Fixing column widths in Windows XP Explorer's "List view"

Bard

Okay, here's the thing... I look at my Windows folders (like most people, I imagine) in "List view". Thing is, the column width in List view is dependent on the length of the folder names, and I've some fairly long folder names, so they get quite wide, meaning a lot of wasted screen space and a lot of scrolling to find what I want.

As detailed on Microsoft's support site, here, I can change the column width by clicking [View (Menu)] -> [Choose Details] then entering an amount of pixels (200 in my case) in the Width box at the bottom. Hit [OK] and it works.

Thing is, it's only a temporary thing - this new setting only stays there until I navigate away from that folder. When I go back to it, it's back to the wider columns again.

Anyway, getting to the point of this post - I'd like to change Explorer so that my new column width setting can be permanent... I've searched, but found nothing helpful. Does anyone know if this is possible?

Lazarus2.0

In Windows Explorer open any folder and apply your preferred view ( I prefer thumbs tbh but that's beside the point) . Now click Tools/Folder Options.../View and in the top panel (Folder Views) click Apply To All Folders and then click Apply at the bottom of the dialogue box .

Bard

Yeah, that actually doesn't work. Again, as soon as I navigate away and navigate back to the folder, the wider columns return.

SouthpawGuy

Have you tried Microsofts' Tweak UI ?
Haven't tried it myself but it might do what you require.

Available from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Bard

Thanks for that but no, there's nothing in TweakUI that does what I'm looking for. It seems to be a common glitch in Windows itself, that it doesn't save this setting... which is annoying. Surely there's some way to fix it...

SouthpawGuy

Check out this link:

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/folderviews.htm

Looks like a registry tweak along with Tweak UI may help.

Bard

Hmm... yeah, I know that should work... but doesn't, unfortunately.

I don't get it.

oneweb

Bard wrote: »

Yeah, that actually doesn't work. Again, as soon as I navigate away and navigate back to the folder, the wider columns return.

Have you tried closing all explorer windows as soon as you've hit "Apply to all"? You should only have one window open when setting.

Simplicity

In the tools folder options bit...scroll down and untick Remember each folders view settings....

Then apply to all?

Bard

Nope, none of this worked. It still sets the column width back to suit the longest file/folder name as soon as I navigate away from/back to the folder I made the changes in.

Bah!

Sherifu

There may be some registry hack for this. It's something I wrestled with in the past but didn't find a solution at the time.

SouthpawGuy

Here's a fix ....

Set the folder view to "details"
[Choose Details] then entering an amount of pixels (200) in the Width box at the bottom.
Untick "size", "type", "date modified" and click "OK"

Then go to tools > folder options > view > "apply to all folders" , click "yes" when prompted, and then click "OK"

By doing this you are basically customising the "detail" view.

Hope this helps.

Capt'n Midnight

would it have anything to do with an autoformat setting somewhere
unlikely to be autoarrange on desktop

it's a standalone PC is it , just in case someting in AD is overriding it

Bard

It's a standalone PC, yes.

And it's the List view I want to do it in, SouthpawGuy -not Details.

Thanks anyway!