Customizing File Explorer and File Dialog? 1

[jsteph]

Hi all,
I would like to know if *finally* Microsoft has allowed customization (real customization--not letting you put a fancy picture in the file explorer) of the Windows Explorer and the File Save/Open/Insert/Attach, etc. dialog boxes.

The crux is primarily the Dialog boxes for because they usually open up so small, and they *always* seem to open up in "large icon" mode, where I see maybe two files and a stupid, useless icon that doesn't tell me anything about the file.

What I want is for it to *always* default to "Details" mode where I can see more files, and further, I Never, Ever, EVER want to see the "Type" column because it is possibly the most meaningless thing in all of windows (anyone who knows anything about the registry and file extensions knows what I mean). And the Type column *always* shows when I switch to details mode (even though I remove it by right-clicking and un-checking it and doing "Apply to all folders" in the Folder Options).

I would like for every folder's default (yes Microsoft--even folders with jpegs because maybe I want to look at the files and their dates and sizes and not the thumbnails pictures) to show the Name, DateModified, and Size. And for some folders, I might want to add some other columns.

I'm surprised that when you open a folder with .mp3's that Microsoft doesn't just start blaring a few seconds of each song at full volume when you open the folder and not stop the madness until you close the folder.

Sorry for the rant, but is this at all possible--maybe through a registry hack or something? I've tried the Tools-->Folder Options-->View-->Apply to all Folders and that never lasts--somehow whenever I open up a folder with the word "perfume" existing anywhere in one of the text files it starts spraying perfume out of the monitor at me.

Thanks,
--Jim

 

[linney]

Boxes such as "Save As", or "Open", usually allow you to Resize the windows via the dragging method. There are other Dialog boxes such as for example MsConfig or the Run Box that don't appear to be resizable (easily anyway).

Can you get rid of the "Type" heading if you go in via View/ Choose Details, and uncheck it in there?

There is an option in Folder Options/ View/ "Always show icons never thumbnails", you can try that if you don't want the large (or extra large) icons.

All Microsoft operating systems (including Windows 7) have been bedeviled with this persistent bug concerning folder views and sizes. There is no known easy fix that seems to work 100% of the time.


A comment on the "Type" necessity, sometimes when you have files in a folder of various types it is handy to be able to sort them by type, but that is just my opinion.

See if these give you any ideas.

Remember Folder Settings (FINALLY Works!)

http://www.thewinforums.com/threads/17799-resolved-Remember-Folder-Settings-(FINALLY-Works!)

IE new window maximizer

http://www.jiisoft.com/iemaximizer/Default.aspx

AutoSizer 1.71

http://www.brothersoft.com/autosizer-7437.html

Window Features
"This overview discusses features of windows such as window types, states, size, and position".

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms632599(VS.85).aspx

 

[jsteph]

linney,
Thanks so much!
The "key" key in your first link is:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\All Folders\Shell]
"FolderType"="NotSpecified"

That's the setting that lets me always show 'Details' view, and doesn't squirt perfume at me when a file's text contains the word "perfume" in the next folder I navigate to.

The File Dialog boxes still retain the Type column which I'd removed, but I can live with that.

And yes, I do occasionally sort by Type; my issue with that was twofold:
First that it took up space in the File Dialog when my use of File Dialogs almost always require the DateModified to be the column most important.

And second, if I create a file and put a dummy extension, say .asfdas, all the Type column does is say ASFDAS File--as if Microsoft actually "knows" something about that file type. I just find that condescending, misleading, and just...well..."Microsofty". And I always unclick the 'hide extenstions' and have convinced our hardware/config people to image all new machines with that setting.
--Jim