View As Slide Show?

I have XP Pro and there must be some simple setting I can't seem to find so I have the option of viewing my pictures as a slide show. I know on my mother's computer (XP Home) when you click on "My Pictures" there is a column on the left side of the screen with various options like "View As a Slide ", "Put in an email ", etc. and then the various folders with pictures taking up 2/3 of the rest of the screen. On my computer there is no column with the different options, instead the folders take up the entire screen. If I use "Help" it says to click on "My Pictures" and then under "Picture Tasks" click on "View as slide show ". So I guess the column I don't have is called "Picture Tasks ", how do I get this? Thanks!

 

In windows under tools -> folder options are you set to 'Show Common Tasks ...." ?

 

If you doubleclick on one of your pics, it should open with Windows Picture and Fax Viewer (unless you have changed the associations)

The fifth icon in on the bottom is start slide show.

 

Thanks Newt that did the trick, I knew it had to be something simple.

 

Newt, I have several folders within my picture folder. How do I set it so that all the folders open with thumbnail image? Every time I D/L pictures from my camera, it makes a folder for those pictures taken on the same date. When opening for the first time they open with view as details. (This is not same thing I use for all other folders. I use details for all other folders.)

I have 'remember each folders view settings' checked in folder options in control panel.

 

Nope. I went to C:\Documents and Settings\user name\My Documents\My Pictures and checked the view setting. It is displayed as thumbnails. When I go into the C:\Documents and Settings\user name\My Documents\My Pictures\Family Pictures\Digital Camera Photos folder I see the downloaded camera folders by date. The pictures displayed in them are in thumbnails. When I actually open one of those camera folders( C:\Documents and Settings\username\My Documents\My Pictures\Family Pictures\Digital Camera Photos\date) the pictures are displayed as a detailed list. When I open for the first time, it shows detail, and then keeps the thumbnail view once I have changed it.

 

rclick the top level folder and choose properties/customize. then choose photos - many files. see the checkbox below about propagation.

i'd be leary of doing this at the real top level - my pics - as it tends to mess up since this is a 'system folder' ... least in my experience. and ... if u've got a lot of folders, it'll mess up sooner or later too as xp does not 'memorize' well beyond a certain number of folders. they've never fixed this since xp came out ... if u've got a bunch of folders that u want to remember state, then there is a reg hack to allow the memory stack to be larger. it still doesn't work tho if the number of folders is fairly large

 

Set at 5000 default. Isn't that enough?