Whenever I want to find a folder on my computer I use the windows explorer. I go to the start button and right-click in order to choose the explorer option in the start menu.

After that I am automaticly directed to the Start Menu folder....a folder I never use.

I would like to be directed to a folder I often use....the folder where I keep my downloaded files.

What must I do to change my default start-up folder when I click on the explorer option in the Start menu?

Mucho thanks for anybody with the solution..

It opens up the start menu folder, because that is the option you chose when you right-clicked on it. This isn't a "default option" for just the start menu. The same thing happens if you right-click on the Computer on your desktop, it will open "My Computer" in the explorer menu. Create a short-cut on the desktop, or Quick Launch menu to the folder in question.

Under the start menu, more often then not, the "Downloads" folder is right there. If it isn't, open "my computer" until you see "my downloads" and then right-click on that, go to "Send to" and click on Desktop (Create Short cut). Then you are done.

Here's a slightly convoluted way of doing it.

1 - Open Notepad.
2 - Write: "explorer.exe c:temp" (without the quotes), but change the "c:temp" part to whatever you want to be the startup folder
3 - Save the file, but on the save file dialog, change the file type from "text file" to "all files". The file name should end in ".bat", I called it "whatever.bat"
4 - Create a shortcut on your desktop or in your start menu, pointing to that "whatever.bat" file you just created.
5 - Right-click on the shortcut and choose "properties". In the "shortcut key" field, choose a key combination (like ctrl + alt + e, for example) and click OK.

Now, if everything is as it should be, if you press the key combination you just defined, the explorer will open in the desired folder.

This method, instead of the "whatever.bat" file could use a simple shortcut to that folder, as Skada said. You can also add a shortcut key combination to that shortcut. The only advantage of the method I mentioned has is that you can use it to open two or more folders, you just have to add another line with a command to open the second folder. This is useful if you usually copy files from a folder to the other.

PS: as I don't have an English version of Windows the names may be different.

You could also just find the folder you want to start in, right click it and then choose "create shortcut" then drag that shortcut to either , the desktop, the task bar or even the start menu

You could also set a keyboard shortcut for the shortcut.