Windows Explorer : Folder Expand behaviour is driving me crazy.

Discussion in 'Windows 7' started by bokeron2008, Aug 7, 2010.

  1. bokeron2008

    bokeron2008 MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2007
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    Hi.

    I'm mad about this sh*t. I hope I can explain it well enough in case you haven't noticed it or you're one of the few fortunate ones who are free from this *designed behavior* or bug.

    In Vista, XP, etc, when you double clicked a folder in the left pane folder tree, it expanded and contracted as we've come to expect from windows.
    Also, the folder we just clicked remained under the mouse pointer, except when the subfolder list was too long. Then, the the whole 'structure' would move upwards to show as much subfolders as possible within the current window size.

    In Windows 7, when I double click (or click over an arrow, for me there's no difference) on a folder ... the folder expands ... but the tree moves DOWNWARDS, therefore displacing the recently clicked folder and its subfolders from under the mouse pointer. And the expanded tree just falls outside of the window limits ...

    This is driving me crazy. Not literally yet, but ...

    There's even a thread (more, actually) at Microsoft forums, and a couple videos someone made explaining the problem at the end (I can't post links yet...) :

    h**p://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/w7files/thread/50a81b05-da98-4d55-821d-55ffbbd0e998

    Has someone else experienced this ... and more important ... has someone found a way to solve this and make the explorer folder expand behave like Vista's ? I've tried a lot of things ... nothing works.

    Some hex edit, some reg hack, something ? Pleassssse :(
     
  2. malvo26

    malvo26 MDL Novice

    Jun 11, 2008
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    Have you tried ClassicShell? It works for me. Google it because I can't post links yet.
     
  3. bokeron2008

    bokeron2008 MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2007
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    #3 bokeron2008, Aug 8, 2010
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2010
    (OP)
    Hi malvo26.

    No I haven't, though I'm considering it, sadly. It's just that I don't like this kind of 3rd party addons or substitutes as they tend to mess things in unsuspected ways so I tend to keep away from them.
    I was thinking more about some registry edit, some resource hacking ... you know, keeping the eggs inside windows basket ... so to speak.

    Anyways... thanks for the reminder.

    Has someone found a way to tame windows explorer for 7 ??



    P.S. OK, I've tried ClassicShell. It mostly works... but only in windows explorer main window. In the open/save dialogs the annoying behavior remains just the same. Damn.
     
  4. jabberwocky

    jabberwocky MDL Member

    Aug 28, 2009
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    quite simple really , open any folder and click on organize , in the general tab in the bottom half, tick the box where it says automatically expand to current folder . exit and your done ,now if you are working in the navigation pane any folder you expand will stay withing the visable window and expand within it .and not dissappear below view .
    sometimes however the box is already ticked ,if that is so try unticking it and restarting ,before restoring the setting.
     
  5. bokeron2008

    bokeron2008 MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2007
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    jabberwocky ... I don't know if this is some language barrier or what .... but that's not what I'm talking about.

    Answer me a question, please. Do the following :

    1. In the left pane (the folder tree) expand a few folders and subfolders so they fill the whole pane and the scroll bars appears.
    2. Now double click on some folder on the upper part of the screen, but it has to be a folder you haven't expanded before when doing the step 1.

    What happens ? Does the folder you clicked stay under your mouse pointer or do they all (folder and now-expanded subfolders) fall to the bottom of the screen ?


    If this isn't clear enough, please follow the link I previously posted and watch the videos...
     
  6. jabberwocky

    jabberwocky MDL Member

    Aug 28, 2009
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    #6 jabberwocky, Aug 8, 2010
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2010
    when I do as you say ,the folder (expandable) opens up the folders inside and the whole segment rises slightly to stay central in the navigation pane ,no matter how many folders I navigate through ,the ones I click on, and folders within rise to stay central hight in the window . none of the folders i click on goes below the base line.
    I dont have a problem with that ....... do you .
    PS .. its the same for me in all of my systems ultimate N , home premium 64bit, home basic N 32bit ,home basic N 64bit .
    edit:: To recap I just booted back and forth from vista to win7 64bit and 32bit versions and the behaviour is the same in both regarding the navigation pane ,at no time in any system do any folders drop to the bottom as discribed. its also the same in normal folder navigation .
     
  7. bokeron2008

    bokeron2008 MDL Novice

    Sep 24, 2007
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    #7 bokeron2008, Aug 8, 2010
    Last edited: Aug 8, 2010
    (OP)
    You describe the normal behavior. That's what I want. But for me, an many people more, when the scroll bar is present in the left pane and we double click in a folder there to expand it ... the folder jumps to the bottom of the left pane ... only the first time you expand it. The second time you do it the folder expands as it should.
    This has never happened in Vista, only in Windows 7.

    Well ... that's the problem, and is not only my problem. Technet (and the whole internet, I guess) is full of users suffering the same ... but it seems it doesn't happen to other people (like you). ClassicShell even has a workaround implemented for it, though it's not definitive.

    Can you please watch the videos posted close to the end of the thread I mentioned in my original post ? It easier to understand it when you see it.
     
  8. Flipp3r

    Flipp3r MDL Expert

    Feb 11, 2009
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    Same here. Folders get expanded but go off screen if there's a large tree structure. I've been trying to get the classic structure in explorer but it's a no go.
    This behaviour is the same on all Windows 7 systems I work on...
    This sh1ts me even when I'm manually installing a device driver, browsing for the driver the folders expand off screen...
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  9. 7_eleven.hell-hole_rider

    Aug 15, 2009
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    #9 7_eleven.hell-hole_rider, Aug 16, 2010
    Last edited: Aug 16, 2010
    @bokeron2008

    Same for me, i nearly went bonkers trying to get it to work as expected.
    Tried to google it... manual reg edits by 'trial & error' close no cigar, even reinstalling won't help.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...
  10. spacednow

    spacednow MDL Member

    Aug 26, 2009
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    Ok, just watched the video and yes, mine does it also. I never noticed before because a single click expands the tree, and then when I click on the folder I want, the folders (or files) in that folder are in the window; so I (myself) see no point in double clicking in the left pane. Just shows that everyone uses there computer differently. I do wish auto arrange could be turned off. And as far as frustration I have the issue (I use list view) that if I see the file (or folder) I want to open on the right side of the window, instead of opening when double clicked, it jumps to the left. I'm learning to move it to the left first, but thats a learning curve.
     
    Stop hovering to collapse... Click to collapse... Hover to expand... Click to expand...