Special folder - removing special nature?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Terry Pinnell
  • Start date Start date
T

Terry Pinnell

Is there a way to turn off the 'special' attribute of the 'My
Pictures' folder please? I have scores of subfolders within it which I
do *not* want to open by default in Large Icon view. So I'd just like
My Music and all its subfolders to be treated like other folders, so
that I can display initially in List view.

In TweakUI I can specify the *location* of My Pictures, but I see no
way to switch it 'off'! Is there a registry key I can amend or delete
to accomplish this?
 
Terry Pinnell said:
Is there a way to turn off the 'special' attribute of the 'My
Pictures' folder please? I have scores of subfolders within it which I
do *not* want to open by default in Large Icon view. So I'd just like
My Music and all its subfolders to be treated like other folders, so
that I can display initially in List view.

In TweakUI I can specify the *location* of My Pictures, but I see no
way to switch it 'off'! Is there a registry key I can amend or delete
to accomplish this?
Click to expand...

Obvious typo above. Should be "So I'd just like My Pictures and all
its subfolders to be treated like other folders..."
 
I've written a script that will apply all the view customizations you can set to all of a folder's
subfolders. Right-click the link below & save to your computer. The zip file contains a readme
file & the script itself.

http://mysite.verizon.net/res18hr7/FVM3.zip

You can select a folder & configure its view settings, then those are set to be inherited by all
subfolders (you have the option of saving or wiping out current saved views) . You can set a
default for My Pics, another for My Music, and then a more generic default for My Computer. The
inheritance settings are separate from the folder view itself -- for example, you can set a
non-grouped view to be the default inheritance for My Computer, then return My Computer to its
standard 'group by type' layout after running the script without affecting the default view you have
set.
 
Keith Miller MVP said:
I've written a script that will apply all the view customizations you can set to all of a folder's
subfolders. Right-click the link below & save to your computer. The zip file contains a readme
file & the script itself.

http://mysite.verizon.net/res18hr7/FVM3.zip

You can select a folder & configure its view settings, then those are set to be inherited by all
subfolders (you have the option of saving or wiping out current saved views) . You can set a
default for My Pics, another for My Music, and then a more generic default for My Computer. The
inheritance settings are separate from the folder view itself -- for example, you can set a
non-grouped view to be the default inheritance for My Computer, then return My Computer to its
standard 'group by type' layout after running the script without affecting the default view you have
set.
Click to expand...

Many thanks, Keith. I'll study that carefully in the morning.
 
Keith Miller MVP said:
Great. Please post back with progress/questions.
Click to expand...

Looking good so far!

I applied the changes at this initial stage to only D:\Movies and
D:\My Pictures. (BTW, note that neither are within D:\Docs, which is
my 'My Documents' folder.) I made both simple List views. There are so
many subfolders in each (several deep in some cases) that that's the
cleanest option overall for me.

When your script finished I was happy to find that when I used various
programs to open say D:\Movies\TDA Projects, I no longer got the Large
Icon view but the List view. As you may remember from our earlier
discussion, this was only happening with the File>Open route. When I
used My Computer to open such subfolders, I *was* getting List view.
Don't really understand why this distinction occurred, but pleased
that your script seems to have removed it ;-)

I'm not yet really clear about what (if any) side implications there
may be now. IOW, whether I will still be able to setup specific
subfolder views as I want (e.g. D:\My Pictures\PHOTOS\Landscapes to
appear in Thumbnail view), without further use of the script. I'll
contact you if I hit any snags.

Thanks again for sorting that exasperating issue!
 
Terry Pinnell said:
Looking good so far!
Click to expand...
I'm not yet really clear about what (if any) side implications there
may be now. IOW, whether I will still be able to setup specific
subfolder views as I want (e.g. D:\My Pictures\PHOTOS\Landscapes to
appear in Thumbnail view), without further use of the script. I'll
contact you if I hit any snags.
Click to expand...

You will be able to change the settings for individual subfolders. All the script does is set a
'default' view -- individual folder view settings (when they exist) override inheritance from a
parent folder.


--
Good Luck,

Keith
Microsoft MVP [Windows XP Shell/User]
 
Keith Miller MVP said:
You will be able to change the settings for individual subfolders. All the script does is set a
'default' view -- individual folder view settings (when they exist) override inheritance from a
parent folder.
Click to expand...

Great, thanks a bunch.
 
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