Start-Run-SFC and replace any corrupt system files.  Have your 98 CD ready.

Check for virus.

This has came up a bout 3 times now.

Do you think I can remember it? Not quite.

I'd first look at TweakUI, sorry can't be more specific.

This may be way off, but the columns have been resized to nothing. You need to press [Ctl] + [+] (the plus key on the numeric keypad) to get Windows to automatically resize the columns to fit the Window.

reghakr

To Slink9: I did run SFC but it found no corrupted file but, just to make sure, I asked SFC to replace Explorer.exe; it did it but the problem still is there!

To Reghakr: I tried your solutions but none worked (unfortunately)

Thanks any way for your suggestions,

Jean-Philippe Guilbeau

Try installing 98 over itself (in the same directory) and see if it fixes the problem.  Everything should be exactly the same as far as programs installed after the reinstall.

I'd suggest waiting for some other comments before re-installing.

I know someone knows the answer.

reghakr

See if this applies to you.

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q192/3/15.asp

Thanks Centery for your suggestion!  I already found that Microsoft Article and followed each step carefully but in vain! Indeed, the "All Folders" is NOT missing, it is there but does not show anything!!!

Thanks also to Reghakr for his suggestion! Re-installing will be my very last solution as I hate not knowing what is going on; I would feel like cutting off a leg rather than trying to cure it!

I hope that someone will come with a great idea!

Thanks to all anyway!

Jean-Philippe Guilbeau

PS: If someone wants a snapshot of what my Windows Explorer looks like, I could send it to his email address as long as he provides it to me!

MS and many tech support people don't care about why it is happening.  They try a few troubleshooting steps and then suggest a reinstall.  There is so much going on behind the scenes in Windows that there is no way to know it all.  If you did a purely MS system without any programs from anybody else other than MS they still would have no idea of how to fix all problems that could occur.  Then you add in programs from other vendors and home-brewed programs and you have a massive source of potential problems.
Maybe someone will know, but it is not all that likely.

Have you set any policies in the registry, maybe pertaining to Internet Explorer's toolbar?
Specifically here:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions

You can send me a snapshot to reghacker@adelphia.net

reghakr

Reghakr,

I have been trying to send you the requested snapshot three times through the email address you provided in your last comment but the System Administrator of the Exchange Server keeps rejecting my mails with the "The following recipient(s) could not be reached" and "The recipient name is not recognized" messages! Would you happen to have another address I could send the snapshot to???

What about the registry key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions"???

Thanks for your help,

Jean-Philippe

Reghakr,

For an unknown reason, my Windows Explorer nightmare is over!!! Indeed, after receiving the instructions from my hierarchy to switch to Internet Explorer 6.0, I installed it from Microsoft site without any problem and, to my greatest surprise, my Windows Explorer problem seems to have been resolved as my Folders Pane works back like normal!

Considering your concern and your real intention to help me, even if the problem has not been solved through the different comments you made, I decided to grant you with the points I assigned to that question!

Once more, thank you for your help and concern,

Jean-Philippe