So...lots of Explorer issues. Fixable?

Ok, so I know I'm obviously not the only one who had major problems with Windows 7 Explorer, and I already have Classic Shell which fixes the disc space/file space in DIR issue and copy dialog issues.

But there's lots of other issues that seem to really annoy me, anyone have ideas on fixes? I won't even be able to think of them all at the moment.

-Selecting multiple files, and then rearranging the sort order will lose the selection. Same as moving to another DIR and hitting the back button. The second thing especailly was VERY useful in XP, as it remembers the 'place' in DIRs, and I have some with a large number of files. (But on the flip side, it DOES remember if only one file is selected)

-Clicking on the date modified column will sort descending, XP would do ascending. I much prefer the later.

-Taking out a portable drive while being in its DIR closes Explorer for some reason. XP would just move the selection to the nearest still good DIR. Closing it doesn't make sense...

-I love the ability to 'hide' drives that aren't in use, as this reduces the clutter. Especially since for some reason, showing 'all folders' will list the various dives as 'removeable drive' instead of the type they actually are (SD/MMC, MS/MS-Pro, etc etc). I'd love to be able to fix that, but more importantly, hiding 'all folders' also for some reason hides Recycle Bin. I can open it pretty easily by clicking on the arrow from the first 'breadcrumb' but it'd be nice to have to show automatically.

-I tried the registry fix to remove ZIP support, yet the still show as folders, and seem to work 'normally'. I much prefer to NOT show zip files when I expand the folder list.

-Right clicking on a column in XP would give the context menu for the file, even if it wasn't selected. At least it seems like this is how it worked. In 7 it won't automatically select it if you click on a blank area, even though it's selecting the whole line...

-The automatic sorting thing is neat, but it seems to not happen all the time. Today it was working, then it suddenly stopped working, right in the middle of naming a bunch of stuff (though the shift was between different DIRs). Then a bit later, it worked again. When it doesn't work it even seems to affect it showing NEW files, such as being in a DIR while ripping a CD to that DIR.

So yeah that's a bunch of sutff, and there's probably others.I have tried a couple of other explorer type programs, but I don't think there seem to be any that will fix most of this. Honestly the best option would be the ability to use XP Explorer in 7, heh, But anyway, anyone have any ideas about any of this?

dunfiddlin said:

1. CTRL + select individual files will retain the selections through a new sort order. This is exactly the same as in XP. Nothing retains a multiple selection through a change of directory but then I don't remember XP doing that either.

Well it's not doing it. I select multiple files, no matter if it's with ctrl + select or not and the selection is gone when changing the sort order. As for change of DIR, it held when using the back/forwards button, but not when returning it with a 'new' click on the DIR pane. it still works with a single file selected, as I said.

2. Clicking on the column heads toggles ascending, descending (just as in XP!)

Of course. I just want the default the be ascending with date modified, so I don't need an extra click every time.

3. Not if you use the 'safely disconnect' protocol correctly it doesn't (or at least shouldn't). If you rip them out willy nilly you reap what you sow.

Well, supposedly with the 'quick removal' you shouldn't have to. And I said, it certainly didn't do that in XP (and hell, in this case what I've been using is a PSP which disconnects on its own without needing to remove the cord)

4. Absolutely no idea what you're talking about. I'll need some screen shots to have any idea of what you're trying to do and what you think is going wrong.

The Folder Options, General Tab. "Show all folders". I like to keep it unclicked, but doing this causes the recycle bin to disappear unless you manually select it from the first breadcrumb.

5. Discussed elsewhere on this forum of late: if you don't want to see zip files put them in a folder that you don't regularly open. They are sub-folders to all intents and purposes so W7 treats them accordingly.

Then what the heck is that registry change tweak on this forum about? And that solution isn't much of one.

6. Well do you mean 'in a column' or 'in a blank area'? If you mean the former then that does bring up the context menu for the file on that line. If you mean the latter that will bring up the context menu for the last selected file or the first file if you have not previously selected one in that folder. If you don't get any context menu at all, you're doing it wrong!

I mean an area of the row that isn't taken up by text. Say you have a file named "Config", then there's a few inches of white space before the next field, size, showing 3 KB, If you right-click in the white space, the file won't be selected, it'll bring up a complely different context menu, with sort options, etc, that also comes up if you right click empty space below the file list.

7. The automatic sorting thing may be neat but it's not magic. If you flit around folders in the middle of operations it can get confused. Again, you reap what you sow!

Don't quite get what you mean. I'm just doing normal stuff and it sudden stops working. How is that 'reaping what I sow'?

Not exactly a convincing argument for taking two steps back to XP!

I don't think the Explorer itself is a step back. The OS yes, but there's so many annoying things (including what CAN be taken care of by Classic Shell) that I have to wonder why noone's made an XP Explorer clone for Win7.

1. Then it's not an issue with Explorer (see pics)

2. Right. You do realise that it has to be one or the other and when that particular coin toss was made you weren't the only user on the planet that they had to think about? Again, if there's an issue here it's sure not with Explorer!

3. So MS is to blame for your hardware not behaving as you think it should? The protocol's there for a reason. Use it!

4. In other words you choose not to show all folders and are surprised when it doesn't show all folders?

5. The registry tweak is for disorganised people who like to blame somebody else for their lack of order and, as also revealed on this forum, is not entirely reliable. If there is a sound reason to keep Zip files in a general directory once you've extracted their contents and not transfer them to a back-up folder (or simply delete them) I'm unaware of it.

6. Yes, the system assumes that if you're clicking in a space you want to do something to the folder not to an individual file. I assume when you want to open the Start Menu you don't click in the space between it and the next icon and expect the system to magically work out what you want it to do? Why should the file manager be any different?

7. The preceding paragraphs suggest that what you think of as normal and what is normally thought of as normal may not be the same thing!

dunfiddlin said:

1. Then it's not an issue with Explorer (see pics)

Then why's it not working for me? Your pics seem to show it doing exactly what I want it to do.

2. Right. You do realise that it has to be one or the other and when that particular coin toss was made you weren't the only user on the planet that they had to think about? Again, if there's an issue here it's sure not with Explorer!

Of course, but the fact is they DID change it. I was wondering if there was a way to change it back.

3. So MS is to blame for your hardware not behaving as you think it should? The protocol's there for a reason. Use it!

Again, why did they change the behavior so oddly? Why in the world close the explorer window like that?

4. In other words you choose not to show all folders and are surprised when it doesn't show all folders?

The recycle bin is a folder now?

5. The registry tweak is for disorganised people who like to blame somebody else for their lack of order and, as also revealed on this forum, is not entirely reliable. If there is a sound reason to keep Zip files in a general directory once you've extracted their contents and not transfer them to a back-up folder (or simply delete them) I'm unaware of it.

Not everyone has the same habits as you? I'm not sure what you mean about "blaming someone else for their lack of order". And what's wrong with keeping files compressed to keep the size down? Especially in cases where the program can run directly from the zip files...

6. Yes, the system assumes that if you're clicking in a space you want to do something to the folder not to an individual file. I assume when you want to open the Start Menu you don't click in the space between it and the next icon and expect the system to magically work out what you want it to do? Why should the file manager be any different?

Again, because it's, at least seemingly, different behavior from before. After using XP for 9 years, it's hard to change habits.

7. The preceding paragraphs suggest that what you think of as normal and what is normally thought of as normal may not be the same thing!

How is 'renaming files using F2, then changing DIRs and doing the same' not a pretty normal process? And it still doesn't answer the question of why it seems to completely randomly change behavior, nor if there's any way I can fix it.


Look, I understand that things change, and that some people probably like some of the differences. All I was asking is if there was a way to change them (perhaps through a registry hack) or maybe even another way like with classic shell -- if not now, maybe it can give someone an idea?
It's just frustrating, especially after seeing all the praise Win7 got, that there seems to be so much step backwards here. This seemed like a great forum with a lot of helpful people who knew all the possible tricks and so forth that I may have overlooked, so I though I'd give it a shot and 'go for broke' with all of the issues I had.

dunfiddlin said:

Yes, we all like to help when we can but sometimes "adapt or die" is the only real advice we can give.

'Adapt or die', what kind of advice is this? Terra is talking about Windows Explorer, not living in a tundra.

Vector said:

dunfiddlin said:

Yes, we all like to help when we can but sometimes "adapt or die" is the only real advice we can give.

'Adapt or die', what kind of advice is this? Terra is talking about Windows Explorer, not living in a tundra.

Examine the posts here and you'll quickly see that to some people take their 'issues' far more seriously than mere life or death!!!!!

However, I was using the phrase metaphorically (and ironically to a degree). Cases of actual death from inability to accept Microsoft's new ways are rare (although I wouldn't be prepared to state categorically that there have been none!)

dunfiddlin said:

Recycle Bin always has been a folder, albeit a system folder with special attributes. If you use it then you're simply transferring files from one folder to another.

Yeah, I dunno what I was thinking when I wrote that. I guess I wonder why it at least doesn't show if it has something in it.

I don't think closing explorer is a programmed response. I think it's a crash caused by the sudden inconsistency in your filing system. That's what the protocol's for - to inform explorer that a disc/memory device is no longer available.

Well I tried it using "eject", and it still closes.

If you're running programs from a compressed file why would you not want to see it in the navigation? Yes, you may think differently, I'm just indicating the thinking that MS would have gone through. Anyway, the tweak offers a solution so if it will work for you, go for it.

Unfortunetly, the problem is the tweak doesn't work

I was using XP until a couple of months ago and I had no feeling that the details pane behaviour was any different when I swapped over. Could be wrong. If it is a change, it seems like a logical one to me. Are you still using signle or double click for opening files?

I use double to click to open. I can't imagine using single clicks, but...ya know.

Yes, we all like to help when we can but sometimes "adapt or die" is the only real advice we can give. And I'm afraid I'm far too old and far too busy to waste time coating it in sugar candy. Dem's da breaks.

Some things are just the way they are and there's nothing to be done (it still infuriates me that MS feel it necessary to have an infotip informing me that I'm hovering over the Start button when I'm hovering over the Start button but I have to accept that there simply is no way to get rid of it!) I'll certainly have another dig round to see if any of your 'issues' are fixable but I can't pretend that I hold out much hope!

Yeah, it's just frusterating and sometimes one wonders if they changed some things for the sake of simply separating itself from XP. I could mention the issues with the image viewer, or wordpad, or the lack of ability to change icons for extensions (programs for that one though) and a lot of other stuff, but it's Explorer that gets used so much, and all.

[QUOTE]
Well I tried it using "eject", and it still closes. [QUOTE]

This further inclines me to the view that a repair/reinstall is desirable!

I use double to click to open. I can't imagine using single clicks, but...ya know.

Ah, there are many advantages to the single click ... not least the selection of files on hover in Explorer! But each to his own gout.