4

When I go into a folder, Windows Explorer (in Vista) seems to randomly choose how to display the folder - i.e. whether Icons or Details are shown, the Group By setting etc.

This can happen for folders which I maybe haven't viewed previously in Windows Explorer; for example, it might choose to display it as Music when it doesn't have any music in it.

It can also happen for folders which I have previously viewed in Windows Explorer. For example, I've just gone into one of my folders, which contains primarily other folders, and it has chosen to Group By Name. Previously, I had chosen to display it with no grouping (i.e. Group By (None)).

Other times, it might still show Details for a folder, but only show the Name column, when I had previously displayed Date modified, Size and Type.

How can I control Windows Explorer to do what I want it to do - which is to always display Details with no grouping for newly shown folders, and remembering old setting for previously shown folders?

3 Answers 3

3

See the following article:

Delete and Reset Windows Vista Folder Views or Folder Types Settings to Default Clean State

Using Windows Explorer in Windows Vista is sometimes annoying and confusing as the folder views settings and folder types customization is not working consistently. Folder views which determines which view, such as tiles, details, list, small icons, medium icons, large icons or extra large icons, that users is using to browse files and items in Explorer window, while folder types set the template which shows kind of folder and its related commands and buttons in toolbar. However, the implementation in Vista is buggy, messy and abnormal.

The easiest solution all Folder Types and Folder Views mess in Vista is by reset all settings and customizations related to Folder Types and Views to revert back to out-of-the box post-installation defaults. Note that you should try to use Reset Folder in Folder Options (open by clicking Organize -> Folder and Search Options and then go to View tab) before trying registry hack below.

Registry tweak below will delete and reset all folder view and folder type settings to default and clean state by rebuilding the related registry key, so that every start fresh again from scratch. All remembered folder settings in Windows Explorer for view state, window position, sort order, column information, folder type, toolbar toggles, and search result views will be lost, and reset to the original defaults.

2

Fix "Vista Unable or Fail to Remember or Save Folder Types / Views Setting Error" by Increasing BagMRU Cache Memory Size

  1. Run Registry Editor (regedit).
  2. Navigate to the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell
  1. If you can see BagMRU Size value in the right pane, skip this step. If BagMRU Size is not found, right click on a blank space in the right pane, then select New, and then click DWORD (32-bit) Value. Then, type BagMRU Size as the value name.
  2. Double click on BagMRU Size key just created, and then enter 10000 (in decimal base) or 2710 (in hexadecimal base) as its value data.

Note that 5000 is the supposedly default settings for BagMRU Size in Vista. You can set any other value you like, taking into account the number of folders you have.

Source

0

You can run this Batch file to perform the necessary registry edits with one click:

@echo off
for %%a in ("HKCR\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell" "HKCR\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell" "HKCR\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoom") do (
  for %%b in (Bags BagMRU) do (
    reg delete "%%~a\%%~b" /f
  )
)
:: Additional tweaks
reg add "HKCR\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\AllFolders\Shell" /v FolderType /t REG_SZ /d NotSpecified /f
reg add "HKCR\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell" /v "BagMRU Size" /t REG_DWORD /d 10000 /f 
rundll32 user32.dll,UpdatePerUserSystemParameters
taskkill /f /im explorer.exe & explorer
exit /b 0

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .