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Question: XP view settings w/ removeable drives.


gsandan

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Is XP supossed to remember the folder view settings (detail, thumbnail, list, etc.) for a removeable drive like a USB thumbdrive? I can't get XP to remember that I want to view the thumbdrive in a detail format. Is this a bug with my system or is it like that by default? Thanks. I have a customized version of XP too, did I do something?

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see if this helps:

from http://www.tweakxp.com/article140004.aspx

Win XP forgets my folder view settings. Is there a fix?

How to fix this annoying problem:

By default, Windows XP will remember the view settings for the 400 most recently used folders. After that, XP will begin overwriting the data of the oldest folder, and its view setting will be lost. The information is stored in the registry by two keys:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

and

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam

These keys can be modified to make XP remember more folder settings.

Open Windows Explorer and go to Tools--Folder Options--View--Advanced Settings. Ensure that "Remember each folder's view settings" is checked.

Open Regedit and go to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell. Right-click on "Shell", then follow to New--Key--DWORD Value. Name this item "BagMRU Size" (without quotation marks, but with a space between BagMRU and Size). Double-click BagMRU Size, give it a Decimal value of 2000, then click OK.

 

Now go to HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\ShellNoRoam. Create another BagMRU Size DWORD Value for "ShellNoRoam". Again, give it a Decimal value of 2000, then click OK.         

You will have two "BagMRU Size" values equal to 0x000007d0 (2000).

Close the registry and reboot.

Windows XP will now remember 2000 folder view settings instead of 400

You could also try higher values if you are a power user, I use 8000 instead of 2000. 

Always remember to back up your registry.  You should only consider editing the registry if you are comfortable with it.

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I've tried that already. I'm just wondering if XP is capable of remembering folder view settings for removeable drives such as USB flash tumbnail drives. I made a custom install of XP and was wondering if I removed something vital to this feature if there is a feature. So, will XP remember folder view settings for my USB drive? Thanks.

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  • 3 years later...

I have the same problem and this is the only mention I can find anywhere online of this problem.

I ordered a new usb flash drive and plugged it into my laptop running xp and it wouldn't "remember each folder's view settings", even though that option was selected under folder options. My portable usb disc drive remembers them just fine. So I figured it must be something wrong with the drive. I looked all over and spent several hours trying to fix it. Nothing worked. Then I tried it on my desktop computer at work, along with 2 other usb flash drives with the same results. My current guess is that it must be something with xp that it just won't remember usb flash drive's folder view settings.

It would be great if someone could post more info on this so we could find out for sure what exactly is going on here and if there's a fix. I've been looking for some kind of executable file or something that I could dump on the drive that would allow xp to remember the view settings, but i haven't come up with anything yet. If anyone else could post more info on this, that'd be great. Thanks.

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I also have this problem for a long time and try much different things.

But now i saw this topic and know im not the only one with this problem what gives me hope to search and try again.

and now...

I FINALLY FOUND THE SOLUTION!!! :w00t:

When you make a local disk from your usb flash drive windows xp remember the view settings.

Here is how you do it:

http://www.lancelhoff.com/make-windows-see...-as-local-disk/

Sorry for my very bad English :blushing:

Edited by erik09
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I also have this problem for a long time and try much different things.

But now i saw this topic and know im not the only one with this problem what gives me hope to search and try again.

and now...

I FINALLY FOUND THE SOLUTION!!! :w00t:

When you make a local disk from your usb flash drive windows xp remember the view settings.

Here is how you do it:

http://www.lancelhoff.com/make-windows-see...-as-local-disk/

Sorry for my very bad English :blushing:

Thanks Erik! Your English is fine. I tried this and it worked great :). But now how do I safely remove it?

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  • 3 years later...

I think I found the answer! :thumbup

Have been looking everywhere since getting a new laptop w/XP recently and this was frustrating, knowing I keep my folder views on flash drives on the office laptop which is also running XP. Every place I searched talked about that fool 400 folder limit in the registry and I knew that had nothing to do with it - since I hadn't opened but a dozen folders. All C:\ drive folders were fine, but on the flash drive, even after changing the view to details, if I went to another folder on the flash drive and back to the one I changed the view on, it still went back to system default. Erik's post above re: local drive was a clue. I believe XP may be keeping the setting by drive type, and if you pick "apply to all folders" while in your C: drive, it may only set for local drives.

1) Try setting from Desktop first. Open in Windows Explorer (I don't use My Computer) - and select Desktop, then Tools/Folder Options. Change your general and folder view settings as desired (I want details, don't hide anything) and hit the Apply to All Folderrs button, then OK.

Check your flash drive. If it didn't keep the settings, try going to My Computer and under the View dropdown, expand 'Arrange Icons by' and un-check 'Show in Groups', change your view etc, then try procedure above again, by going to Win Explorer, selecting Desktop in Explorer, then modify the folder options and click 'Apply to all folders' again.

I actually changed the 'show in groups' setting on My Computer first, then fixed the folder options when having Desktop selected. But I don't think the 'arrange icons' setting is really relevant. I think setting the folder view / apply to all when having Desktop selected is the key.

It is keeping my flash drive settings just fine. I even went back into My Computer and changed the arrange icons setting back to 'show in groups' again (which it's keeping), and still my flash drive is showing 'Details' in folder view. woohoo.

p.s. the flash drive is still a removable drive (I did NOT make it a local drive as Erik suggested). And I still use the 'Safely remove hardware' feature to stop the drive and then remove it. I also put in another flash drive after stopping/removing the first one, and the folder view settings remain.

Obviously, you need to select the 'remember each folders settings' still, and the 400 folder limit may still come in to play at some point (not an issue for me to date). And you can then go on to modify settings on certain other folders - for instance in Control Panel - I have to see that in Icons - I can't view that in 'Details' view...

Edited by 01fxdl
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