Shells Other Than Explorer.exe Replaced on Installation or Upgrade

ID: Q228309

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you upgrade a computer that is using a shell (interface) other than Windows Explorer (Explorer.exe), the shell is changed back to Windows Explorer.

CAUSE

During the upgrade process, Windows 2000 Setup changes the shell setting back to the default because the majority of the interface for Windows 2000 is available only by using Windows Explorer.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

If you want to use a different shell, modify the following registry key with a string value containing the appropriate executable file:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WinLogon\Shell

Additional query words:

Keywords : kbenv kbsetup
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb