writing	O
managed	O
shell	B-Operating_System
extensions	O
,	O
as	O
only	O
one	O
instance	O
of	O
the	O
CLR	O
(	O
prior	O
to	O
version	O
4.0	O
)	O
can	O
be	O
loaded	O
per-process	O
.	O
</s>
