Missing Folder Options

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can someone tell me how is it possible to remove the Folder Options within Windows Explorer? i am asking cos a friend of mine is not happy that her geek of a boyfriend has removed this option on her PC but not on his...so she thinks there is something dodgy going on and that he aint allowing her to use the system in the way that she wants. I know its somewhere in the Registry but where exactly would it be and what would he have changed to remove the option? I would be very grateful if someone could provide the info for this as my friend will be a lot happy once this problem is resolved...thanks guys

and yes I am talking about the Folder Options labeled under Tools in the Windows Explorer Toolbar...thanks...

 

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Is this in XP or 2K,is it networked to a domain? If its a stand alone PC it may have been done by modifying the local policy of the PC. In the run box type gpedit.msc from there you would need to look in the User Config> Admin templates> Windows Explorer> Removes the Folder Options menu item from the tools menu. (this is the XP option not sure if its the same in 2K). You will need the privileges to to run the mmc so if she has been put as a limited user then you wont be able to run gpedit.

HTH

 

yes it is XP...I have seen that User Config> Admin templates> Windows Explorer> Removes the Folder Options from the MS website and it didnt really say much so I will try your stuff and if anyone has anything else feel free please...

 

Perhaps you should also advise your friend that perhaps nothing dodgy is going on, and the average user has absolutely no need to fiddle with the folder options / properties, and perhaps her boyfriend was trying to make sure she didnt mess anything up by accident
the only thing i can think of general users using it for, is setting the default folder view to that of the current one, which should generally be done before removing the folder options menu

hell even i use folder options only once after a format and barely touch them afterward

 

I understand that Ryan but when you know the real reason as to why he has done this then you will see why I need to get this done...its nothing to do with him not wanting her to mess things up...lets just say its a very delicate and domesticated issue and he reckons she cant be trusted...which aint true...

 

lol
end of the day, if its her computer, wtfs his issue? change the settings and lock him out of it

if its his computer, he can do what he pleases with it
i know I sure as hell lock my brothers one down, because hes a n00b!
and im the one that gets calls at 10 at night to fix it, so its in my own best interests lol

 

yeah I know what you mean...but he's a programmer so even I cant lock him out of his own system let alone hers...of course I could always create a new password for her profile and he wouldnt even think of cracking that...or will he?

 

let me give u a bit of advice
programmers are often NOT that technical, they dont deal with all the issues we deal with, they dont deal with IT security, patch management, backdoors and network scanning

what they are good at, is writing code!
ive met more than a few programmers on twice my salary that cant do bugger all with a PC
dont fret
change the admin password on her machine, drop all the other accounts, and change her password, remove any un needed services
he wont be gaining access in a hurry
infact, if she keeps the SAM database locked up, he wont ever gain access lol

 

well I finally sorted it. Folder Options is back on and all is ok...looks like there is nowt to hide. but I have given the guy a challenge. I have set up a password for her XP login...she says no matter what password she puts in he will crack it in seconds...ok i said well put in a password you know he wont know and set up a password reminder not associated with the password and we'll see what he can do...turns out Ryan he's not just a programmer, he's a PC hardware tech...his job involves handling the security system for the Inland Revenue...but he gets peanuts for it...now someone with his knowledge in the IT sector could earn upto £70K if not more...why would he just settle for something around £15-£20K? so looks like this guy is the real deal but doesnt seem to fulfill his potential...well only time will tell...he gets back tomorrow so it will be nice to see how he handles the password stuff.

 

Perhaps noel, but Its more likely that the guy thinks hes the real deal but really isnt (i see this quite alot lol)
as the public sector pays pretty well for techs with capabilities, my move to the public sector came with a pretty decent pay rise from an investment bank

In order to 'crack' the password of a windows xp system he needs access to the SAM database, which should be protected, however if the admin account has a known/blank password he will be able to crack the password within seconds if its a dictionary word, or years if its something very hard
make sure you check for other user accounts that he may of created as a back door, and change the admin password

otherwise he may well get straight back in

just to clarify this is nothing challanging
lophtcrack has been used for years by people, actually getting the SAM database is the hard bit, and i doubt hes doing it in any complex manner as this can take weeks of preperation, its more likely he has a back door straight in (via alternate user account or trojan)

make sure your challange included you fixing those other accounts, or its fruitless and he will beat u hands down

Good luck with that, i dont like wannabe crackers like that much, but there mainly all talk ;)

 

I know what you mean...but I am abit miffed about this SAM database thingy...I aint heard of it before...how can it be used and where can it be obtained from..its possible he has created some sort of backdoor but how can I find that out...its only just her account and a guest account on her PC ad his PC just has his account and another user account which dont appear to be a guest one...so looks like he maybe onto something...but we'll see...

 

check he hasnt added either of the users on his machine to the ADMINISTRATOR group on HER machine, as this would give him admin access, and hence access to the SAM
Im not sure if the SAM is still stored in a flat file called 'SAM' anymore, but i do believe its still available when using local accounts,

for domain based solutions its much harder to get hold of / crack the AD Database because of the way its implemented

 

I found this to.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310105

But you know if she worry that much about keeping him out of her computer she may need to pack up her comp and go.