When you access the Open or Save
dialog box in any application, you know that the toolbar contains the Create
New Folder button. However, Microsoft has never put such a handy button on the
toolbar in Windows Explorer. (The Make A New Folder command
in the Tasks Explorer Bar is a step in the right direction, but it isn’t quite
as convenient as a toolbar button.)

Fortunately, you can add a New Folder command to Windows
XP’s context menu. Here’s how:

  1. Launch
    Windows Explorer and select Tools | Folder Options.
  2. In the
    Folder Options dialog box, select the File Types tab.
  3. In the
    Registered File Types list, select Folder, and click the Advanced button.
  4. In the
    Edit File Type dialog box, click the New button.
  5. In the
    New Action dialog box, type New Folder in the Action text box and CMD.EXE
    /C MD “%1\New Folder” in the Application Used To Perform Action
    text box.
  6. Click
    OK twice and then click Close to close the three dialog boxes.

Now, whenever you want to create a new folder in Windows
Explorer, simply right-click on the folder in which you want to create the
folder and select the New Folder command from the context menu. Keep in mind
that when you do so, you’ll momentarily see a Command Prompt window and there
will be a slight delay before you actually see the new folder.

To remove the New Folder command, you have to edit the
registry. Here’s how:

  1. Launch
    the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Go to HKEY_CLASSES_Root\Folder\Shell key
    and expand the subtree.
  3. Locate
    and right-click the New_Foldersubkey and select Delete.

Note: Editing the
registry is risky, so be sure you have a verified backup before saving any
changes.

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