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The Windows Explorer status bar is not visible after you install Windows XP Service Pack 2

Article ID: 878459 - View products that this article applies to.

SYMPTOMS

After you install Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2), the status bar is not visible in the Windows Explorer window. (The status bar typically appears at the bottom of the window.)

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CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the status bar is set to be turned off for local folders and turned on for Internet Explorer.

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RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior and turn on the status bar, follow these steps:

Click Start, and then click My Computer.
On the View menu, click Status Bar.

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In versions of Windows XP before SP2, the setting for the status bar is stored by folder. Although it was possible to open My Computer and then turn on the status bar option, when you opened the My Music folder, the status bar would not be visible.

After Windows XP SP2 is installed, when you change the setting for one folder, the change applies to all folders. After you apply the steps in the "Resolution" section, the status bar is visible in both Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer.

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