Vista - Windows Explorer Folder View settings

Thank you Mark,

I'll add this to the data collected so far. Hopefully we will find a permanent solution one day. In the mean time this will reset it so it will work again until the cause it triggered again.

Shawn

Hello. Your guide is really clear to follow!

I am still stuck though

I want all my folders below the Music (and including the Music folder) folder level to have the columns

Name
Artists
Album
Rating
Bit Rate

I also want the view to be Details.
Finally, I want them all to Size All Columns to Fit.

How do I achieve this?
I tried the METHOD 2 above. I'm really sorry to go over old ground again for you, but Vista is
getting me a little frustrated on this - it is XP functionality deprecated, if you ask me.

Anyway, please help. I want it for all folders at and below this level, ie subfolders.

Oh and while I'm at it, some parts of your instructions refer to 'Apply to Folders' in Folder Options on the View tab. Mine is permanently disabled and nothing I seem to do enables it for me to be able to click it.

Thanks in advance.

Hi Sleeplessinsale,

When you get to step 20 in METHOD TWO, use Music instead of NotSpecified. This make all of folders this default template.

There is really no way to make all of them to Size All Columns to Fit without manually doing each one as you come across them since it changes often based on how long the column's information is.


These might be helpful for you to:

How to Change a Windows Explorer Folder Type Template in Vista

and

How to Change the Windows Explorer Columns and Sort Order in Vista


Hope this helps,
Shawn

Thanks for the fast response but it will not take. I did the whole thing again and changed that setting to Music.

All the subfolders are not affected by the change i make to the top level folder.

I've done Method 2 with that Music setting. Then I did Windows Explorer - Folder Type Templates
as well.

Did I miss something?

Thanks,
Richard

Richard,

You will need to do the Apply to Folders at the bottom of this tutorial to apply it to all the same folder type template of the one you are changing manually. You will need to repeat it for each of the 6 different folder templates to apply it to all templates.

How to Change a Windows Explorer Folder Type Template in Vista

When you go into Folder Options, it must be from within the window you want to change. From Tools -> Folder options on the menu bar.

Shawn

Aaahh!! I was trying to do it by going to by opening Folder Options from Control Panel, from the Start button. Not from within the window.

Sorry!! That's why I'm sitting here struggling and you're there helping everyone

All working now.

As you said before, don't think we can get the Size All Columns thingy working automatically. I'll suffer that for now.

Thank you!!!
Richard

Your welcome Richard,

Glad to hear you got it now. I wish it would Size All Columns automatically to. Thank goodness it's just a couple of clicks to fix. (per window ) LOL

Shawn

Hi Brink,

I have encountered a weird problem recently

I cannot select multiple files when the folder template is set to "Pictures & Videos". Ctrl+A doesn't work and Select All is greyed out. Any ideas?

Thanks

Hi niGht kiD,

Try resetting the folder view settings with Method Two on page 1 of this tutorial to see if it will clear the problem for you.

For now, this tutorial will show you an alternative way to select multiple files.

How to Select Files Using a Check Box in Vista Windows Explorer

Shawn

Thanks brink.

Actually I had tried Method Two. It's ok, just a small problem. I can always set it to other templates. Anyway, this tutorial really is helpful.