Auto Arrange

[Retired]

I've got a couple of folders on my desktop and I want to be able to arrange
the icons in those folders to my own liking. However if I try to move
anything, it just pops back like "auto arrange" does on the desktop.
However, on the desktop you can turn it off. Is there a way of turning it
off inside folders?

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

I've got a couple of folders on my desktop and I want to be able to arrange
the icons in those folders to my own liking. However if I try to move
anything, it just pops back like "auto arrange" does on the desktop.
However, on the desktop you can turn it off. Is there a way of turning it
off inside folders?

I doubt it. You can change the sort order - by date, size, filename, and
possibly other things (click on the column headings - a second click
reverses the order. I'm not sure about column headings when you're
displaying icons rather than details) - but I don't think you can do it
arbitrarily, unless someone else knows otherwise. I think the desktop is
a special case.

 

[Zaphod Beeblebrox]

I've got a couple of folders on my desktop and I want to be able to
arrange
the icons in those folders to my own liking. However if I try to
move
anything, it just pops back like "auto arrange" does on the desktop.
However, on the desktop you can turn it off. Is there a way of
turning it
off inside folders?

In XP at least (I don't have a Windows 7 machine handy for testing
these days), you can change the folder to view the contents as icons,
and once you do so you can move the icons around and place them
however you like.

 

[Bruce Hagen]

I've got a couple of folders on my desktop and I want to be able to
arrange
the icons in those folders to my own liking. However if I try to move
anything, it just pops back like "auto arrange" does on the desktop.
However, on the desktop you can turn it off. Is there a way of turning
it
off inside folders?

The developers removed the Auto-Arrange option in Windows 7. Either of
these third party fixes will add it back so you can disable it. I have
never tried this on the Desktop though as that is a very unsafe place to
have folders located.

How to Disable Auto Arrange in Folders in Windows 7? - The Winhelponline
Blog
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/disable-auto-arrange-folders-windows-7/

Windows 7 - Windows Explorer Auto Arrange - Disable
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/92758-windows-explorer-auto-arrange-disable.html

 

[Char Jackson]

The developers removed the Auto-Arrange option in Windows 7. Either of
these third party fixes will add it back so you can disable it. I have
never tried this on the Desktop though as that is a very unsafe place to
have folders located.

I think you've mentioned and explained this before, but I don't
remember the details so I'd like to ask again. Why do you say that the
Desktop is a very unsafe place to locate folders?

 

[Ken Blake]

I think you've mentioned and explained this before, but I don't
remember the details so I'd like to ask again. Why do you say that the
Desktop is a very unsafe place to locate folders?

I'm not Bruce, but since I agree with him, I'll throw in my reason why
I think it's an unsafe place to store anything but shortcuts:

Since most of what's on the desktop are shortcuts, and shortcuts can
easily be recreated if necessary, it's easy to accidentally delete
something on the desktop thing it's just a shortcut.

 

[Char Jackson]

I'm not Bruce, but since I agree with him, I'll throw in my reason why
I think it's an unsafe place to store anything but shortcuts:

Since most of what's on the desktop are shortcuts, and shortcuts can
easily be recreated if necessary, it's easy to accidentally delete
something on the desktop thing it's just a shortcut.

Good enough, thanks. My first thought is that it's crazy to think of
the Desktop as an unsafe place, (and in my own case I actually do
think it's crazy), but then if I look at it through the eyes of some
of my customers I can totally see the point. Some of them delete
critical system files regardless of where they are on the drive, so in
some cases there is no safe place, period.

 

[Ken Blake]

Good enough, thanks. My first thought is that it's crazy to think of
the Desktop as an unsafe place, (and in my own case I actually do
think it's crazy), but then if I look at it through the eyes of some
of my customers I can totally see the point. Some of them delete
critical system files regardless of where they are on the drive, so in
some cases there is no safe place, period.

You're welcome. Glad to help.

It's certainly true that there is no completely safe place, but it's
also true that some places are safer than others, and that's what
should guide us in making choices.

Also, although I understand your point about customers rather than
yourself, it's also true that even the best of us have our good days
and our bad days. It's very easy to make such a mistake when we're
tired, have drunk too much, had a fight with your spouse, and so on.

 

[Boscoe]

You're welcome. Glad to help.

It's certainly true that there is no completely safe place, but it's
also true that some places are safer than others, and that's what
should guide us in making choices.

Also, although I understand your point about customers rather than
yourself, it's also true that even the best of us have our good days
and our bad days. It's very easy to make such a mistake when we're
tired, have drunk too much, had a fight with your spouse, and so on.

Unless you're very unlucky, deleted files remain intact, though the
space that they occupy is marked as free. Provided you don’t wait too
long there’s a fair chance they can be recovered with freeware programs
like Restoration and Recuva to name but two.

 

[Ken Blake]

Unless you're very unlucky, deleted files remain intact, though the
space that they occupy is marked as free.

Yes, of course. I know that very well. First, they go into the Recycle
bin. *But* ...

1. The file may be too large for the recycle bin.

2. They stay in the recycle bin until you empty it.

Provided you don’t wait too
long there’s a fair chance they can be recovered with freeware programs
like Restoration and Recuva to name but two.

Yes, that's also true. But the operative words are "fair chance."
Waiting too long can easily happen. My point was not that files other
than shortcuts on the desktop will always be lost forever if you
delete them, but that putting them there rather than elsewhere creates
a larger risk of losing them forever. Running that risk is foolhardy.

 

[Ken Blake]

Yes, of course. I know that very well. First, they go into the Recycle
bin. *But* ...

1. The file may be too large for the recycle bin.

2. They stay in the recycle bin until you empty it.

And I forgot to add...

3. You may have shift-deleted it.

 

[J. P. Gilliver (John)]

[]

I think you've mentioned and explained this before, but I don't
remember the details so I'd like to ask again. Why do you say that the
Desktop is a very unsafe place to locate folders?

I'm not Bruce, but since I agree with him, I'll throw in my reason why
I think it's an unsafe place to store anything but shortcuts:

Since most of what's on the desktop are shortcuts, and shortcuts can
easily be recreated if necessary, it's easy to accidentally delete
something on the desktop thing it's just a shortcut.

Good enough, thanks. My first thought is that it's crazy to think of
the Desktop as an unsafe place, (and in my own case I actually do
think it's crazy), but then if I look at it through the eyes of some
of my customers I can totally see the point. Some of them delete
critical system files regardless of where they are on the drive, so in
some cases there is no safe place, period.

In an environment where you have a "roaming profile", i. e. you can log
on to any PC in the workplace and your "profile" is loaded from a
"profile server", having actual files - especially large ones - on the
desktop, rather than shortcuts to the files, can make your profile take
longer to load (and save when you log out). In the home environment,
this is less relevant, though I still have a "gut feeling" it's not a
good idea to keep any file much larger than a shortcut on the desktop.
(I think it still makes something about the PC booting take longer, but
I can't justify that thought.)

 

[Char Jackson]

[]
I think you've mentioned and explained this before, but I don't
remember the details so I'd like to ask again. Why do you say that the
Desktop is a very unsafe place to locate folders?


I'm not Bruce, but since I agree with him, I'll throw in my reason why
I think it's an unsafe place to store anything but shortcuts:

Since most of what's on the desktop are shortcuts, and shortcuts can
easily be recreated if necessary, it's easy to accidentally delete
something on the desktop thing it's just a shortcut.

Good enough, thanks. My first thought is that it's crazy to think of
the Desktop as an unsafe place, (and in my own case I actually do
think it's crazy), but then if I look at it through the eyes of some
of my customers I can totally see the point. Some of them delete
critical system files regardless of where they are on the drive, so in
some cases there is no safe place, period.

In an environment where you have a "roaming profile", i. e. you can log
on to any PC in the workplace and your "profile" is loaded from a
"profile server", having actual files - especially large ones - on the
desktop, rather than shortcuts to the files, can make your profile take
longer to load (and save when you log out). In the home environment,
this is less relevant, though I still have a "gut feeling" it's not a
good idea to keep any file much larger than a shortcut on the desktop.
(I think it still makes something about the PC booting take longer, but
I can't justify that thought.)

It actually irks me a bit that I sort of agreed with Ken that the
Desktop is a less safe place to store files, (I wish we had simply
agreed to disagree), but I suppose I shouldn't go back and change that
now. I really don't think the Desktop is any different from anywhere
else when it comes to storing files, safety-wise or boot-wise. As for
roaming profiles, as you say, that doesn't apply to home users.
Regarding boot time, back in the Win 3.x days I remember warnings that
configuring an image to be used as wallpaper would require a few extra
seconds at boot time, but these days we have so much extra computing
power available it isn't funny, so loading an image (or enumerating a
few hundred fonts, for example) is no longer a significant event.

 

[Bob I]

And I forgot to add...

3. You may have shift-deleted it.

4. You exceed the specified size of the Recycle Bin with the current
deletion and flush some other files.

 

[Johnbee]

Surely the snags with storing files on the desktop is that it gets full and
cluttered and it is best to have on the desktop only things you click on a
lot. Also it means that you tend to have to sort stuff on the desktop
often.
However the desktop is an excellent place to store files resulting from a
download Save As choice, temporarily so you can immediately put them where
you want them, and an excellent place to put files you want to include as
attachments to email.

Windows 7 is very good at getting storage info wrong and putting stuff in
weird places and the search facility is crap and cant find stuff and is crap
at telling you where they are even if it does find them on try #3. I know
people on here get snotty if the slightest question arises about Windows 7
so I will give an example from 10 minutes ago. I decided to copy a
directory of files from c: to an external drive, and while it was copying I
noticed that it was giving an erroneous message about where it was copying
from. (I know this is a bug but MS will never admit bugs though it is OK
at correcting them).

Another point I noticed and will mention. If you right click on the desktop
and select View, one of the options on the menu is auto arrange. I haven't
a clue what it does but I mention it because someone said it wasn't there.

I find that I have to sort the desktop icons by name, size and type to get
them how I like them.

Sorry not to include any bits of message - this is a general comment about
the whole thread.

 

[Char Jackson]

Surely the snags with storing files on the desktop is that it gets full and
cluttered

Not really. Regardless of where you store files, it's the same easy
procedure to create folders and drag files into them. I see no
inherent reason to let the desktop get cluttered.

and it is best to have on the desktop only things you click on a
lot. Also it means that you tend to have to sort stuff on the desktop
often.

I disagree, for the reasons mentioned above. On my own systems, the
desktop only has the 2 or 3 default icons, but I see no reason why a
person couldn't use the desktop for temp, semi-perm, and permanent
storage if they desire.

However the desktop is an excellent place to store files resulting from a
download Save As choice, temporarily so you can immediately put them where
you want them, and an excellent place to put files you want to include as
attachments to email.

I assume you're saying that because most people have no problem
finding their desktop, while some of those same people get easily
confused if expected to drill into a directory (folder) hierarchy.

Windows 7 is very good at getting storage info wrong and putting stuff in
weird places and the search facility is crap and cant find stuff and is crap
at telling you where they are even if it does find them on try #3. I know

I think most would disagree with you on those points.

people on here get snotty if the slightest question arises about Windows 7
so I will give an example from 10 minutes ago. I decided to copy a
directory of files from c: to an external drive, and while it was copying I
noticed that it was giving an erroneous message about where it was copying
from. (I know this is a bug but MS will never admit bugs though it is OK
at correcting them).

Do you remember the details? The example doesn't tell us very much
without the specifics.

 

[Retired]

In XP at least (I don't have a Windows 7 machine handy for testing
these days), you can change the folder to view the contents as icons,
and once you do so you can move the icons around and place them
however you like.

Yep. I dual boot XP and Windows 7. I'm trying to get my folders in Windows
7 acting like they do in XP.

 

[Retired]

I'm not Bruce, but since I agree with him, I'll throw in my reason why
I think it's an unsafe place to store anything but shortcuts:

Since most of what's on the desktop are shortcuts, and shortcuts can
easily be recreated if necessary, it's easy to accidentally delete
something on the desktop thing it's just a shortcut.

Actually, my desktop folders contain shortcuts. A for instance would be a
"security" folder which contain shortcuts to MBAM, SAS, Avira, HiJackThis,
and other such related items. I also have a folder with internet shortcuts
that I like to be able to group wich isn't possible with auto arrange.

I have customers with Music and Picture folders on their desktops that
contain the actual files. That, of course is a big no no. They could lose
it all in one accidental move.

 

[Retired]

And I forgot to add...

3. You may have shift-deleted it.

Or have the recycle bin disabled like I do.

 

[Retired]

The developers removed the Auto-Arrange option in Windows 7. Either of
these third party fixes will add it back so you can disable it. I have
never tried this on the Desktop though as that is a very unsafe place
to have folders located.

How to Disable Auto Arrange in Folders in Windows 7? - The
Winhelponline Blog
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/disable-auto-arrange-folders-windows-
7/

Windows 7 - Windows Explorer Auto Arrange - Disable
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/92758-windows-explorer-auto-arrang
e-disable.html

Thanks. That's what I was looking for! Haven't tried it yet but it looks
promising. Next time I boot back into Windows 7 I'll give it a whirl.