everything opens in search

[always]

When I click on a folder, either on the desktop or from within a folder the Search Results box opens, telling me, (To start your search, follow the instructions in the left pane.
 
In the left pane no selection is shown and I do not enter anything. I click on SEARCH and all the items in the folder I was trying to open are shown.

How can I get rid of this.?

[Allan]

START - RUN - REGEDIT

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\directory\shell
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\drive\shell

Set the value for each of these keys to the word: none

[always]

Thanks Allan.
When I go into REGEDIT I only get one line as below.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. No directory or drive.
I clicked on this and have a stream of three letter lines, such as .323  .386   acs.
Now when I click on it nothing happens, it will not go back to the original one line.

[BC_Programmer]

Thanks Allan.
When I go into REGEDIT I only get one line as below.
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT. No directory or drive.
I clicked on this and have a stream of three letter lines, such as .323  .386   acs.
Now when I click on it nothing happens, it will not go back to the original one line.

Start Regedit.

Press the + sign next to HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT.

those .323, .386, etc entries are what you are looking for- or more precisely, they are near what you are looking for. Type "d" this will scroll your view to the first entries starting with d. keep looking for the "directory" and "drive" entry.

For each, Click the Plus sign or double click to expand them, and click on the shell "folder" beneath it. Now, in the right hand pane double-click the "(default) entry and change whatever is present to the word "none".

[always]

Thanks,

Problem solved.