Vista Tutorial - Opening multiple files

Hi, all. I hope I am in the correct group.

I have Vista and Adobe Photoshop configured to open picture files. I am
trying to open several files (jpg) at the same time, selecting them and
using the File-Open option. Problem is, that option now only works with up
to 15 files; it disappears with 16 or more. Same with the "Open With"
option. This was not a problem with XP. Does anyone know if there is a
setting to change this limit?

Thanks in advance for any help.

It can be a serious performance problem to hand large numbers of files to
applications that only implement old command line handlers. This is simply
a limitation of Photoshop's shell integration here, as far as I'm aware.

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See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
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"Perico de los Palotes" <ppalotes2004@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:Jiwgj.9162$cD5.3254@xxxxxx

No, it is not a performance issue. It is not limited to photoshop either:
the same thing happens with text files and notepad. The "open" context menu
disappears if I select 16 files or more from within Windows Explorer. I
hope there is some registry setting somewhere... Any ideas?




"zachd [MSFT]" <zachd@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:emrn%239aUIHA.5160@xxxxxx

Actually, it is a performance issue: the system doesn't let you bork
performance in that fashion. This would need to be addressed by the
application vendor (be it the maker of ... notepad or whomever) or whatever
by providing improved shell integration. It's a limitation on the type of
shell integration.

--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--

"Perico de los Palotes" <ppalotes2004@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:OVSgj.7207$cE4.2877@xxxxxx

Thanks for your help. I would think that Microsoft has integrated its own
Notepad with Windows. On the other, side, we are talking Microsoft here...




"zachd [MSFT]" <zachd@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:u%23fff4nUIHA.4584@xxxxxx

Seeing as you're opening up "N" instances of Notepad for your "N" documents,
perhaps there is a reason for the limitation of the current design. Not
everything needs to be able to open up infinity number of documents. For
example, Outlook will happily complain if you do multiselect open on even
fairly small numbers of files.

--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--

"Perico de los Palotes" <ppalotes2004@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:4X4hj.8037$5s.1392@xxxxxx

Hey, having the same problem.
If I right-click one file, whatever it is, it gives me the 'Open With...',
option. If I even select two files, this option disappears which basically is
crap. And clearly not a performance issue or are you saying Vista can't open
two pictures at the same time?
Also, I've had it where if you multi-select and press enter, it asks you how
do you want to print the items??? Doesn't even open the default app! It's OK
with a smaller number but not say 20 items. Maybe 16 is the limit as
suggested.

Also, it will open 10 instances of the app and not just one, with 10
pictures in - this is in the case of Paintshop.

And no it's not a problem with Paintshop as I've been using this version for
years with both Windows 2000 and XP and it's worked fine. I used to be able
to open 30+ pictures at once, both with the Open With or by setting the
default app to Paintshop, doing a CTRL+A and hitting Enter. It would open one
instance of the app, with all the pictures open within it. Are you saying
Vista is LESS powerful/capable than XP?

As for the Notepad comment...er...that's a Windows integrated product isn't
it? Has been for as long as there's been Windows as far as I know. It's not a
proprietry third-party add-on.

So, regarding the original post, the question still remains. Are there
registry settings that change this behaviour as clearly it's a step back from
XP. I should be able to select multiple files and then Open With to choose an
application. I like to preview in Picture Viewer and then edit in Paintshop
(for example). Also, as XP could handle opening many many files with one app,
in one instance, at the same time, then so should Vista.

Also, it has to be either a bug or a setting if it changes characteristics
due to number of files.

I wouldn't mind seeing a fix but I'll not be holding my breath...

What I don't understand is the seemingly endless number of things that I've
come across where they've taken something that worked fine in XP and buggered
it. Why do that? What's the point? It used to work, leave it alone and add
new stuff if you want but at least it should be as functional as it was
before, no?

--
a


"zachd [MSFT]" wrote:

I open a bunch of pictures by first opening the program I want to use and the highlight the first picture while holding down thw "shift" key and the clicking on the last picture of the group I want. I never tried the "Open with" command to do this. Wouldn't this fit your needs just as well?

No. Basically. Did you read my post?

If I go to My Pictures and select more than fifteen files, BY WHATEVER
METHOD, CTRL+A or Click the first then click the last whilst holding shift,
or File - Edit - Select All, or hold down CTRL and click the pictures I want,
etc, then press enter, regardless of what app is open, regardless of the
appropriateness of that app, regardless of all the files being the same file
extension, regardless of what app you have set as the default handler for
that file type - I think that's covered everything but I'm sure someone will
still not get the picture - it gives me a print pictures window, asking how I
want to print my pictures and if I want to mess with them in any way,
basically an in-built Windows picture print handler. It doesn't even open or
go to an application, it doesn't pass those pictures to the application set
as the default, it doesn't pass them to any other relevant application, open
or not. I'm not sure how much clearer I can make it. This behaviour is
completely different to how Windows 3.0, 3.11, 95, NT, 98, ME, 2000 and XP
behaved and isn't an improvement therefore is a retrograde step, a bug or
just crap.

If you double-click or hit enter on a highlighted text file it opens your
default text editor.
If you double-click or hit enter on an HTML file it opens your default
browser.
If you double-click or hit enter on an image file it opens your default
image software.

I'm not sure why this is suddenly considered tricky??

The same used to be true for multiple file selects of the same extension,
regardless of number, and if you opened literally hundreds then your machine
would chunker-chunker until they were all open but it would still do it. I'm
not trying to open hundreds though, I'm trying to open ten or twenty or
thirty, which used to be possible. The images I am opening are only a few
hundred k each too and I've got 2GB of memory with plenty free.

You also used to be able to select multiple files, i.e. more than one, and
right-click choose 'Open With' to select what app you wanted, which for
someone like me who uses multiple apps to work on multiple files, is very
useful and time-saving.

It is also true that many apps don't have the ability to go File - Open -
multiple select from within their own file-open-browser window so this
problem would still be pervasive.

--
a


"dbknox" wrote:

"Feldspar" <lordwalsingham@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:22CD8390-CC22-4676-AC96-7409CD7CD828@xxxxxxAs far as I understand it, there was extensive analysis done that showed
that the new behavior is an improvement. You may disagree: the team in
question was solving a performance problem.
That chunker-chunker is perceived to be a bad experience. Your system is a
lot nicer than others that would struggle further with this scenario.
This can be solved by the application in question using a more modern method
of shell integration.

If your suggestion is that Explorer should use the old "launch N copies of
this application and let the system become seriously non-responsive and/or
tank" solution, that's not going to be possible to achieve without someone
reverting this change. You could certainly take that up with actual Product
Support, but: there are teams assigned to make sure Windows doesn't
chunker-chunker, and this was one of the solutions found to be necessary.

--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.