Just a thought: if your issue is with the left hand menu go to Control Panel > Folder Options > General > Tasks

Choose: Use Windows classic folders

I don't know what you mean. That's the "Category View" and that is how I remember it since XP came out years ago. Perhaps you need to switch to "Classic View" and play around with the view settings.

1 Jephree: The problem is more that the "squashed" appearance means that all options are not immediately available, it is the appearance of the slider on the right that indicates the change. This folder never had that slider until recently. I know because I have had to go in and repair my Internet connection enough times.
2 Broni: My first post did say I was using category view, and, as I said to Jephree this is not how my view has been in XP until recently.

Broni?

this is not how my view has been in XP until recently

Then perhaps someone else changed it.

The scroll bar indicates an added option if you did not see it previously. Or you shrunk the opening window.

For example did you just turn on the XP Firewall?

Or you altered the size of your opening box.

Drag the corner to a larger size then shut it down and try again.

Digerati, sorry for mistaking you for Broni, I have a couple of threads current and I got distracted with phone calls, finding I am now able to capture video, hanging out washing etc. No offence intended, but I will take more care in future. Are we still friends? As for someone else, I am the sole user of this computer and that is why I wondered if it was part of a subtle "Vistarisation" strategy by Windows updates. WMP 11 is very Vista like in appearance, the latest edition of CCleaner has a little Vista like circle operating while it does its checking for stuff to remove, or am I just being paranoid?
Jephree, dragging the corner of the folder, closing and reopening did work. The proof of the pudding will be after the next time I restart. I have not done anything in that particular part of Control Panel except to repair my Internet connection, which goes a little weird from time to time. Not been near the firewall recently, I am using Comodo.
Thank you both for the suggestions.

Digerati, sorry for mistaking you for Broni

No problem - people always ask if we are twins!

I wondered if it was part of a subtle "Vistarisation"

No. Remember, Vista has been out for 2 years now, with Win7 just around the corner. They would have don't something by now.

Twins, maybe like Arnie and Danny De Vito!

lol - except this time, we're the good guys.

Well following a restart my folders are back to the "squashed" appearance similar to the screen shot. Not a big deal but I wonder what caused the change.