What is the purpose of the "Explorer" in the computer, and where is it located?

Undoubtedly, the user of any level of training one way or another came across a standard Windows program called "Explorer." She is familiar to everyone. For what the program "Explorer" in the Windows OS is intended, in basic aspects, all users know about it. But the application itself has a number of interesting features, which will now be described.

What is Windows Explorer?

Before you deal with the question, what is the purpose of the "Explorer" in the computer, find out what kind of program it is basically.

In general, by and large this application is generally considered to be a file manager, in other words, a means for viewing the contents of hard disks and logical partitions, removable media in the form of optical disks and USB devices, and also a fairly powerful tool for managing all this content .

But if in old Windows systems this was so, over time the program was more and more perfected and began to transform into a means of performing specific operations and even setting up system parameters. That is, it became possible to access, for example, the "Control Panel" and all its components or view information about the computer system.

So, if we consider this topic from this point of view, it can be noted that the Explorer program is intended for managing folders and files, for viewing and changing parameters and settings, and for performing additional operations. But more on that later.

How did it all start?

And everything began quite prosaically. Even before the release of the first version of Windows, the work, as a rule, was performed in the DOS system. Entering commands to call this or that operation or to open and edit files, not to mention the clear ordering of the data, was extremely inconvenient.

That's when one of the first, if not the very first file manager Norton Commander appeared, which today most users call "Grandpa Norton". It had a two-pane structure - two main windows with a working area, and allowed to manage the contents of disks in terms of simple operations (copying, deleting, opening, etc.). But in the application it was necessary to constantly move to the main line to enter or exit the folder or partition.

Therefore, Microsoft, having borrowed from the "Commander" all the best, created its own program, which later became the familiar "Explorer." It also had two windows, but the tree structure of the folders (and then the additional items) was displayed in the left, and the contents of the selected section were in the right. Thus, navigation through the content has become much more convenient.

What is Windows Explorer for?

Now let's look at the main features of the application. What is the purpose of the Explorer? First of all, to view files and folders (this is its main function). Thanks to the tree structure it is possible to open a complete list of folders, and not to search, for example, the necessary directory by the type of "Norton".

Despite the constant change of the application, the interface of the program remains practically unchanged, the difference is only in additional elements and possibilities. All the same address bar, standard main menu bar and toolbar, two windows, a status bar, often disabled by default, etc.

But, on the other hand, the question of what "Explorer" is designed for in the latest versions of Windows has one more answer. It can be noted that there are quite interesting tools. For example, to write data to disk, now you do not need to use third-party programs, because the system has its own recording tool (which in older versions was not). However, there are enough opportunities.

Special data structuring operations

If you are talking about the ordering of the contents of the computer, you can use the tools to display the "View" menu, which presents several options for sorting data, say, by size, the date of creation or change, it is possible to group them according to similar characteristics, etc.

On the other hand, considering the question of what Explorer is intended for, one can say that it is also a means of displaying hidden data, which in normal mode is not available to the user, since their modification from the system's point of view is undesirable. To do this, use the menu view, where in the new window on the special tab and the appropriate parameter is set.

In the context menu, you can use many additional commands, up to the appearance of the folders. Not to mention some additional features like quick search of objects by name or with different attributes and extensions, which, by the way, are duplicated in most cases in the sections of the main menus, task bars and in the toolbox.

What is the purpose of the "Explorer" in the computer, and where is it located?

Among the additional features, it's worth mentioning the direct sending of data in the form of an e-mail message, though, provided that the e-mail client is configured, allowing and removing the general access to files and directories, sorting the media content into pre-defined folders for video, audio and graphics.

In the latest versions of Windows, you can even use automatic synchronization with the cloud storage One Drive, as well as get quick access to recently used documents and folders.

Now let's see where the executable file explorer.exe is located in the system. You do not need to go far - this is the Windows root directory on the drive where the system is installed.

Ways of calling "Explorer"

As for running the program, you can note a few of the most common ways. The longest is the use of the main menu "Start", where, depending on the version of Windows, a section of standard or utility programs is selected.

Another method is to use the right-click on the "Start" button, where the "Explorer" start line is selected.

The third method is to enter the command explorer.exe in the "Run" menu, which in turn is called either via the standard "Start" or by the combination of Win + R.

But the fastest and easiest way is the combination of Win + E. It is often forgotten or simply not known. But it is the most convenient from the point of view of saving time.

Possible problems in the program

So, what "Explorer" is intended for, I think, is already more or less understandable. Let's look at the main types of crashes in the application.

Most often the program can hang during the moments of copying, deleting or moving data that have either errors or are protected from such actions. Sometimes the problem lies in the excessive use of system resources. Usually, even after a blank screen appears after a few minutes, the work is restored. In some cases, such errors can result in system errors on the disks. To fix it, it's recommended to simply check the system partition using built-in tools or commands like chkdisk (with different varieties of additional parameters, say / f / r in the Run menu, with automatic fixing of failures and restoration of damaged clusters.You can also use the command line (cmd) , Where the combination of sfc / scannow is prescribed.

But most often incorrect completion of the "Explorer" is associated with the penetration of the system of viruses and executable malicious codes. As it is already clear, in such a situation it is necessary to clean the computer. If the proprietary security tool misses the threat, it is better to use portable utilities or recovery disks that download antivirus software before the start of Windows.