I set up Windows Explorer in XP to "Details" view. Based on the type of directory (pictures, wallpaper, music, video, documents), I select different columns. For example, for wallpaper and picture files, I have Name, Size, Date Modified, and Dimensions; for music, I use Name, Size, Date Modified, Album Title, Track Number, Bit Rate and Duration. This allows me to sort the files within the directory by the various columns for easy searching.
The problem is that Windows XP seems to forget that I've painstakingly set up these columns - I'll return to a directory only to find it with either generic columns (Name, Size, Type, Date Modified) or columns I don't want (Dimensions in the music files, Bit Rate in the pictures files). I'm aware that XP was originally set up to remember only 400 folders; I've gone into the Registry to modify those settings - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell - and reset the BagMRU Size setting to 8000 (see http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/xp_tweaks.htm, #2 on that list). And still XP Explorer keeps forgetting these settings. Is there something I'm missing? What have I left out?

Gully, you are right that Windows Explorer should remember those settings, but it seems that everyone has trouble making them stick. Despite what MS says, it's nothing but trouble. Maybe it *can* remember those settings, but chooses not to. (sigh)

We have had similar discussions before and I've come to the conclusion that if you want your file browsing laid out just so, then Windows Explorer will always disappoint and you should look at getting a dedicated file explorer app. There are freeware ones, such as Free Commander and Xplorer2 and also paid ones, such as Total Commander. I haven't used any of these, but they look good and I have used others in the past.

Thanks, ScottyW, for that. I've read some of the other discussions here & it seemed that the issue was unresolved. I guess I just wanted to be sure that I'd done everything I possibly could before I added this problem to the list of MS shortfalls.

And my thanks to Lighthouse and you for the recommendations. I'll check them out.

Thanks, alpha55. I've tried that before and what happened to me was that Explorer set ALL folders to the setup of the last one I touched. So if a wallpaper folder was the last one I modified, then all my folders would have the columns set as in that one. I'll give it another shot, though - maybe something has changed.