| We continue the discussion of Windows
system folders begun on the previous page.
If you wish to carry out an editing operation or manipulate one
of these special folders, you may have to use a name that includes
a special hexadecimal code known as the class ID (often abbreviated
to CLSID). The Registry uses these to identify all objects, each of
which has its own unique number.
CLSIDs for some System Folders
Whenever the Windows shell needs to access a system folder,
it uses the CLSID to search the Registry to find the appropriate
DLL or other object. It then loads the DLL,
asks for the right interfaces, and calls the methods
of these interfaces to enumerate the contents of the system
folder.
Below are some of the system object CLSID codes and their associated
folder names.
Administrative Tools |
{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153} |
Briefcase |
{85BBD920-42A0-1069-A2E4-08002B30309D} |
Control Panel |
{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D} |
Fonts |
{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524152} |
History |
{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000} |
Inbox |
{00020D75-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} |
Microsoft Network |
{00028B00-0000-0000-C000-000000000046} |
My Computer |
{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D} |
My Documents |
{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103} |
My Network Places |
{208D2C60-3AEA-1069-A2D7-08002B30309D} |
Network Connections |
{7007ACC7-3202-11D1-AAD2-00805FC1270E} |
Printers and Faxes |
{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D} |
Recycle Bin |
{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E} |
Scanners and Cameras |
{E211B736-43FD-11D1-9EFB-0000F8757FCD} |
Scheduled Tasks |
{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF} |
Temporary Internet Files |
{7BD29E00-76C1-11CF-9DD0-00A0C9034933} |
Web Folders |
{BDEADF00-C265-11D0-BCED-00A0C90AB50F} |
Creating convenient access to System Folders
For some of the system objects, it is possible to create a
folder giving access to the object in a convenient place like
the Start Menu, the Desktop, or the Quick Launch bar. Create
a new folder and give it a name of the form Folder.CLSID.
An example would be to name a folder "Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}".
The curly brackets are part of the CLSID and must be included.
Note the dot between the name and the CLSID. The CLSID is,
in effect, like an extension. Adding a cascading version of
the Control Panel to the Start Menu in this way used to be
a favorite tweak for many PC users but is no longer necessary
in Windows XP. However, it still remains a way to put Control
Panel on the Desktop or Quick Launch bar. Right-click an empty
spot on the Desktop and choose "New-Folder" from
the context menu. Then name the folder as given above. If you
use the Quick Launch bar, the folder can be moved there for
easy access. Right-click drag the folder from the Desktop onto
an empty place in the Quick Launch bar and choose "Move".
Printers and Briefcase can also be set up this way. Not all
CLSIDs will work, however.
Special folders in scripts
It is often desirable to access a system or virtual folder in a script. For convenience, constants have been assigned to represent some special folders and these are listd on the next page.
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