Vista - Using "Select multiple files or folders"

I want to select a long string of files (for deletion).

Vista Help says:

--To select a consecutive group of file or folders, click the first item,
hold down the SHIFT key, and then click the last item.
--To select a consecutive group of files or folders without using the
keyboard, drag the mouse pointer to create a selection around the outside of
all the items you want to include.

Using #1, it selects the "first item" and the "last item," but none of the
items between the two.
Using #2, it tries to MOVE files, not select them.

My last OS did it this way, but Vista does not. Do I have something set so
it behaves the way it does? How do I easily select multiple files?

John

John wrote:
File selection in Vista works the same way it has in all the other MS
operating systems.

To select multiple contiguous files, highlight the first file in the series and
then hold down the Shift key and highlight the last file in the series. All
your desired files will be highlighted.

To delete non-contiguous files, hold down the Ctrl key as you select.

If this isn't working for you, I'd try a different keyboard.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

Hello John,

You have the "SHIFT" key part right for selecting all files inbetween the first and last one selected.

To select random multiple files your would do so by pressing and holding down the "CTRL" (control) key while select the files instead.

If the two options above are not working this way for you, then check to see if this may be able to fix it for you.

Select Multiple Files Fix


You can also use the option in the tutorial below to select files using a check box.

Select Files using Check Boxes

Hope this helps,
Shawn

"Brink" <guest@newsgroup-email.com> wrote in message
news:1383cd34cf026793a7452651caf410cc@newsgroup-gateway.com...This is exactly what I am doing. It is also exactly what I copied from
Vista Help.
Random, using CTRL works great. Does just as it says.
There was no change after using this. I check the first, hold SHIFT, press
the last, then DELETE and it only deletes those two files.

This may help: The instruction you quoted above about the SHIFT key works
exactly the same way using the CTRL. Therefore, I think the answer is that
the SHIFT operation is really doing the CTRL operation; that is, "random"
selection. To repeat: they both function the same way, as "random"
selects, instead of the intended "multiple" selects.
I already have the "check box" option checked.


See inline answers.

John

John,

As a test, reset your folder view settings using the download from METHOD TWO in the tutorial below to see if it will work after merging the .reg file and restarting the computer.

Windows Explorer Folder View settings

See inline comment:

"Brink" <guest@newsgroup-email.com> wrote in message
news:c028c3f2fe5477ebb53b1540dfdb65aa@newsgroup-gateway.com...File Reset_Folder_View.reg does not offer MERGE as a right-click option as
indicated in the tutorial, only Open, Cut, Copy, Delete, and Properties, so
I can't do it. "Open" offers virtually all the programs I have on the
computer.

John

Did you extract the .reg file from the ZIP file first?

Malke wrote:

Addendum to my last post. I meant to say "Vista" and not "Windows 7".
Doesn't change what I wrote, but I don't want any confusion.

Malke
--
MS-MVP
Elephant Boy Computers - Don't Panic!
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/#FAQ

"Brink" <guest@newsgroup-email.com> wrote in message
news:02e3c80f2af14fc19f1d4255fdcfc083@newsgroup-gateway.com...Yes, I extracted it to the Desktop. It is identified as a Regedit file.

I tried the Manual approach. The early steps found the entries in the
procedure, but some of the later ones didn't. Some of the deletions
weren't there. Also, Windows Live planted a lot of stuff in there. I
didn't want to interfere with them. Some of the entries that dealt with a
suspected Vista problem of not allowing enough space were not what was
shown, so I completely avoided that. I am guessing with the pros that this
could easily be the problem, but less easily fixed. But nothing I did fixed
the problem when I rebooted.

Where I'm at: There might be the elusive space allocation problem in Vista
that I discussed. I will upgrade to Windows 7 soon, so I'll see if it goes
away. Also, I know my Asus MB may have a bad audio chip, so I have ordered
another MB. Between these two hardware and software solutions, perhaps I
can get it to work again. It's just annoying to have to click 168 files for
deletion individually.

Of course, I just happened to think--I might be able to delete these
multiple files under DOS. It's been a while.

John

Success! I used the command prompt, since all the files I wanted deleted
had the same prefix. I still remembered some DOS from years ago.

Thanks all for your help.

John