Just before Christmas my Win XP2 (fully updated) laptop starting
displaying files in the Open (and similar) dialog boxes in apparently
random order. I tried the normal cure, as described by Wesley Vogel
in this group on Feb 19, 2006:
"To resolve this behavior, reset the default sort order:
1. Right-click Start, click Explore and then click drive C.
2. On the View menu, click Details.
3. Click the Name column to sort items by name, press and hold down
the CTRL
key, and then quit Windows Explorer by clicking Close in the upper-
right
corner of the screen.
4. Release the CTRL key.
5. Restart your computer.
NOTE: You must perform these steps exactly as they are listed. For
example,
do not quit Windows Explorer by clicking Exit on the File menu."

This worked for me once before, but not this time. I was *very*
careful to follow the instructions exactly, and tried several times.
I then ran Doug Knox's script "xp_shellstate.reg", also without
success.

Next step was to try a System Restore to early December. No joy.
What appear to be valid restore points exist through December but
System Restore reports that it is "Unable to complete" when I try
them. It doesn't say why.

BTW, only one new installation since 1st December, a re-instal of
Sunbelt CounterSpy following an update problem.

I'm fresh out of ideas other than a complete reinstall of Windows.
Does anyone have any other suggestions I might try first?

TIA

John

When it happened to me its on the Open and Save dialog boxes and not Windows
Explorer. So I used your mentioned procedure in an "Open dialog" box not
Windows Explorer as you did.
--
Rey


"jeh" wrote:

> Just before Christmas my Win XP2 (fully updated) laptop starting
> displaying files in the Open (and similar) dialog boxes in apparently
> random order. I tried the normal cure, as described by Wesley Vogel
> in this group on Feb 19, 2006:
> "To resolve this behavior, reset the default sort order:
> 1. Right-click Start, click Explore and then click drive C.
> 2. On the View menu, click Details.
> 3. Click the Name column to sort items by name, press and hold down
> the CTRL
> key, and then quit Windows Explorer by clicking Close in the upper-
> right
> corner of the screen.
> 4. Release the CTRL key.
> 5. Restart your computer.
> NOTE: You must perform these steps exactly as they are listed. For
> example,
> do not quit Windows Explorer by clicking Exit on the File menu."
>
> This worked for me once before, but not this time. I was *very*
> careful to follow the instructions exactly, and tried several times.
> I then ran Doug Knox's script "xp_shellstate.reg", also without
> success.
>
> Next step was to try a System Restore to early December. No joy.
> What appear to be valid restore points exist through December but
> System Restore reports that it is "Unable to complete" when I try
> them. It doesn't say why.
>
> BTW, only one new installation since 1st December, a re-instal of
> Sunbelt CounterSpy following an update problem.
>
> I'm fresh out of ideas other than a complete reinstall of Windows.
> Does anyone have any other suggestions I might try first?
>
> TIA
>
> John
>
>
>
>