How to restore opened folders on crash or power failure?

This may be useful for automatically positioning and sizing windows:
https://sourceforge.net/projects/winsize2/

I wrote a freeware called fold that opens multiple folders from a list in an .fld file(just a text file with .fld extension) or on the command line. If you use the same sets of folders frequently it my be helpful. But it does not periodically save a list of open folders. You may download it here: Miles Ahead's Windows Downloads

On the same page is another freeware I wrote called FolderCache but it saves the list of folders on shutdown. So you may have the same issue with power glitch. In any case if you are experiencing power glitches it may be worth it to invest in a UPS. Even the "cheap" ones that do not condition the power are better than just losing power suddenly. Now and then you see them on sale under $50.

Pretty cool app's MilesAhead. Like them. Wouldn't System Restore work with this? The UPS is a good option. But don't go cheap! Spend the money and get quality. Try System Restore.

Hi. I have an AutoHotkey script I have been working on. I only have a Laptop but I think it should work OK in most situations. I call it FolderSave(catchy eh?) and how to use is run it, it sits in the tray. If you have saved a set of folders the command in the tray menu to Load Folders will load them. I did it in such a way that you could have more than one folder open to the same disk directory. In other words, you could have 2 or 3 folders C:\MyFolder side by side. The drawback to doing it that way is on load if other windows are opening and take the focus away, the positioning and sizing will get confused. So it is best to load the folders when no other windows are likely to open.

So far it manually saves the folder set via hotkey or tray menu command. It also has a tray menu command to close all folders. We can try to have it autosave on a timer but that will probably take some messing around. If you want to test it out you will need to get AutoHotkey download(which is a free Windows programming language and tool set) from here:
https://autohotkey.com/

Unlike FolderCache, FolderSave saves the size and position of each folder and restores those during loading. For now, to save more than one folder set you would just copy the exe to an empty folder and run it. You could have shortcuts to several copies of the exe. The file it writes his hard coded but it is in the same folder as the exe. So by making more folders you can save several sets, although only one FolderSave.exe at a time can run in the tray. If you run it again, say from a different folder with a different save set, it will replace the current program in the tray. Klunky but I like to get something simple working and enhance it over time.

I am attaching FolderSave.zip that has ahk source, the exe and the custom icon file so that you can make your own changes and compile it if you like. Once I get it to where it works smoothly I may upload to my site as a new freeware.

The exe can be tried as is. Just copy it to an empty folder and run it. While it is in the tray position some folder windows and save. One important note, you may have to set the Folder Option "Display Full Path in Title Bar" for it to work. That way the full folder path is available as the window title. That is the only way I know which folder the window belongs to.

Another note: As it is now the folder load loop waits 2 seconds after launching the folder to move and size it on screen. So it will only work for local drives that snap open. Anything with a delay such as waiting for a network drive to map or something like that, it may open but the positioning will likely be all scrambled. It is still at the "hack" stage. :)

Lance1 said:

Pretty cool app's MilesAhead. Like them. Wouldn't System Restore work with this? The UPS is a good option. But don't go cheap! Spend the money and get quality. Try System Restore.

If system restore works for you, you are good. But it doesn't work for everyone. It always worked on my desktop PCs. But this Laptop it may work 1 out of 20 attempts. I use Rollback software and the registry backup that I mentioned from the tweaking site Tweaking.com

mrbrowny said:

Why does Folder Cache saves the list only on shutdown?

FolderCache saves the folder list when you quit the program. It has nothing to do with system shutdown other than the fact that the program quits when Windows shuts down.

The file with the folder list is named FolderCache.txt in the same folder as FolderCache.exe. The difference is FolderCache was designed as a Most Recently Used list. If you open a folder already in the list it is bumped to the top. It does not save duplicates. So if you work with 3 folder windows of the same directory, only one will be saved with FolderCache.

This version works a bit better. It should not be bothered by other windows opening or getting focus while loading folders. To accomplish that I had to hide each window after opening and sizing it. So don't be dismayed as each window moves, then disappears. Once all are in position they are made visible at once.

If this seems usable then the matter of auto save can be explored. If it seems too klunky let me know. As it is now it is good enough for my own use. :)

OK. This version is nicer. Instead of hiding the windows to ensure I could catch a folder with a duplicate name, before opening each folder I set the focus to the desktop. That way I can use the WinWaitActive function. Now the Windows open, then move to position without disappearing or generating delays.