Wanted: Quick and easy method to disable ALL auto-sorting in folders

stevieray · 18 Oct 2013

Does anyone know of a method for turning off the auto-sort feature for a particular folder? As part of my job, I routinely download files from FTP and Dropbox sites and place them into a newly created folder for further processing, and I need to get Windows to STOP "helpfully" rearranging these files.

I don't want to disable grouping for all folders; I need it in other places... I just need to be able to quickly and easily create folders that will not sort, yet allow parent folders to retain their normal behavior.

A right-click context menu function would be ideal, as would a "Sort by > None" option.

MilesAhead · 18 Oct 2013

When you download are the modification dates set to the local file creation date? Or are they preserved? If they are reset as files are copied you could sort by modified date to keep in download order. Other than that you may need to use a file manager with that "no sort" feature. Explorer settings aren't known for stability anyway.

stevieray · 18 Oct 2013

MilesAhead said:

When you download are the modification dates set to the local file creation date? Or are they preserved? If they are reset as files are copied you could sort by modified date to keep in download order. Other than that you may need to use a file manager with that "no sort" feature. Explorer settings aren't known for stability anyway.

I looked into that option already, but unfortunately, the modification dates are not consistently reset when I download the files; sometimes they seem to be... sometimes not. I have found no rhyme nor reason for when the dates are reset and when they are not.

As for replacing Explorer wholesale, that will not fly. This is an office situation where my PC is networked to all the others, and at times, others need to access the files in the folders I create. If they were suddenly confronted with something like Xplorer2, they'd freak. All of the Explorer replacements I have seen are overly complicated and would slow down my work just as much as Explorer.

This part of my job should take all of 15 seconds: create a folder for the new job, copy files into this new folder, and then copy them out again to the job processing program... all the while keeping these files in the same order as they came to me. Simple. Easy peasy. Errr... not in Bill's world.

Microsoft, in their arrogance, has decided to make this a fifteen minute process... and all for absolutely no reason. There is absolutely NO legitimate reason to make auto-sorting mandatory in all folders. None.

MilesAhead · 19 Oct 2013

The only other suggestion would be a "touch" program. If you had something where the selected file could be set to the current date and time with a hotkey press would that be a work-around? If not then maybe something in batch that would transfer the file and touch it before copying the next one? I'm just throwing out ideas unless someone knows how to force Explorer to behave.