Registry patch for file-open dialog box

Have you already seen this article?:

How to view file list in detail mode permanently (WXP-Pro):
http://www.pctools.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-33793.html

It suggests doing this:

The following registry tweak should solve the problem: Back up these keys first.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell NoRoam\BagMRU
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell NoRoam\Bags
Delete the BagMRU & Bags keys respectively, reboot and then reset your View settings.

There is this other article as well...

http://www.windowskb.com/Uwe/Forum.aspx/windowsxp/188464/Windows-Explorer-Doesn-t-Remember-Views

It has an interesting part...
"... Plus if you hold down control and click close while in a file folder it also
updates
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer
Shellstate=

This is mainly setting irrelevent things except it holds the global sort,
which all the others override. But File Open dialog boxes only use this
setting, so it basically only affects sorting in File Open dialogs. But it
seems that sometimes an earlier windows versions setting get written here
and other settings then aren't saved

typedef struct {
   BOOL fShowAllObjects:1;
   BOOL fShowExtensions:1;
   BOOL fNoConfirmRecycle:1;
   BOOL fShowSysFiles:1;
   BOOL fShowCompColor:1;
   BOOL fDoubleClickInWebView:1;
   BOOL fDesktopHTML:1;
   BOOL fWin95Classic:1;
   BOOL fDontPrettyPath:1;
   BOOL fShowAttribCol:1;
   BOOL fMapNetDrvBtn:1;
   BOOL fShowInfoTip:1;
   BOOL fHideIcons:1;
   BOOL fWebView:1;
   BOOL fFilter:1;
   BOOL fShowSuperHidden:1;
   BOOL fNoNetCrawling:1;
   DWORD dwWin95Unused;
   UINT uWin95Unused;
   LONG lParamSort;
   int iSortDirection;
   UINT version;
   UINT uNotUsed;
   BOOL fSepProcess:1;
   BOOL fStartPanelOn:1;
   BOOL fShowStartPage:1;
   UINT fSpareFlags:13;
} SHELLSTATE, *LPSHSHELLSTATE;
..."

I am going to try these things on a virtual machine and come back in a few moments...

Well, I had no luck with my tests. I will think about it and let you know.

Are you sure you are not thinking of settings in windows explorer -- i.e. explore.exe?

I know the BagMRU and Bags settings affect how explorer.exe displays files.  That is not the problem, as I already have explorer.exe coming up correctly, with tree on left, and in detail mode.  I tried the Click-Close on the dialog box, and it changes nothing.

To get the dialog box I am talking about, open an application, like Mozilla or Firefox, and choose -- file, open file --  the dialog box that comes up, THAT is the one I am talking about.

That link you found is full of useful info, some of which I will repeat here, for others in the future.  First, these links are relevant to the problem --

http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_get_the_file_save_or_file_open_dialogs_to_show_details_by_default.html

http://www.netcult.ch/elmue/ElmueSoft-en.htm  -- search his site for MultiEnhancer
(the above German site is chock full of great programs -- I will try some, and probably MutiEnhancer  -- it is not an add on file manager, it patches windows directly to get the dialog box flexible.)

Get MultiEnhancer here -- http://electronix.ch/ptbsync/MultiEnhancer.zip -- the only place that has it.

Also in your link -- http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/showthread/t-116211.html
there is info on the call -- OPENFILENAME -- that info may be relevant too, but no fix is listed for it.

The program Filebox Extender only adds icons for other features, it doesn't change the dialog box defaults.  So it seems like MultiEnhancer is the only known "patch".

However, I also want the folder tree on the left too (otherwise, just details alone is not worth the patch) -- so it appears that no one has gotten that far with the flawed open file / save file dialog boxes.

pablovr -- you certainly spent time researching this problem, as did I, and I will award you for effort, but I thought I might wait till tomorrow to see if anyone else has any ideas.  At least this is the most thorough discussion of the problem so far !!

At least our discussion here has shed more light on the issue than any other article to date.  Thanks for all your work trying to debug it.