Difference between the 2 replace Explorer options?

[Moonlight]

What is the difference between:
"Replace Explorer for filesystem folders"
and
"Replace Explorer for all folders"
?

I tried enabling both but didn't notice a difference. From searching the forum and finding this thread, forum user lhstech seemed to indicate that Explorer++ would also change the interface/window of folders like the Control Panel. But when I go to the Control Panel, it still looks identical to how it was before, even though I had the "Replace Explorer for all folders" button enabled. Am I misinterpreting lhstech's post?

What is the second option, "Replace Explorer for all folders" supposed to accomplish?

Thanks!

[AllenT]

How timely! I just asked this very question to David, for inclusion in the Help file. I don't run Vista or 7 (happy with XP SP3), so I couldn't experiment. Here is his reply (in part):

It causes Explorer to be replaced for all folders, rather than just filesystem (i.e. "real") folders. So, if you choose to replace Explorer for all folders in Vista/7, folders such as My Computer, Control Panel, etc will open within Explorer++.

Thanks David.
I can't troubleshoot beyond that - option is grayed out for XP.

[Moonlight]

Ok ... that's what I thought. That sounds great, but the trouble is, it does not appear to be working for me. My Control Panel, for instance, still looks exactly like under the default Explorer. I am using Win 7 Professional (64 bit) on my laptop.

EDIT: Ok, actually, it does make a difference for My Computer. I just tested it. Having it enabled for all folders made My Computer pop up in Explorer++ when I double clicked it; on the other hand, having it enabled for "filesystem folders" made My Computer open in the default Explorer. Control Panel also kind of opens up in Explorer++ but not really ... sort of hard to explain in words. I'll post screenshots later.

[Moonlight]

Ok as I was saying, when I first double click Control Panel, I get this:



So Explorer++ is still taking over for now. But as soon as I double click any of those categories... say I click the first one, "All Control Panel Items":



... it goes back to the default Explorer by MS.

So Explorer++ is not really working for Control Panel. But I'm actually not complaining. It's not a big deal at all. I'm just pointing it out, so that if eventually David and whoever else has time, he(they) can look into fixing that.

But thanks for the answer to my original question.

[David Erceg]

Control panel is somewhat of a special case. The items contained within it are usually not regular folders, and can't be enumerated properly. The simplest method is just to hand them back directly to Windows Explorer to handle.

[Moonlight]

I see. Yeah, that's fine, it's not a problem. Thanks for the info.