Explorer loses focus on current file

[Guest]

Is there any way in Windows XP to alter the default behavior of Windows
Explorer when a file is modified or renamed? I'm finding it very irritating
that a file I modify or rename is automatically thrown to the bottom of the
folder, losing the focus and often vanishing off the bottom of the screen.

Is there any way to keep Explorer's focus on the current file when it is
modified or renamed (like Windows 2000 did)?

 

[Poprivet]

Is there any way in Windows XP to alter the default behavior of
Windows Explorer when a file is modified or renamed? I'm finding it
very irritating that a file I modify or rename is automatically
thrown to the bottom of the folder, losing the focus and often
vanishing off the bottom of the screen.

Is there any way to keep Explorer's focus on the current file when it
is modified or renamed (like Windows 2000 did)?

If you tap F5, it will "refresh" the screen and put the file where it
belongs. Or, I think it's Tools; Refresh that does the same thing.
Personally I like that it stashes recently changed files at the bottom;
makes them real easy to locate unless/until you close/re-open explorer or
Refresh the View.
Or, click another directory and then click back to the one you want, and
that will refresh the view also.

HTH
Pop`

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Or, I think it's Tools; Refresh that does the same thing.

View | Refresh. Or right click a blank spot in the folder and click
Refresh. But F5 is easier.

Personally I like that it stashes recently changed files at the bottom;
makes them real easy to locate unless/until you close/re-open explorer or
Refresh the View.

Me too. If you're downloding files from the net to a particular folder, for
example, if that folder is open you can watch the files add themselves to
the bottom of the list in that folder. Or if you have a folder open and are
opening .bmp files, for example, and saving them as .jpgs, the new .jpgs go
to the bottom.

It's just the way it works. Maybe they changed this in Windows Vista.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

Unfortunately, a refresh is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. As part of my
normal work, I often find myself repeatedly editing a series of files,
sometimes between two folders open in separate Explorer windows. I want the
focus to remain in the same point in the folder, so that I can keep track of
what I'm doing and so I can back up a file or two sometimes. Having some of
my files in proper order and others dropped to the bottom of the list is
confusing; and the F5 refresh always returns to the top of the folder, losing
my place completely. Oh, well.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

It also depends on what application you happen to be working with on that
series of files.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

I have something similar happening, on just *one* of our five PCs.

I recently rebuilt this machine, reinstalled Win XP Pro + SP2 + all updates
from scratch. It's an AMD X2 5200, so nice & fast.

I start in Windows Explorer, browsing a folder (with a lot of files in).
Click on a Word document to open it. Word opens the file. Meanwhile,
Windows Exlorer has 'lost focus' on the file, and (for me) jumps right back
to the beginning of the file list.

I can see the temp file named ~$blah.doc sitting at the bottom of the file
list if I scroll down to it.

Paint Shop PRO 7 also jumps like this when opening files. Adobe Acrobat
(for example) does not.

I wonder if it's something to do with Explorer 'sensing' that the folder
contents have changed and jumping / losing focus.

I have looked all through the Win XP "TweakUI" settings, just in case
there's something to fix it.

If you can shed light on the above, then I think you will help both me &
jjjdavidson.

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

I found an "Explorer replacement" which does the trick for me:

http://www.tucows.com/preview/357951

 

[Wesley Vogel]

MS Word creates a ~$name.doc for every existing .doc file when that file is
opened.

For example, Some_name.doc and ~$me_name.doc. ~$ takes the place of the
first two characters of the original file name.

Owner File (Same Directory as Source File):
When a previously saved file is opened for editing, printing, or review,
Word creates a temporary file with a .doc file name extension that begins
with a tilde "~" followed by a dollar sign "$" followed by the remainder of
the original file name. This temporary file holds the logon name of person
opening the file and is known as the "owner file."
from...
Description of how Word creates temporary files
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/211632

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

Thanks Wesley for the temp file explanation. I guessed the Word ~$ file was
something like that but I did not have the details.

Is this in any way a cause of why Windows Explorer position jumps when the
file is opened?

Any way to change that Explorer behaviour? It seems to be machine-dependent

Thanks
Steve

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Is this in any way a cause of why Windows Explorer position jumps when the

file is opened?

It doesn't do that here. The focus stays on the *.doc file that I double
clicked to open Word and the .doc file. At some point, depending on what
else you're doing, the folder will refresh.

Refresh means to update displayed information with current data. If a
refresh never happened, you wouldn't see the Date Modified change. You will
usually see the Date Modified info change when you close the file. Windows
automatically refreshes periodically. How often I have no idea.

Date Modified: Displays the date and time that the information in this file
or folder was last changed.

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In

 

[Guest]

Sorry to be so long replying. In many cases, the application is Windows
Explorer itself. Simply renaming a file is enough to cause it to drop to the
bottom of the list and lose focus.

But not always. In testing for this reply, I discovered that if I have two
windows open on the same folder and select the same file in both windows,
renaming the file can cause it to lose focus and drop to the bottom of the
list in the _other_ window, but not in the active one. Using the DOS RENAME
command can have the same effect. Weird, unpredictable, and irritating.

 

[Wesley Vogel]

Then only open the folder once. There is no reason to have multiple
instances of the same folder open.

Why would you have multiple instances of the same folder open?

Folder Options...
Start | Run | Type: control folders | View tab |
UNCheck: Launch folder windows in separate process

Launch folder windows in separate process
[[Specifies that each folder is opened in a separate part of memory. When
you open each folder in a separate part of memory, the stability of Windows
can be increased. However, your computer's performance might decrease
slightly.]]

Windows Explorer in Folders View May Cause Selected Folder to Open in New
Window
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/264728

--
Hope this helps. Let us know.

Wes
MS-MVP Windows Shell/User

In