Running and Testing Namespace Extensions (Windows NT)

You can run and test your Windows NT extensions in a separate Explorer process to avoid stopping and restarting the Desktop and tray. While you run and test the extensions, your Desktop and tray will remain in a usable state.

To enable this feature, add the following value to the registry:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current\Version\Explorer

\DesktopProcess(REG_DWORD) = 1

For this value to take effect, you must logoff and logon again. This setting causes the Desktop and tray windows to be created in one EXPLORER.EXE process and all other Explorer and folder windows to be opened in a different EXPLORER.EXE process.

Besides providing convenience in running and testing your extension, the setting also makes the Desktop more robust as it relates to shell extensions. Many such extensions (context menu extensions, for example) will be loaded into the non-Desktop EXPLORER.EXE process. If this process terminates, the Desktop and tray will be unaffected and the next Explorer or folder window will re-create the terminated process.

In future releases, this setting may also be controlled as part of the system policy so that system administrators can require certain users to always run in this two-process mode. A slight performance penalty will occur, depending on the amount of physical memory in the machine, so this setting is not enabled by default.