Remembering folder customisation and window sizes

  • Thread starter Thread starter GAT
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G

GAT

I'm having a problem with explorer not remembering
specific folder customisation. I like to have
everything "listed" and arranged by "type". But it's
always reset to be arranged by "name" (yet it's
still "listed"). I also can't get (windows) explorer to
remember the size it was last at when I close it. Is
there a hidden setting somewhere that I may have
accidentally changed to prevent this from being the way I
want. I go into folder options and mess with settings
there to no avail. (I.e. clicking apply to all folders,
or click reset all folders, and 'Remember each folder's
settings' checkbox IS checked).

Thanks for any help in advance,
GAT
 
GAT said:
I'm having a problem with explorer not remembering
specific folder customisation. I like to have
everything "listed" and arranged by "type".
Click to expand...

Reset all folder layouts: Delete the Registry keys
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags and
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU, both with
all the subentries, then create new keys "BagMRU" and "Bags" here. At
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam create a new
DWORD entry
BagMRU Size
and set this to
5000 (decimal)
Restart the computer.
This will also increase the amount of folder layouts that Windows can
handle.
 
The save as box reads the system wide state. The system wide state does not specify icon style. So it cannot be changed.

Most people have problems with folders because they don't understand how it works. Why it works the way it does is beyond me.

With XP (and all previous versions with minor differences eg 95 stored 29 folders) the last 400 folders are remembered.

Clicking Apply to All folders set the defaults here
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams
settings=
and
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Streams\Defaults
With the numbers being the default for each type of folder. A file folder is
{F3364BA0-65B9-11CE-A9BA-00AA004AE837}

Then it deletes all saved settings for individual folders here
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags

So clicking Apply to all folders in My Comp does the settings= and the num for My Comp (not file folder).

Reset all folders just deletes all saved folder settings.

The streams key is where a folder's settings is stored pre XP but only removable drives and defaults are stored here in XP.

In another change (I think introduced with 2000) explorer view lost it's seperate settings and now shares with folder view. If you both explore and open folders this can lead to confusion. The initial window size comes from the saved settings - the window will be the same size if exploring or opening.

There are two further settings that determine how explorer works.
I'll let the Win2000 resource kit explain it.

Understanding Saved Views and Browsing Folders
In Windows 2000 Professional, the view you use is not always permanently saved in Windows Explorer. You can control whether the views you use are saved permanently or temporarily by using the Remember each folder's view settings check box on the View tab of the Folder Options dialog box (see figure 9.3).

By default the Remember each folder's view settings option is enabled. When you choose to leave this setting enabled, the following happens:

a.. The changes you make to a folder's view is automatically saved when you close the folder.
b.. The view you use to view one folder is not applied to other folders.
c.. When you open a folder, it opens in the view you used when you last viewed it.
When you clear the check box for Remember each folder's view settings, the following happens:

a.. When you start Windows Explorer, the first folder you view displays in the folder's saved view. Windows Explorer holds that view in temporary memory and applies it to all the folders that you visit while Windows Explorer remains open unless you manually alter the view.
b.. As you browse to other folders (after the initial folder is opened), the saved view for each folder is ignored, and when you quit Windows Explorer, the folder view that you have been using to view multiple folders is deleted from temporary memory.
c.. The next time you open Windows Explorer, once again, it is the saved view of the first folder you open that determines how you view multiple folders.
Setting All Folders to the Same View
Some users want to have all their Windows Explorer folders set to the same view. In Windows 2000 Professional, the default setting is that any change made to a folder's view is automatically saved when you close the folder and is not applied to other folders. However, you can set all folders to the same view by using the Folder Options command as described in the following procedure.

To set all folders to the same view
1.. In My Computer or Windows Explorer, set the view to your preference.
2.. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3.. In the Folder Options dialog box, click the View tab.
4.. Under Folder Views, click Like Current Folder.
Important The Remember each folder's view settings check box on the View tab of the Folder Options dialog box (see Figure 9.3) affects how the view settings of individual folders are applied and saved. For more information about the impact of clearing this check box, see "Understanding Saved Views and Browsing Folders" earlier in this chapter.

It's me again not MS

Sometimes windows gets confused and doesn't save settings.

If no settings whatsoever are saved delete (note a reset of settings only clears one of these keys - one assumes corruption is more likely to be in the other key)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\Bags and
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam\BagMRU

If a few settings are saved then delete this key (this is also the sort for File Open but file open doesn't change it only reads it)

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Shellstate=
 
I'm still have the problems outlined before. This time,
though, that dot that is normally displayed to the left of
the menu item in the Sort By menu, is not there. Even
after I select a sorting method. I've deleted the
registry keys suggested, to no avail. I've gone into the
administrator account (and everything in there works
fine), loaded the user hive, deleted the keys, unloaded
the hive, logged back in to my user account, and still no
successful results. Honestly, this is getting really
annoying. I know it sounds crazy, but I've actually
formatted and re-installed Windows because of this same
problem before. I just don't want to do that again. This
always happens, and I can never figure out how or why it
happens, it just inevitably does.

Thanks for all the help so far. I really appreciate it.
Though, any other advice, suggestions, etc, is welcome.
I'd probably try just about anything at this point.

Thanks again,
GAT
 
A new observation is such..
It appears that even though the 'Remember each folder's
view settings' is checked, WIndows thinks it's not checked
at all times. Is there a registry key that overrides this
and makes it one or the other? I've created a new user,
and deleted the "old" one, hoping that would fix the
problem, it hasn't. But that dot I've mentioned before
that supposed to be there on the Sort By menu that wasn't
showing up before, is now showing up, as it's supposed
to. That's progress, I guess.

Any ideas are welcome.

Thanks,
GAT
 
Because you said only some settings are stored this is caused by shellstate. If none were saved it's caused by NoRoam keys.

There are policy settings that duplicate user preferences. But not Remember Each Folder. There is a Save Settings On Exit. Anyway look

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies
and
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies

There is only one under explorer (CU) called NoDriveTypeAutoRun by default.

If you've done the previous instructions right and are operating explorer correctly then that only leaves one (possibly two) thing. Explorer isn't shutting down or your profile isn't being saved. The second thing is to make sure another program isn't affecting it.

Check those policies, check the event log (type it in Help to see how) for profile or explorer shutdown errors. Then describe the exact steps you are taking in configuring Explorer. Also type MSINFO in Start Run and look at what modules are loaded, see what non MS ones are.

Type cleanboot troubleshooting in Help and follow those steps.

Also examine the following registry key and export it, delete, reboot and see if it works now. Reimport the key aftewr testing.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Browser Helper Objects

Also see what is installed like Explorer Bands and Toolbars (on the View menu) to see if any are non standard.
 
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