File Explorer problem in Win10

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a recent update did something to my File Explorer so that if I try to open a folder all it does is add an icon to the hotbar that I can't open. Anybody know how to fix this?

 

What happens when you try to open the icon on your hotbar?

 

it acts like it's trying to open it, you can almost see it open briefly but then it goes back to minimized

 

Maybe there's a permission issue? Can you open cmd for me by press Windows Key+R then typing cmd and enter then navigate to the folder and see if it allows you to.

 

How do I navigate to the folder inside the cmd window? I have very minimal knowledge about this stuff

 

cd "insert folder name here" if it's only one directory away. f.e. to go from C:/Games to C:/Games/Black Isle, I type "cd Black Isle" w/o the quotes. In order to navigate multiple directories, you just do cd and the full path. Once in the folder type dir to see the contents of the folder. cd .. moves you back one folder, cd / moves you back to your root folder (in this case, I am assuming C: )
Hope this helps

 

I followed Taluntain's suggestion for the alternate program and have that working. So far with this though I haven't been able to accomplish anything except for getting my general C directory even when I typed the full file path to a specific folder - it seemed to accept the file path but did nothing and typing dir directly after gave me the C drive directory even though the file path I was using was E:/Pictures/DeviantArt/Johngate2014 - it seemed to recognize that file path (I typed it wrong several times and got errors before I got to a stage where I didn't get an error.) - but then it just gave the C base directory.

It doesn't look like it's letting me into the folders, it keeps coming back to C:/Users/Richard

 

Oh, you're trying to access your E drive? You first have to input E: in order to get it to that drive first iirc, though honestly, this may be a DOS thing that I transferred to NT on accident.

 

I keep most of my data folders on E, it's a much bigger drive - a lot of my programs are on E too


Ok: cd C:/Users/Richard/Pictures followed by dir gave me that folders directory - now what?

 

Hmm that's odd. I just wanted to see if it was a permission error. For clarification, can FE access folders on the C Drive?

 

it won't fully open folders on any drive

In fact if I click in "This PC" it does the same thing, it drops the folder into the FE stack of folders that I can't open

 

I misread this as "File Manager", back from the days of Windows 2.0 and 3.1. I find it amusing that the rest of the thread could have fit right in with a discussion of the old File Manger with entering CD and E:.

 

File Explorer is Win10s name for File Manager, they do exactly the same thing. Except when they don't.

 

I know, but File Manager had been absent since Windows 95/98.
IIRC, It was present in Windows 95 but hidden (not on the Start menu). They removed it entirely in 98 since Windows Explorer did all the same functions more or less.

 

Ok, so then File Explorer is the Win10 version of Windows Explorer. In any case mine isn't working and I'm still hoping somebody has an idea how to make it work right. Total Commander is working for me but I have no real idea how it works over-all = IE I don't know how to do item searches or anything like that. I am used for instance to use FE to help find items I've just downloaded by using the Downloads Arrow button and so on.

 

Well, for file searches you could use Agent Ransack or FileSearchEX.
I don't have a clue how to help you with your problem, but if you are more comfortable with older versions of the interface, you might want to check out Classic Shell. IIRC it can mimic Windows 9X, 2000, XP, and I think now 7.

 

TBH I'm not really interested in alternate programs that I don't know how to use - I'm not very software savvy so I'm happiest when the software that I'm used to using is working the way it is supposed to. I'm just trying to see if somebody might have an idea what's wrong so I can avoid trying to contact Microsoft Support over this AGAIN. I had a problem a week or so before this happened where any program I tried to open would be immediately minimized to the task bar - except thankfully for Firefox - and could not be opened/maximized. A tech talked me through a roll-back to when it last worked. And the next day the Windows Update that we'd rolled back installed itself again and this time ONLY goofed up File Explorer.

 

Classic Shell is supposed to give you an interface identical to an older version of Windows that you do know and love more than the modern ones.
It started with Vista and really got popular with 7 when they dropped the "classic start menu" (the style used in Windows 95, 98, ME, and NT-2000) in favor of XP-style only.
So if you have used previous versions of Windows, you should be familiar with Classic Shell. I haven't tried it in a while, because I _need_ to become familiar with the new stuff like it or not as I work in IT and need to be able to support others. I just have no clue what is causing your problem.

 

I barely used any of the older Pre-XP versions of windows. I pretty much went from Windows2.0 to WindowsXP. I still have an ancient luggable that still works that runs that ancient Windows. Then I went thru several rapid-fire computer up grades until I started using XP. My last system had Win7 on it and I took the offer of the free upgrade to Win10 - and boy am I regretting it. Over and over. I'm beginning to wonder if it's too late to roll-back even though it's still showing up in my options. At first Win10 seemed ok to me, but their auto-update feature that they at least initially refused us any control over has been the pits.