Setting the default Windows Explorer view
By: Arie SlobWindows Explorer enables you to set the view for folder information using the View menu and the toolbar.
From the menu select View > Folder Options and make sure that the check-box "Remember each folder's view settings" is checked.
To set Explorer to show your Drives "collapsed" when first started:
- Right-click the Start button
- From the menu choose Explore
- Go to Start Menu > Programs
- Right-click the shortcut for Windows Explorer
- From the menu choose Properties
- In the Target: box, type: C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE /E,/SELECT,C:\
- Click Apply and OK
This is the result:
If you have Internet Explorer 4.x with the Desktop Update installed, you can even change the display order. Say you want to sort on (file) Type, and you want that to be the first column. Just click on the Type heading, and drag it to the left, then drop it!
Windows Explorer Does Not Display Item's Contents in Right Pane
WWhen you click a drive or folder in the All Folders pane (the left pane) in Windows Explorer, its contents may not be displayed in the right pane.
This behavior can occur if both of the following conditions exist:
- Windows Explorer is configured for Details view
- The Name, Size, Type, and Modified columns are moved to the left edge of the header bar in the right pane, causing them to not be visible
To work around this behavior, click in the right pane, and then press CTRL+PLUS SIGN (make sure to use the PLUS SIGN key on the numeric keypad).
This sets the columns on the header bar to use a minimal amount of space. You can change the width of the columns by dragging the vertical bars located between the column names.
If the method above does not work, try this method:
- Start the Registry Editor
- Go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ CurrentVersion \ Explorer
- Delete the DirectoryColsX binary value
- Exit Regedit