Change DEFAULT VIEW in explorer?

It's supposed to do that anyway.

In Folder Options; View, make sure Remember each folders settings is checked.  After you have set all folders to your preferred default, you can modify individual ones as required.

JohnT

Generally, if you set a folder view, it will remain that view for that folder.
I believe the easiest way is to change the look of all folders using the "Set All Folders Like Current One", then go to every "special" folder that you need another view for and change its view to whatever you'd like. Most chances the view will be kept.

Windows Explorer Opens in My Documents!

This is very annoying!!

The simplest method is to open Explorer with the [windows] + E keystroke, and exlorer will open with "My computer selected" and all drives and folders minimised.

OR

Navigate through the start menu to Explorer, and right click it and select properties
on the "Shortcut" tab the target should look like %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe to change the default opening view try the following.

"My Computer" highlighted in left side with all drives visible but not expanded and C: highlighted in right side: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,c:

Desktop highlighted and nothing expanded: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/n,/select,/root,c:

All drives visible and the system drive highlighted and expanded in full screen: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select

All drives visible and the system drive expanded in small screen: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,%systemroot%

Only Windows Directory visible highlighted and expanded: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,%systemroot%

All drives visible but only C: highlighted and expanded: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /e,c:

Nothing expanded and My Computer highlighted in right side: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe /n,/e,/select,

Opens the Windows folder as a folder: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %systemroot%

Opens as "My Computer": %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %systemroot%,

This opens the Desktop folder with "My Computer" highlighted: %SystemRoot%\explorer.exe %systemroot%,/select,

"Desktop" highlighted in the left side and no drives visible:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D},/select

"My Computer" highlighted in left side and all drives visible but none expanded:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/root,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

"Desktop" in left side highlighted and "My Computer" highlighted in right side and no drives visible:
%systemroot%\explorer.exe /e,/select,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}

Credit to theeldergeek and jslater27 for the above.

*****Links*****

HOW TO: Customize the Windows Explorer Views in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;307856

Yes Pete, very good.

What's it got to do with the author's question? ;-)

LOL

JohnT

jthow

bah its too early on a saturday morning for me - and ive only had two coffees and three tabs :( sorry boys'n'girls Im in "CLOWN MODE" this morning

Pete

Hmmmm.....maybe i'm unclear on the EE concept but I thought you guys were supposed to educate *me*!

Explorer has 2 display modes:

<> Default View where all rt panes are shown w/ large icons (the kindergarten view in keeping w/ M$'s opinion of it's customers) unless a folder is configured to show an alternate view.  If an alternate view is selected then that folder's new view mode will be remembered in the registry (up to 100 or 300 (?)views) and it will be shown as configured when Explorer is restarted.

<> "Set All Folders Like Current One" mode where *all* folders are shown in the selected view mode. The Registry now has to remember only *one* view mode for all folders. Now it is possible to change any specific folder to show a different mode but that mode only lasts for the duration of the session. When Explorer is restarted *all* folders are once again shown in the "preferred" view.

What I want is 90-95% of my folders to display in the Detail View (for adults) and the other 5-10% to be individually configured to other views.  My current choices are:

(1) Leave at Default View and individually configure *all* my folders *individually* to the view state that I like (shouldn't take me more that 1 or 2 weeks) or

(2) Set it to "All Folders Like This" w/ Detail view and then curse every time I switch to a folder that i'd like to be displayed differently or

(3) Use a non M$ filer manager (like Tracker - http://www.trackerv3.com/ ) - which is what i'm doing now.

So, does *anyone* know how Explorer remembers it's Default View mode. Is it hardcoded or is it in the Registry?  

laffin_boy

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Computers help us do stupid things faster.
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As far as I know, each folder with user specified settings has a file called *** desktop.ini *** where the view settings are defined.
They are hidden in a special way.
To see them, use the search function.


1. set your default view and press button "like current folder"
2. set the individual views for you picture folders (every of these then gets a file called destop.ini)

Well, if we had a video connection now you could see how red my face is....
(Guess it serves me right for being snarky)

Thanks JohnT for persevering and coming up w/ the clearest explanation.

So has this behavior changed (w/ a Service Pack, etc) or am I just a victim of my own confusion?

laffin_boy    

Don't think it's changed - I'm on SP4 and I've had Details as my default view since I installed W2K SP1.  Otherwise 'No comment...!

JohnT