I gave my wife my laptop this weekend as she’s about to become a home worker, and I decided it was only fair that she had the best laptop to use rather than our old one which is on its last legs. It’s running Windows 7 Ultimate and it will be my wife’s first real exposure to Windows 7, so I started preparing myself for lots of new user questions.
Imagine my surprise when her first question was ‘Why can’t I see the recycle bin in Windows 7 Explorer anymore?‘. Her question surprised me as I hadn’t noticed previously that it was missing. After experimenting, I realised that Windows 7 has introduced some new folder options in an attempt to simplify Windows Explorer.
Some folders, including the Recycle bin and Control Panel are hidden by default in Windows 7 Explorer. To reveal them:
- type ‘folder options’ in the Start menu search box
- check the ‘show all folders’ option in the screenshot above
I’m not sure why Microsoft have added this option to Windows 7, as I’m sure most users would prefer to see the Recycle Bin.
