How can it Apply to All Folders? Apply what to all folders? Open a folder and Tools - Folder Options then you can apply that folder settings to all folders.
Saved folder settings are stored in BagMRU. Defaults and network/removable drives are stored in Streams key (as everything was in earlier versions).
You have to do Apply To All while in a file folder.
For each type of object (File Folder, Control Panel, My Computer, etc) that you do an Apply to All in it's clsid and the settings are created/updated at
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults
{F3364BA0-65B9-11CE-A9BA-00AA004AE837} is ordinary folders, and other numbers are what ever they are (My Comp, Control Panel, etc - note My Docs is an ordinary folder). They only appear IF you do an apply to all in that type of object.
as well as a higher set of defaults at
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
Settings=
So the point being in the order that you do things. You want to do your overall default setting last. This is how I advised someone who asked
Can someone please tell me how to force Windows to keep
the seperate folder view settings I choose? I have
checked and rechecked the box in folder options for it to
remember, but it has no memory for that issue. To be more
specific; I want to always have the thumbnail view in My
Pictures and also in the Control Panel Dialog, but every
time I open them I have to manually set that view.
Set Control Panel how you want then Tools - View - Apply To All Folders. This sets the global default and the Control Panel type of objects defaults (but the system default remains the same - it can't be changed but all other defaults/settings override it). Then go to an ordinary folder (as My Pics is for this feature) and set it how you want all folders but CP. Then Tools - View - Apply To All Folders. This sets the global default and the file folder type of object defaults (CP's default settings will still override the global). Then set My Pics how you want it and do nothing else as we are saving it by the checkbox Remember Folder Settings AND BY THE PATH WE GOT THERE. EG
Desktop\My Comp\C:\Documents & Settings\user name\My Docs\My Pics
is a different setting to
Desktop\My Comp\My Docs\My Pics
There is some searching for similar settings but the path used, if too different, means it won't find the settings for similar named folders.
The system defaults (and saved settings for individual folders already opened) are the only setting unless you've done an Apply To All, eg no global or type defaults.
Plus if you hold down control and click close it also updates
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Shellstate=
This is mainly setting irrelevent things except it holds the global sort, which all the others override. But File Open dialog boxes only use this setting, so it basically only affects sorting in File Open dialogs. But it seems that sometimes an earlier windows versions setting get written here and other settings then aren't saved
