12 replies to this topic

[Gully Foyle]

What would cause XP Explorer to forget view settings? I have explorer set up in "Details" view. I take advantage of XP's ability to customize the various columns by "personalizing" all the folders to show certain information relating to that particular type of folder. For example, "My Music" folder has columns for Name, Size, Date Modified, Album Title, Duration and Bit Rate; "My Pictures" has Name, Size, Date Modified, and Dimensions. However, often I'll open Windows Explorer and find that many of the folders have forgotten those settings and either reverted to "plain jane" settings (Name, Size, Type) or now include other columns that I didn't put there, such as Dimensions in the My Music folder, or Bit Rate in the My Pictures folder.

I'm running XP Home Media Center Edition, with SP2, so the OS should be set up to remember 5000 folder settings. In addition, I've gone into the Registry to modify the settings that govern how many folders XP remembers - HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell - and reset the BagMRU Size setting to 8000 (see http://www.kellys-ko...m/xp_tweaks.htm, #2 on that list). I'm certain I haven't set more than 8000 folders to my desired views. I've ensured that "Remember each folder's view settings" is checked.

According to http://support.micro...spx?kbid=813711, Microsoft says "Windows can remember the folder settings for view state, window position, sort order, column information, folder type, status bar setting, toolbar toggles, and search results." so it's not just the "view settings" that it should remember.

So, what am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

[Mudhi]

Default is 5000 decimal for both local and network folders, maybe it was the limit 5000 or limit of local + network 10000, maybe 8000 too much or you had enter 8000 hex which is 32768 in decimal and is too much, I'm not sure, but 5000 is more than enough already.

[Gully Foyle]

Mudhi, on May 31 2008, 11:50 AM, said:

Default is 5000 decimal for both local and network folders, maybe it was the limit 5000 or limit of local + network 10000, maybe 8000 too much or you had enter 8000 hex which is 32768 in decimal and is too much, I'm not sure, but 5000 is more than enough already.

Thanks for responding, Mudhi.
While I'm sure you're correct about the default, the value can be changed to any number (according to the link in my original post). And I changed the Value data to decimal before entering 8000, then checked that it said 0x1F40 in hexadecimal. So the value is correct. And while I agree that 5000 should be more than enough, the behavior indicates that it is forgetting the previous settings, meaning that it has run out of registry slots to remember?

[Mudhi]

Here is a quick fix that may fix it, folder options > view tab, then click reset all folders button, or you can open up a folder, set to the view you want, then tools > folder option > view tab > apply to all folders.

Since I haven't found the maximum numbers of folders that the XP can be set, so just set it 5000 both, and if you do above settings, the count is starting from 0 again, and you should be able to do your customizing views of folders.

Edited by Mudhi, 31 May 2008 - 11:44 PM.

[Gully Foyle]

Thanks, Mudhi, but I've done that. Explorer resets all the folders, as expected. Then, in about a week, it starts forgetting again. This is even after only setting the desired view on about 25 folders. I'll open Explorer a couple of days later to find that those folders have reverted back or contain columns I did not designate.

Specifically, if I go to the folder where my wallpaper files are stored, and change the columns to include "Dimensions". Then I go to my music folder and change 10-15 subdirectories to include "Duration" and "Bit Rate". When I go back to the wallpaper directory, I find those two columns now appearing in the wallpaper folder. Why does this happen? How do I prevent it from happening?

[Mudhi]

Hm... I don't know how why either, cause I never notice about the feature. Maybe you are using FAT volume?

If it happens only to specific folders, then it might be the folder's problem, maybe there is a hidden file within that folder to set those settings?

[Gully Foyle]

No, I'm using NTFS.

There is a hidden file that exists within Windows My Documents folders called "Desktop.ini", if the folders have been customized (View > Customize this folder...). They are unique to each folder they exist in, of course. They also exist in Windows system files.

In any event, the Desktop.ini file has no information regarding column settings. For example, the desktop.ini file in My Music folder shows this:

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Gully
Personalized=13
PersonalizedName=My Music


while the similarly named file in My Pictures directory is this:

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Gully
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures

Thus I don't believe its a hidden file within the folder that causes this behavior.

[Jeruvy]

Gully Foyle, on Jun 1 2008, 03:06 PM, said:

No, I'm using NTFS.

There is a hidden file that exists within Windows My Documents folders called "Desktop.ini", if the folders have been customized (View > Customize this folder...). They are unique to each folder they exist in, of course. They also exist in Windows system files.

In any event, the Desktop.ini file has no information regarding column settings. For example, the desktop.ini file in My Music folder shows this:

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12689
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\SHELL32.dll
IconIndex=-237
[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Gully
Personalized=13
PersonalizedName=My Music


while the similarly named file in My Pictures directory is this:

[.ShellClassInfo]
InfoTip=@Shell32.dll,-12688
IconFile=%SystemRoot%\system32\mydocs.dll
IconIndex=-101
[DeleteOnCopy]
Owner=Gully
Personalized=39
PersonalizedName=My Pictures

Thus I don't believe its a hidden file within the folder that causes this behavior.

I was going to have you check these desktop.ini files to see if they're being modified externally (or some program is deleting them).

My guess would be another program is modifying these, but what...you'd have to review your installed app base to see if anything could be relevent.

[Wingman]

Could it be as simple as:

In Explorer go to:

TOOLS
FOLDER OPTIONS
VIEW Tab
check "Remember Each Folders View Settings."

[Guitar Man]

Quote

Wingman Posted Today, 03:11 PM
Could it be as simple as:

"Remember Each Folders View Settings."

Apparently, it's not as simple as that. Besides, he already ensured he had made that choice in Explorer:

Quote

I've ensured that "Remember each folder's view settings" is checked.

[Gully Foyle]

And I've checked it off, set the preferences, then checked it back on. That resulted in ALL folders set up exactly like the last one I modified.

I'm starting to think that either my registry is corrupt or there isn't a solution for this (in the Microsoft world). Can anyone recommend alternative programs/apps that can do what I want to have done?

[Wingman]

Guitar Man, on Jun 2 2008, 04:59 PM, said:

Quote

Wingman Posted Today, 03:11 PM
Could it be as simple as:

"Remember Each Folders View Settings."

Apparently, it's not as simple as that. Besides, he already ensured he had made that choice in Explorer:

Quote

I've ensured that "Remember each folder's view settings" is checked.

Oops missed that from the original post.

[Br5an]

I didn't understand if it's a problem every time or just sometimes. In the later case it could be a tool like CCleaner deleting the custom settings. In that case you'd have to watch what you have check-marked in the Advanced section.