CRITICAL UPDATE FOR XP – WINDOWS 10 (and possibly Windows 8 & 8.1) USERS!!!

Since originally devising this "scheme" in 1998 I've gone through various OS versions, updates, and service packs.  Recently (October 2004) I ran into a problem.  I did a Clean Install of Windows XP and then Service Pack 2.  On implementing this DIRLIST funtionality I discovered (to my horror) that whenever I clicked on a subfolder in the right-hand pane of Windows Explorer a Command Prompt window would flash and disappear and a Search Companion window would open on the Task Bar.  The Search Companion window could not be activated nor closed.

This drove me crazy for about 6 hours over two days of trouble shooting.  Fortunately, I had set a System Restore point prior to adding the DIRLIST tweak so I could easily fall back to a correctly functioning system.  I finally went Goggle hunting and found the solution on Microsoft's Web site.  Now, the Knowledge Base article was dated 2/7/2003.  I have no idea why I never had this problem in the past year and seven months.  I suspect the combination of the clean install and SP2 update has something to do with it but I can't prove that.  Anyway, I'm reprinting the MSKB article below.  It's a simple fix and it worked for me.
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Search Companion Starts If You Double-Click a Folder
View products that this article applies to.
This article was previously published under Q321186

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry
SYMPTOMS
If you double-click a drive or folder, Search Companion may start and the drive or folder may not open. If you configure settings for other actions that are associated with drives or file folders (for example, Open Command Window Here or Print Directory Listing), Windows may perform one of these actions instead of starting Search Companion.

NOTE: If you configure the Single-click to open an item (point to select) setting in Windows, this problem may occur if you single-click a drive or folder.
CAUSE
This problem occurs when you open the Edit File Type dialog box for the Drive or File Folder registered file types. For example, this problem occurs for folders if you complete the following procedure:

   1. Open the folder, and then click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
   2. Click File Folder in the Register file types list, and then click Advanced.
   3. After you perform this procedure, the None setting is removed from the value data for the Default string value in the following registry key:

      HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
      NOTE: This problem occurs even if you do not create a new action, edit existing actions, or change the default action in the Edit File Type dialog box.

RESOLUTION
WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

To resolve this problem, edit the registry to set the value data for the Default string value in the registry keys that are described in the "Cause" section of this article to none:

   1. Start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
   2. Locate and then click the Default value under the following keys in the registry if this problem occurs with folders:

      HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell
      If this problem occurs with drives:

      HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell
   3. Click Modify on the Edit menu.
   4. Type none in the Value data box, and then click OK.
   5. Quit Registry Editor.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
The information in this article applies to:

    * Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    * Microsoft Windows XP Professional

Last Reviewed:	2/7/2003 (2.0)
Keywords:	kbenv kbprb KB321186

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QUICK FIX IS XPFIX.reg

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Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]
@="none"

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell]
@="none"
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