Windows Explorer Auto Arrange - Disable

Hi guys,

I'm glad I fond this page this is exactly what I am trying to fix but I am having trouble. When I try to follow the steps for the .reg files I am unable to merge my files by right clicking them. Instead I have to right click -> Open With -> Regestry Editor (in another forum I read that this might work in opening the .reg files) and from there I have a security bypass, a confirmation step, and then it says that they have both been added to the registry yet I still can't move my files around in my folders. I logged off after the first one was added, and opened up My Computer before doing the second .reg file. If anyone knows what I can do to get this to work I would really appreciate it.

Thanks.

Brink said:

Hello Stereo,

Sorry, but I do not think that Microsoft is going to have Auto Arrange in Windows Explorer disabled by default, or even have an option to do since it was by design for Windows 7. SP1 RC does not have it.

Will they ever fix that ?
There is so many tricks ( for XP, Vista, 7 ) registry editing, and so on.
I can't understand : is that so hard to fix this problem ?:)

Does this work on a folder-by-folder basis?

I want my Downloads folder auto-arranging the way it always has, but my Videos and Pictures folders to be arranged manually. Will this work?

Damn. How I wish that Windows could have more OSX-like functionality!

Brink said:

Hello Stan, and welcome to Seven Forums.

You can fix the .reg file issue by double checking in Default Programs to make sure that the .reg file extension has it's "Current Default" program set as Registry Editor (C:\Windows\regedit.exe). Afterwards, go through the steps again to see if that may help.

Hope this helps for now,
Shawn

Hi Shawn, thank you for responding so quickly but unfortunately setting the .reg files to (default) open with the registry editor didn't change anything. I already tried "open with" those files before with the registry editor and I had the same response then as I do now. I open the "reset.reg file", then I have to say yes to a security check, then yes to confirm that I want to replace this in the registry, then I pres OK on the window that confirms that it has been replaced. I then log off (or restart I have tried both) and open up my computer before following the same steps for the "disable.reg" file.

If there is anything else you can think of that might solve my problem I would really appreciate it. Thanks again.

Hmmm. This is one of my biggest pet peeves with Win 7.

I use folders on my desktop to organize my contents and have done so for a long time, only to find that feature missing with Win 7.

I've followed your instructions to the letter and there doesn't seem to be any change at all to the Windows behavior. Auto arrange still seems to be very much active, unfortunately.

Any ideas of things to try? My account has admin privileges, the registry merges happened just as expected, I had the computer window open, I logged out when I was supposed to -- and no changes in behavior at all.

I even undid it with your 2nd step and then tried it all again, this time restarting the computer instead of logging out. Nada.