Background box around selected icons makes it hard to drag and place

lokiju · 21 Feb 2012

Hello,

First post!

I am using 2 PCs right now, xp and win7, and can't believe that my Win7 machine won't let me drag/move my icons (desktop and windows explorer) around without having a blue box around them, which makes it VERY difficult to figure out where they are going to land in the folders. On the desktop, whichever icon I have selected also gets the blue box around it, but the placement drops right where I want it to. But in folders, where the icons seem to be more 3D, I can't get them to drop where I have them placed, almost like they are falling from a different aerial view.

I did find a way to get rid of all this, by unchecking "use visual styles of windows" (last item in list)...but that has huge issue by making EVERYTHING look horrible on the system, heh.

Is there any way to only get rid of this selected icon blue box in windows explorer so I can drag and place icons easier within folders (another pet peeve...I had to force windows 7 to let me NOT auto-arrange files in folders).

Thanks for any help!

Bongo · 21 Feb 2012

Welcome to the Seven Forums
Would you please post a screenshot of what you are asking about.
Jerry
Screenshot with Paint

Screenshots and Files - Upload and Post in Seven Forums

How to Use the Snipping Tool in Vista - Vista Forums

lokiju · 21 Feb 2012

Attachment 199518

In the first image I am dragging the file to another location within the same folder. Notice the blue box around the folder I have selected? This doesn't happen to me in WinXP.

In the second image I am trying to place the folder back down in the right spot, but it's a very hard task since, unlike when you drop an icon on the desktop, in the folders it doesn't drop where you think it will.

Edit: I really hate auto-arrange, and want to be able to drag and drop icons easier as I can with WinXP. Please tell me I can fix this without unchecking "use visual styles of windows" in performance controls and losing ALL visual awesomeness?

Bongo · 21 Feb 2012

In the first image I see what you're talking about I am going to have to go and ask someone on another forum about this. I will get back to you on this one as soon as possible.

As for what's going on in the second image I'm sorry to say I don't know much about how Windows places its folders look at this tutorial and see if it will help File and Folder Arrangement - Group by - Sort by - Arrange by
Jerry

lokiju · 21 Feb 2012

I messed the second screeny up, here's a better view, showing the folder down below, and me trying to place it back up top, but because of the blue box around the folder, it takes a few placements to get it right as it doesn't just drop right where it shows. I don't know if this is because, by default, Windows 7 doesn't accept user arrangement of files without a registry edit?

Bongo · 21 Feb 2012

By editing a image in the aero.msstyle I was able to remove the blue box.

Background box around selected icons makes it hard to drag and place-folder2.png

I can change that for you, using Windows Style Builder and post it here in a zip folder.
&
This will be a custom theme and you will need to do 1 of these 2 ways of Enabling custom themes for it to work.
Enabling Custom Themes - Windows 7
Or
Theme - How to Apply Custom Themes
All I would need from you would be a name to call the custom theme.
Let me know.
Jerry

lokiju · 21 Feb 2012

Wow, thanks Jerry! I suppose a good name would be "boxless icons?"

Bongo · 21 Feb 2012

I am going to have lunch I'll be back in less than an hour with the finished theme.
Jerry

Bongo · 21 Feb 2012

Here you go download and extract the zip folder to your desktop then put both the 1 boxless icons folder and 1 boxless icons.theme file in C:\Windows\Resources\Themes

Background box around selected icons makes it hard to drag and place-boxless-icons.png

It should show up in Personalization as boxless icons in the Install Themes area.

Background box around selected icons makes it hard to drag and place-personalization.png

Let me know if it works for you.
Jerry

lokiju · 21 Feb 2012

Thanks for the theme Jerry. It's an improvement, but the selected icon/folder still has the box around it accept with what you changed in that the box now disappears only while dragging the icon around. The box comes back once the item is dropped and it my main target with the mouse.

The main issue is that icon/folder is still hard to place where I want...I just noticed that the icon/folder gets bigger when you pic it up to drag it...which is mainly what makes it awkward to place back down in the correct spot. This doesn't happen as I drag folders in winXP.

I love Windows 7 but this is frustrating, lol!

Edit: I found a thread which I think it related?

Disable Large Icon when Drag/Drop Files to New Location

It mentions what I have discovered...moving desktop items doesn't cause an issue (I still get the blue border around the selected item, but it doesn't get bigger and can be placed down with precision), only in folders. I think it's an aero issue that can't be resolved unless I use classic mode. That sucks.