Question about Windows 7 Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features

[McSeven]

I have Windows 7 Prof x64.

My question is, when displaing all software installed and choosing more columns of information to display, they don't stay. For example, choosing Location column. Getting out of the installed programs list and then returning to it, the Location column is gone.

Is there some what to get the columns to be persistent?

Thanks in advance.

 

[UsernameIssues]

The Programs and Features listing is shown to you by the Explorer app. Each time that you open/close the Windows (file) Explorer while viewing a folder (or a special view/list like the Programs and Features listing), Explorer tries to write info to the registry about how Explorer was showing you that folder. Windows (file) Explorer tries to write this "how to display a folder" info at other times besides just closing an Explorer window, but I'll not go into all of that.

Microsoft has not solved the problem that happens when these places in the registry get too big. When this happens, you may see the problem that you are experiencing - that of no longer being able to store the layout/view/column width/column selection/... info in the registry.

Below is video that I made showing registry keys being made. (I'm not suggesting that you mess with the registry.) Notice that new keys are made when visiting the folder named Temp. Deleting this Temp folder does not remove those registry keys. If you close Windows (file) Explorer while viewing a compressed folder (a ZIP file), the Explorer app tries to make keys so that it can remember how it last showed you that folder. If you delete or move that ZIP folder to another location, the original registry keys remain. So you can see how this area of the registry can fill up.

edit: I had to make this video again. I hope that I covered all of the original points.

One solution is to remove all of the entries/keys in the areas of the registry that attempt to track this info for the Explorer app... then rebuild them over time as you visit various folders (and special views like the Programs and Features listing). You can safely remove the entries by following the steps detailed in this tutorial: http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/15692-folder-view-settings-reset-all-default.html

I opt for a more draconian solution: I change the permissions on those registry keys to prevent any app from being able to add entries in those areas; thus, the areas never get too big. But changing the permissions will cause other problems that I just live with.

 

[gregrocker]

You can also save the settings you've made for a specific folder for all folders of that type by using this button in Folder Options on the Organize tab of all folders:

 

[lehnerus2000]

Increase "BagMRU" Value?

Does the old trick (from the days of XP) still work?
You could increase the value of "BagMRU" to allow for more customisations to be remembered.

Read this MS link:
Changes to the size, view, icon or position of a folder are lost

 

[UsernameIssues]

You can also save the settings you've made for a specific folder for all folders of that type by using this button in Folder Options on the Organize tab of all folders:

View attachment 280854 View attachment 280855

Or, as in the case some special folders/views that do not have an Organize tab*, you might press Alt to bring up the menu toolbar - then Tools > Folder Options... and then follow those steps. The steps seem to force a save even when a system gets into the mode mention by the OP. (It took me a while to test that

*edit: I should have looked closer. The window mentioned by the OP does have an Organize tab. Perhaps it is everywhere

Does the old trick (from the days of XP) still work?
You could increase the value of "BagMRU" to allow for more customisations to be remembered.

Read this MS link:
Changes to the size, view, icon or position of a folder are lost

Yes, this still works, but it can slow things down a bit as the number gets large. The KB Fix it sets the limit to to 5000. Some bloggers suggest using a number more like 10,000. But I only need 4 or 5 entries

To get a system into the mode mentioned by the OP, I had a script...
...create a folder
...open that folder via the Windows (file) Explorer
...close the Explorer window
...delete that folder
Repeat those step 25,000 times.
Somewhere around 5500 folders, the Explorer window was opening noticeably slower. I paused the script and manually attempted to save the location column mentioned in the OP; it would not save. Using the Alt key (as mentioned above) and then Greg's steps did force a save, but I'm not sure that this will always work. The script that I was running was creating lots of keys just under the Bags key. It also created a corresponding sub-key a few levels down under the BagMRU key. If I had taken the time to have the script do a few more things, I could have loaded down the keys directly under the BagMRU key too. Once those keys have reached the limit, Greg's steps might not have worked.

So, the OP can...
...force the save via Greg's steps*
...or increase the limit (which requires deleting the current entries)
...or just delete the current entries per the tutorial batch file
...or prevent unwanted keys in that area.(not recommended).

*The button labeled Apply to Folders... was not enabled by only adding the Location column to the special folder view mentioned by the OP. I had to make another change (which I later undid) to get the button to be enabled.

 

[lehnerus2000]

Thanks gregrocker

You can also save the settings you've made for a specific folder for all folders of that type by using this button in Folder Options on the Organize tab of all folders:

View attachment 280854 View attachment 280855

I didn't realise that the special folders had their own (hidden) special Folder Template.

That seems to have fixed my recent "Recycle Bin" problem.

I'd Rep you, but I'm not allowed to.

 

[McSeven]

Finally I am back after recover time from a back operation. Thanks to all who responded!