The Secret BEHIND the Windows 7 GodMode

Windows has a set of certain folders which are identified by unique strings referred to as CLSID or Windows Class Identifiers. These folders can be accessed by using the CLSID identifier codes that Windows assigns to each individual folder in the Windows Registry. If you know the codes, you can launch these with ease.


WinVistaClub had in 2008, carried a blog post now moved here, about a special All Tasks folders string which worked in Windows Vista too.

::{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}

This opens the All Tasks folder or the Windows Master Control Panel, which some folks now refer to as the Windows GodMode.

Incidentally, the above post also gives a fix,  if you find that your explorer.exe keeps crashing after trying this, in  Windows Vista x64.

There are several such folders and there are 3 ways to open this folder using the string.

For instance, to open the Computer folder:

1. Open Run and copy-paste the following and hit OK.

::{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d}

2. Create a new folder, and name it as

Computer.{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d}

3. Copy Paste the following in the Explorer address bar

shell:::{20d04fe0-3aea-1069-a2d8-08002b30309d}

List of CLSID or Windows Class Identifiers to open Windows Special Folders

Here is a select list of CLSID to open Windows Special Folders. Not all may open via the Run command however!

Administrative Tools.{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524153}
All Tasks.{ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
Control Panel.{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002b30309d}
Connections.{241D7C96-F8BF-4F85-B01F-E2B043341A4B}
Fonts.{D20EA4E1-3957-11d2-A40B-0C5020524152} 
Computer.{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Documents.{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
History.{ff393560-c2a7-11cf-bff4-444553540000}
Network Places.{208d2c60-3aea-1069-a2d7-08002b30309d}
Printers and Faxes.{2227A280-3AEA-1069-A2DE-08002B30309D}
Programs Folder.{7be9d83c-a729-4d97-b5a7-1b7313c39e0a}
Recycle Bin.{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
Start Menu.{48e7caab-b918-4e58-a94d-505519c795dc}
Scheduled Tasks.{D6277990-4C6A-11CF-8D87-00AA0060F5BF}
WEI.{78F3955E-3B90-4184-BD14-5397C15F1EFC}

Whenever the Windows shell needs to access such a system folder, it uses the CLSID to search through the Windows Registry to find the appropriate .dll or other object. MSDN has also documented this feature of the Windows shell, whereby special system folders can be easily made into namespace junctions.

Windows 7 & Vista Control Panel Canonical Names gives the full list of Control Panel items.