Odd Favorites behaviour in Open/Save dialogue

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 3, 2010

When I try to use the Favorites option to navigate to a folder, when opening or saving a File, I get an error message saying 'the directory name is invalid' after I double click on the desired folder in the Favorites pane.

This happens with all the links in Favorites; both my own and the default ones such as Desktop.

The 'invalid' directory path shown in the dialogue is correct, however, and the directory path is also shown correctly in the link's shortcut properties.

I CAN open links if I select them and then right-click on the Favorites button in the navigation pane and select 'Open'.

Am I doing something wrong here? I expected Favourites links to open with a simple double click on the shortcut icon in the Favorites pane.

FZ21Z · Mar 3, 2010

Have you tried removing the shortcuts and adding new ones?

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 3, 2010

Yes, I've tried it but it didn't work.

I've just tried to save a Word document using the 'Save as' dialogue. Clicked on Favorites and got a blank pane with the message 'No items match your search'.

I might be wrong, but it looks as if Favorites wants to list Word docs, not shortcuts. Naturally, it can't find any shortcuts.

This works the other way round when opening Office files. If, say the Word open dialogue is set to list only files of type '.doc', then the Favorites will be blank until I change the file type to 'All files'. That makes the shortcuts appear.

Am I just not understanding what Favorites is supposed to do? I'm using Office 2010 beta.

FZ21Z · Mar 3, 2010

Is this an issue with Windows 7 or just Office, does your favourites work when just using them to browse, or only when you're trying to save or open documents with Office?

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 3, 2010

It seems to be an issue when opening or saving files within programmes.

I get the same behaviour as I did in Word if I try to save a web page using the 'Save page as' option in IE8 and Chrome: Favorites behaves like a search function.

However, the Favorites option in Win 7 Explorer (Start | Computer) is working as expected: I can add shortcuts and they open directly when I double-click on the shortcut icon.

Shortcuts I add to Favorites via the open/save dialogue windows do show up in the Win 7 Explorer, even though I can't see them at the time I create them in a programme.

FZ21Z · Mar 3, 2010

UnlikelyMoniker said:
Shortcuts I add to Favorites via the open/save dialogue windows do show up in the Win 7 Explorer, even though I can't see them at the time I create them in a programme.

I think that's the problem then, favourites is for your folders, and not your documents.

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 3, 2010

Not exactly. It's supposed to give you a list of favourite locations so you can get to them quickly to open or save files in them.

Worse than useless if you can't use Favorites from Win 7's navigation pane if you're in in a programme and want to quickly go to a favourite folder so you can save a file there.

And, as it happens, I can save existing documents as Favorites. Just highlight them in their folder, right-click on the Favourites button and add them as a favorite. They then show up alongside the folders in the favourites list in Explorer, and open in their associated programme.

Along with the saga of users not being able to turn off auto-arrange in Win 7 folders, this (if it's a general problem and not just related to my own brand new system) does rather give the impression that MS are losing touch with the way customers use their OS.

Thanks for trying to help anyway.

FZ21Z · Mar 3, 2010

UnlikelyMoniker said:
Worse than useless if you can't use Favorites from Win 7's navigation pane if you're in in a programme and want to quickly go to a favourite folder so you can save a file there.

I can.

UnlikelyMoniker said:
And, as it happens, I can save existing documents as Favorites.

I've just tried 3 times and can't seem to do that, any chance of a screen shot?

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 3, 2010

I can.

I can't. That's why I'm here.

Any chance of a screen shot?

Sorry, my mistake. I'd clicked 'Save' while the Favorites pane was open in the Word 'Save as' dialogue. That saved a copy of the file to the C:\Users\myUsername\links folder.

I'm still left with the problem that I can't open folder links in Favorites from Word's File/Open dialogue and I can't see Favorite folders in Word's File/Save as dialogue.

I guess I'll have to use Libraries instead. In the meantime, is there a keyboard shortcut for launching Win 7 Explorer with the Favorites pane showing?

Brink · Mar 3, 2010

Hello UnlikelyMoniker, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You might give this a try to see if it may be able to fix this for you. It's for Vista, but it's the same in Windows 7.

Favorite Links Empty - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 4, 2010

Hi Shawn,

Perfick! Many thanks. I'd tried repairing the IsShortcut registry entry myself but must have gone wrong somewhere. The .reg file did the trick.

Cheers

Brink · Mar 4, 2010

You're most welcome. I'm happy to hear that you got it sorted.

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 4, 2010

Just one thing though...

My desktop icons, overlays and Favorites are all working fine now - thanks Shawn!

However, the shortcut overlays are not appearing in the file/open and save/save as dialogues launched by programmes:

Does anyone know where this setting resides in the registry or is there some other way to fix this?

Thanks.

Brink · Mar 4, 2010

You might see if restoring the shortcut arrows using the tutorial below may be able to fix them for you.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/3606-shortcut-arrow-remove-restore.html

UnlikelyMoniker · Mar 4, 2010

Solved

Thanks for the pointer. That one worked for the desktop and Explorer but not the programme dialogues.

In the end I tried FxVisor - available for download at Vista Forums How to Remove or Change the Shortcut Arrow and Name in Vista - again. Reluctantly, because it featured at the start of my sorry saga.

This time it did what it says on the tin and my Windows 7 is finally as it oughta be.

Many thanks for all the replies and suggestions.

Brink · Mar 4, 2010

You're welcome. I'm glad you got this one sorted as well.

Odd Favorites behaviour in Open/Save dialogue

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