Changing default sort order in XP?

[Pheasant Plucker®]

Hi there,

Using XP and have noticed that the default sort order is different to that
of Windows 2000 and below.

I have seen references to changing the sort order but that only seems to
apply to numbers and not letters?

In XP for example if I add a new file into a folder that already contains
files then it can be displayed anywhere, at the bottom or randomly
somewhere.

This is annoying and when I next go into that same folder I have to hunt
around to find the file but in a large folder I sometimes miss it.

In W2K & below the new file was automatically inserted in its correct
alphabetical sort order.

I am guessing this behaviour can be changed but how?

Maybe I have missed something here but why did MS change this behaviour?

 

[Rey Santos]

New files shows at the bottom (I expect it there) if not I click view
"Refresh".

 

[Pheasant Plucker®]

Thanks for the reply Rey but that is not what I had in mind - its not just
new files...and I would expect the new files to be shown in their correct
order the next time I browse the folder...

In all earlier versions of Windows I have used the arrange order seemed to
be taken care of automatically.

In XP I struggle to find files sometimes as when I browse a folder with many
files shown as Tiles they do not seem to be in alphabetical order.

I even suspect if I arrange them or refresh with F5 the next time I go back
in they do not 'remember' the correct order or have reverted to some random
order.

It seemed to me that earlier versions of Windows appeared to do an automatic
refresh/sort as I never noticed this behaviour on older versions of Windows.

I have tried 'Arrange Icons by Name' and also 'Auto Arrange' but I still get
instances where the sort order seems haphazard...

Progress huh? ;^)

Thanks & kind regards,
-=Glyn=-

 

[Rey Santos]

Try this:
In Windows Explorer, open a folder sush as My Document > Click View menu >
Details. Sort the files according to to your liking by clicking on the
heading of each column. Hold down the CTL key and click the close button at
the top right of the window (red x) to close it. Windows should remember the
last settings made.

Windows Explorer Weirdness
http://www.cc-tips.com/LPMArticle.asp?ID=37

 

[Bob I]

Then you will need to go to Tools, Folder Options, View, and set overall
preferences, like "Remember each folders view settings" and apply that
to all folders.

 

[Pheasant Plucker®]

Thanks for the reply Bob,

I'll give that a go...but is it me or does XP behave differently because I
don't recall having this issue in W2K and earlier?

Thanks & regards,
-=pp=-


Then you will need to go to Tools, Folder Options, View, and set overall
preferences, like "Remember each folders view settings" and apply that
to all folders.

 

[Pheasant Plucker®]

Thanks again for the reply Rey,

And repeat the procedure for every folder on my hard discs?

<shudder>

Maybe I could set these preferences globally...hmmm.

Is it my imagination then or does XP behave differently to W2K and earlier
because I never had this problem before?

Thanks & regards,
-=pp=-

 

[Bob I]

There are slight differences between Win2K and WinXP but I don't
remember about that and no longer have any Windows 2000 boxes to check,
sorry.

 

[Mike Matheny]

I know what you are talking about - is this what you are experiencing:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/319827


Just an fyi, I tried the reghacks (even the TweakUI tool has a setting for
it for the faint of heart!) and it DOES NOT WORK on my WinXP SP3 system. I
am fighting this right now, because I am populatiing 900 groups from 900
file contents, and when I sort the group names in Active Directory Users and
Computers, it sorts like I have always been taught in school, however, the
folder sort throws things around, and I really have to double check the file
name vs. the group name. Why would MS decide that the way millions of people
have been taught to sort is wrong?