Vista's explorer drives me crazy

[Michael Bruegmann]

Hi,

vista's explorer is always changing his window size on startup and the
details view of my folders. When I resize the window explorer rembers the
size and position for a while. And then suddenly the next time I start the
settings are gone.

I wan't to use the details view for all my folders and and allready tried
the registry hack from Keith Miller (many thanks to him for posting), but
explorer randomly changes the views off various folders to "pictures and
videos" or "documents" even though there are no pictures stored in that
directories.

Is there any way to disable this apparently intelligence?


Greetings

Michael

 

[Adam Albright]

Hi,

vista's explorer is always changing his window size on startup and the
details view of my folders. When I resize the window explorer rembers the
size and position for a while. And then suddenly the next time I start the
settings are gone.

I wan't to use the details view for all my folders and and allready tried
the registry hack from Keith Miller (many thanks to him for posting), but
explorer randomly changes the views off various folders to "pictures and
videos" or "documents" even though there are no pictures stored in that
directories.

Is there any way to disable this apparently intelligence?

If there is, I haven't found it. This all goes back to Microsoft
trying to "help" by over doing some things like trying to show
thumbnails if it finds image files in a folder to just being dumb in
it not seemingly being able to remember when you changed the width of
columns or something basic like that.

I know the fan boys hate hearing it, by Windows has always had some
dumb habits. Like refreshing the desktop icons for no apparent reason
or changing the order of icons on your desktop if you change screen
resolution or maybe hiding some icons on the Task Bar, then forgetting
where it hid them so they don't come back until you reboot. Actually
Explorer has improved some over XP, so I guess that's progress and
like you mentioned Windows always had trouble remembering when you
resized a window. It seemed to remember for awhile, then without
reason it reverts back. At least you known you not alone in see such
things. Which begs the question why Microsoft never seems to get
around to fixing them.

 

[Frank]

Hi,

vista's explorer is always changing his window size on startup and the
details view of my folders. When I resize the window explorer rembers the
size and position for a while. And then suddenly the next time I start the
settings are gone.

I wan't to use the details view for all my folders and and allready tried
the registry hack from Keith Miller (many thanks to him for posting), but
explorer randomly changes the views off various folders to "pictures and
videos" or "documents" even though there are no pictures stored in that
directories.

Is there any way to disable this apparently intelligence?


Greetings

Michael

Go to control panel/folder options/view and put check in "remember each
folder's view settings".
Works just fine for me.
Frank

 

[mikeyhsd]

changing the size may have to do with using explorer to display so many things in the computer.
seems to be a general catch all for displaying different types and things.
guess it gets confused on difference on displaying recycle bin, contacts and files.

each type of thing that needs explorer to display should have its own entries on the registry so it can remember.




(e-mail address removed)



Hi,

vista's explorer is always changing his window size on startup and the
details view of my folders. When I resize the window explorer rembers the
size and position for a while. And then suddenly the next time I start the
settings are gone.

I wan't to use the details view for all my folders and and allready tried
the registry hack from Keith Miller (many thanks to him for posting), but
explorer randomly changes the views off various folders to "pictures and
videos" or "documents" even though there are no pictures stored in that
directories.

Is there any way to disable this apparently intelligence?


Greetings

Michael

 

[kirk jim]

I may be using XYplorer, a third party file manager when I actually migrate
to Vista 100%. For me vista is still unusable as a production machine.

Too many such annoyances, problems, bad designs, and incompatibilities
oh.. and bloat and slowness too!

 

[Adam Albright]

Go to control panel/folder options/view and put check in "remember each
folder's view settings".
Works just fine for me.
Frank

I always get a kick out of one of the newsgroup's resident "experts"
proclaims it "works for me" and just blows off somebody telling him it
doesn't work for them.

See Frank, the problem is you're not nearly as clever as your think
you are. Lots of people have the folder settings aren't remembered
issue and for a simple reason. First proof other people have it:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic66696.html

Want to know why?

Sit down and take a deep breath Frank. Put your feet up, relax.

Windows does it's own thing, or I should say it did at least in XP,
and seems likely it carries forward to Vista. Microsoft seems to have
a policy of if it was broke in XP, let's leave it broke in Vista until
enough people complain about it.

By default, know what that word means Frank? Windows Explorer will
ignore some settings for folder options IF the contents of the folder
exceeds 400 files.

Oops, bet you didn't know that.

Some more reading for ya.

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/top10faqs.htm 4th one down the list.

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

These fixes are untested on Vista, as far as I know, at least I didn't
test them. Simply offered to show the smartass crowd they just shoot
blanks over and over and us more experienced users love to laugh at
them. Sorry Frank. Just laugh along and you'll feel better soon. I
hope.

ROTFLMAO!

 

[Frank]

I always get a kick out of one of the newsgroup's resident "experts"
proclaims it "works for me" and just blows off somebody telling him it
doesn't work for them.

See Frank, the problem is you're not nearly as clever as your think
you are. Lots of people have the folder settings aren't remembered
issue and for a simple reason. First proof other people have it:

http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/topic66696.html

Want to know why?

Sit down and take a deep breath Frank. Put your feet up, relax.

Windows does it's own thing, or I should say it did at least in XP,
and seems likely it carries forward to Vista. Microsoft seems to have
a policy of if it was broke in XP, let's leave it broke in Vista until
enough people complain about it.

By default, know what that word means Frank? Windows Explorer will
ignore some settings for folder options IF the contents of the folder
exceeds 400 files.

Oops, bet you didn't know that.

Some more reading for ya.

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/top10faqs.htm 4th one down the list.

http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm

These fixes are untested on Vista, as far as I know, at least I didn't
test them. Simply offered to show the smartass crowd they just shoot
blanks over and over and us more experienced users love to laugh at
them. Sorry Frank. Just laugh along and you'll feel better soon. I
hope.

ROTFLMAO!

Hey monkey brain, we're talking about Vista you nitwit. Not xp. And
sorry to inform you but it works even on folders with files over 400
which, if can read, the op did not state he had.
You're a real idiot and like to prove it all the time and you're REALLY
WEAK!
(snicker)
Frank

 

[Frank]

Oops, bet you didn't know that.

Hey bird brain...that's so old as to have been archived.
But you didn't know that did you cause you had to look it up!
You're weak...really weak.
Frank

 

[Adam Albright]

Hey monkey brain, we're talking about Vista you nitwit.

Actually the topic is little monkeys like you that squeech, whine and
bellyache all day long.

 

[Adam Albright]

Hey bird brain...that's so old as to have been archived.
But you didn't know that did you cause you had to look it up!
You're weak...really weak.

If I'm so weak, explain why it is I so easily get under your skin and
push your buttons.

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

Adam, the 400 number is XP's pre-SP2 default. In XP-SP2 & Vista it is set
to 5000.

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

Hmm...

You didn't try to clear saved views by deleting:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags"
"HKCU\Software\Classes\Local
Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU"

AFTER you merged the 'AllFolders' reg file, did you? Because that would
delete the 'AllFolders' entry.

If you didn't clear saved views before merging the reg file, any folder with
a saved view would be unaffected by the 'AllFolders' entry.

Another possibility is that the folders contain a desktop.ini file with a:

FolderType=Pictures

entry.

I'm truly curious why this isn't working for you.

 

[Frank]

Adam, the 400 number is XP's pre-SP2 default. In XP-SP2 & Vista it is
set to 5000.

There you go!
Thanks Keith.
Frank

 

[Michael Bruegmann]

Hi Keith,

Hmm...

You didn't try to clear saved views by deleting:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\Local
Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags"
"HKCU\Software\Classes\Local
Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU"

AFTER you merged the 'AllFolders' reg file, did you? Because that would
delete the 'AllFolders' entry.

No, I didn't. I cleared them once before I added the 'AllFolders' entry and
it's still there. It must by in a context with the maximum 'Bags' value of
5000, because the 'AllFolders' entry seemed to work for me for a while. Now
I reached the 5000 entry limit an dthe trouble begins again.

But one last question. The 'BagMRU' and 'Bags' Keys exists at
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local
Settings\software\microsoft\windows\shell\' and at
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\'. Are both keys
uses by explorer or is the
''HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\' unnecessary.

If you didn't clear saved views before merging the reg file, any folder
with a saved view would be unaffected by the 'AllFolders' entry.

Another possibility is that the folders contain a desktop.ini file with a:

FolderType=Pictures

There is no 'desktop.ini' file in those folders. And even if so, in that
case explorer should allways use the "picture" view and not randomly,
shouldn't he?


Thanks for your answers

Michael

 

[Adam Albright]

There you go!
Thanks Keith.
Frank

The point and reason I said what I said is for the fan boy crowd that
keeps pointing their fingers at end users and blaming them for
everything when in fact many problems are due to Windows itself.

Hint #1 The dumbest answer anybody can give is "I don't see that",
implying, often incorrectly, that whatever problem somebody is
reporting is there fault rather then Windows' fault.

Hint #2 Not everybody upgrades. So a problem with a release version of
Windows that gets fixed by a service pack may still exist for many.

Hint #3 NEVER assume I don't know something just because I often play
Devil's advocate. That's even a bigger mistake.

Learning yet Frank?

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

Hi Keith,



No, I didn't. I cleared them once before I added the 'AllFolders' entry
and it's still there. It must by in a context with the maximum 'Bags'
value of 5000, because the 'AllFolders' entry seemed to work for me for a
while. Now I reached the 5000 entry limit an dthe trouble begins again.

The limit can be upped to 8000, but how are you reaching the 5000 limit so
quickly?

But one last question. The 'BagMRU' and 'Bags' Keys exists at
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local
Settings\software\microsoft\windows\shell\' and at
'HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\'. Are both
''HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\' >unnecessary.

In Vista, 'HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam' shouldn't have any
subkeys, just the 'BagMRU Size' value. Unless they're created in a
networked environment -- I'm on a stand-alone machine. The saved folder
views are under:

"HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags"

There is no 'desktop.ini' file in those folders. And even if so, in that
case explorer should allways use the "picture" view and not randomly,
shouldn't he?

Yes, provided there's not a saved view for the folder that specifies a
different template. In my testing, a FolderType designation via desktop.ini
is only applied if there is no saved view. (Example: If you customize a
folder as Music, then open the desktop.ini file from that folder, close the
folder, edit desktop.ini to change to foldertype to Pictures, save the
desktop.ini file, open & close an unrelated folder to clear Explorer's
memory, then open the folder you modified again, it will still use the Music
template)

Thanks for your answers

You're welcome

 

[Michael Bruegmann]

The limit can be upped to 8000, but how are you reaching the 5000 limit so
quickly?

Don't know why it's growing so fast. For an other test I cleared all the
entrys again yesterday at 1:00pm (GMT+1) and added the 'AllFolders' entry
again. Now there are allready 164 new entrys. My computer was shutdown from
yesterday 8:00pm (GMT+1) till today 7:00pm (GMT+1). So there are a maximum
of 8 hours of work. That meens during the last 8 hours I was openig a new
folder in windows explorer every 3 minutes?

I must have schizophrenia, because I can't remember that. Maybe it's too
late for me and I am allready crazy. It's time for me to consult a
psychiatrist, so I apologize for nerving you with my disease;-)

Greetings

Michael

 

[Keith Miller MVP]

There'll be a numbered bag key created for any folder you open or browse
through to get to another folder either via Explorer or the Common Open/Save
dialog. So 164 isn't outrageous.

If it climbs up to 5000 real fast, I would guess some software may be
accessing folders in way that causes a view to be saved. If that happens, I
would use RegMon to find out what program. If it comes to that post back &
I'll help with the details.