Start explorer with taskbar

zacs7 · 10-21-2009, 10:34 PM

G'day,

I've replaced the default login shell (explorer.exe) with my own program, which then starts explorer.exe when required (and kills it when required). The only problem is, when I create explorer.exe there is no desktop or task bar? Regardless if I start it through the task manager or with CreateProcess(). Instead only an explorer window appears -- this is a clean default install of Windows XP SP3.

Is there something I'm missing?

Thanks!
Zac

Sebastiani · 10-21-2009, 11:28 PM

It works fine for me. How are you spawning it?

Maybe:

explorer /root,%USERPROFILE%\Desktop

zacs7 · 10-22-2009, 03:16 AM

No luck. I'm spawning it with,

Code:

STARTUPINFO si;
PROCESS_INFORMATION pi;

CreateProcess(NULL, "explorer.exe", NULL, NULL, false, NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi );

Either way, even if I use the task manager to spawn it, it still doesn't work.

It spawns an explorer window, just the desktop and taskbar don't appear. Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't work.

I've tried this on several XP SP3 machines.

SMurf · 10-22-2009, 08:55 AM

AFAIK Explorer tests the "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell" registry value to see if it is listed as the shell and won't bother creating the desktop or taskbar if it isn't.

Short of shimming it so it thinks it is when it isn't, there's no way around it.

zacs7 · 10-24-2009, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SMurf

AFAIK Explorer tests the "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell" registry value to see if it is listed as the shell and won't bother creating the desktop or taskbar if it isn't.

Short of shimming it so it thinks it is when it isn't, there's no way around it.

Ah, that's odd. Thank you

10-21-2009, 10:34 PM	#1
zacs7 Woof, woof! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 3,139	Start explorer with taskbar G'day, I've replaced the default login shell (explorer.exe) with my own program, which then starts explorer.exe when required (and kills it when required). The only problem is, when I create explorer.exe there is no desktop or task bar? Regardless if I start it through the task manager or with CreateProcess(). Instead only an explorer window appears -- this is a clean default install of Windows XP SP3. Is there something I'm missing? Thanks! Zac __________________ "I.T. gets the chicky-babes" - M. Kelly bakefile \| vim
zacs7 is offline

10-21-2009, 11:28 PM	#2
Sebastiani Guest Join Date: Aug 2001 Posts: 4,923	It works fine for me. How are you spawning it? Maybe: explorer /root,%USERPROFILE%\Desktop
Sebastiani is offline

10-22-2009, 03:16 AM	#3
zacs7 Woof, woof! Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 3,139	No luck. I'm spawning it with, Code: STARTUPINFO si; PROCESS_INFORMATION pi; CreateProcess(NULL, "explorer.exe", NULL, NULL, false, NORMAL_PRIORITY_CLASS, NULL, NULL, &si, &pi ); Either way, even if I use the task manager to spawn it, it still doesn't work. It spawns an explorer window, just the desktop and taskbar don't appear. Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't work. I've tried this on several XP SP3 machines. __________________ "I.T. gets the chicky-babes" - M. Kelly bakefile \| vim
zacs7 is offline

10-22-2009, 08:55 AM	#4
SMurf Registered User Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Newport, South Wales, UK Posts: 1,094	AFAIK Explorer tests the "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Shell" registry value to see if it is listed as the shell and won't bother creating the desktop or taskbar if it isn't. Short of shimming it so it thinks it is when it isn't, there's no way around it.
SMurf is offline

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