Windows Explorer Patch

annoyances.org

Default Folder Template Patch

Intended For Windows Vista only

Windows Vista has a bug that prevents it from choosing the correct view for a folder based on its contents, which is why you may see thumbnails when they're not appropriate, and no thumbnails when they're needed. The following patch stops Vista from trying to guess how to display a folder, instead forcing it to use the template of your choice.

1. Download ResetExplorer.exe (119 kb) and save it to your desktop. (Don't worry... there's no adware, malware, or spyware here; this tool just deletes some unimportant cache data from your Registry. Thereafter, Windows Explorer will recreate the data as needed.)

2. Double-click the ResetExplorer.exe file to reset your saved Windows Explorer view settings. (Feel free to delete ResetExplorer.exe when you're done with it, or keep it around for future use.)

3. Next, download ChooseTemplate.reg and save it to your desktop.

4. Double-click the ChooseTemplate.reg file to add a new option to Windows Explorer (shown below). When prompted, answer Continue, Yes, and then OK. (You may delete the ChooseTemplate.reg file when you're done.)

5. Open Windows Explorer, and from the Organize drop-down, select Folder and Search Options.

6. Choose the View tab, and from the Default Folder Template option, choose one of the templates to be the default for all your folders:
   

7. Thereafter, Windows Explorer will use your preferred view settings every time unless you manually change the template for a folder.

8. To choose a new template for a folder or branch, right-click the folder, select Properties, choose the Customize tab, and select the desired template from the What kind of folder do you want? box.