Does anyone notice the Windows Explorer problems?
Just what is the problem with Microsoft fixing Windows Explorer once and for all? If Explorer is fixed, a very huge number of XP users (including me) who're holding back will happily migrate to Windows 7. Here's a roundup of all issues with Windows Explorer in the RTM release (which I've also listed in Wikipedia): All of these are must-fix issues, without these I can't even consider migrating to Windows 7 from XP.
1. Let's say I delete some files. Now if I go to the Recycle Bin, I can't select more than 1 file and see its Properties. The "Properties" menu item is there but it's broken, that is, it does nothing. I'd have used details view to see sizes however it only lists sizes in KB, not in MB or GB.
2. Icons of 16-bit EXEs are not shown because Microsoft self-declared this to be a trivial feature.
3. "Display simple folder view" option which showed dotted lines connecting folders and which auto expanded and collapsed folders by 1-click is gone. Please bring it back.
4. You can't set ACLs/permissions on more than 1 file because if you select more than 1 file and see their properties, there is no security tab!! Please fix it.
5. Of all the possible shell extension handlers, only IColumnProvider is missing/deprecated because of which column handler shell extensions are not working since Vista. This is unacceptable. Please support IColumnProvider..column handlers can be turned off by default on SMB paths/networks to prevent performance impact.
6. Neither the details pane nor the status bar shows free disk space, size of files in a folder without selection, zone/location. This issue is perhaps the single most annoying and most requested fix from users I've seen for Windows Explorer.
7. Viewing sizes of more than 15 files is very problematic UI-wise, please make it more simple by always showing sizes instead of requiring users to click "Show more details".
8. The keyboard shortcut Alt+Enter is broken in the left pane/navigation pane of Windows Explorer. The most minor fix Microsoft refuses to fix. This is important because users can navigate folders quickly only using the left pane and calculate sizes by quickly pressing Alt+Enter. If using the right pane, users have to come out of that folder by pressing Alt+Up or back to do an Alt+Enter on the parent folder.
9. Making autosort/autorefresh optional/configurable so users stop getting annoyed when working with large number of files. Because of autosort, I'm getting this error when I create a new folder, quickly type a name and press Enter:
http://rapidshare.com/files/263939305/ShellFailOS.png
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/4103/shellfailos.png
10. All folders under Libraries and a particular library always share the same view. If I set the view of a folder inside the Videos library to "extra large icons", my entire Videos library and all folders included in it change to the same view. This is unintuitive, please fix this to per-folder view like XP.
11. The navigation/left pane has a bug where if you scroll all the way down in the left pane and then use the keyboard arrow keys to expand a folder in the left pane, it'll scroll up again. Why does the OS not respect the user's scrolling?
12. The "Sort by" bar should appear for any view. It was most intuitive to sort by 1 click.
13. The sort order should be consistent, each category like size, data modified, name should have a consistent sort order. Currently, sort of name sort in ascending order, some other column sorts in descending order.
14. Clicking in the left/navigation pane but outside the folder name, that is, clicking to the left of the folder on the white space in the navigation pane selects the folder however it doesn't show its contents. As a result, I've sometimes lost some other files thinking that was the folder I had selected.
15. The Open/Save dialogs require too much scrolling in the left pane and Favorites are not static/pinned like Vista or XP.
16. The Open/Save common dialogs (new ones which use libraries) don't always remember their views like Explorer does now in Windows 7.Windows shell team if it's listening, please understand that file management is still the most important thing users do in an OS and with their data (pictures, music, videos, documents). Windows Explorer issues need to be fixed, especially because Windows XP Explorer has had none of these issues.
Anonymuos- Moved byCarey FrischMVP, ModeratorMonday, August 10, 2009 3:32 PMMoved to proper category (From:Windows 7 Miscellaneous)
- Edited byAnonymuos Monday, August 10, 2009 3:22 PMLess sensational title.
All Replies
- Perfect. I ve been asking for Windows Explorer to be fixed since Vista.
It was a very good tool in Windows XP, now it looks like a bad joke.
And to add to the list:
17. Windows Explorer toolbar is not customizable anymore. It was much better in Windows XP, where user could add or remove the features wanted.
18. The list view now have a BIZARRE bug. If one file in the last column in the right can´t have its entire name to be displayed in the screen, any click in ANY file of that column makes the column to "automagically" move itself to the left, maybe trying to display the entire name of the file. But, once it´s done, the file the user clicked, that was just below the mouse cursor now moved to the left. This BUG even prevents the user to double click ANY file if it is in the last column in the right of windows explorer (with any file that don´t fit the size) because in the millisecound between the first and the secound click, the column already moved, the file is not below the mouse anymore, and the end result is not a double click in the wanted file, but instead, a single click in the file in the same line in the next column for the right, OR, if it doesn´t exist, the user ends with a click in a white area of explorer that de-selects the file the user wanted to double click. ANNOYING! - Agree 101%. Alas only if they would listen. I've given up hope but still +1. More people should vote on this. Explorer is a piece of ~!#% in Windows 7. Very slow navigation too and my mouse pointer in the RC constantly changes from busy to spinning to normal to busy while browsing in and out of folders. I have a sufficiently fast laptop purchased in September 2008.
- I hate to trumpet it again, especially since explorer-replacement mode in it is in need of a fix before I can really recommend it for Windows 7, but Director Opus is a great windows explorer replacement for Vista, and will eventually be one for 7 as well. I use it on all of my machines. It puts the power user aspect back into file management.
The explorer in Vista/7 is sad. - This may seem like subtle issues to some users, but for other users that do use these features, it's extremely annoying! I have read good reviews and was about to order a copy of Pro edition but thought I better try it out first.
I am really glad I did not order it! Same thing happened when Vista came out. I tested it and had issues with wifi and .eml files, and now same mistake has been repeated.
I will definitely hold out on the migration on the 12 PCs in the office until these "little" issues are fixed. I am glad XP Pro is still doing what it's suppose to do. Our PCs have been upgraded 4 times since 2001 and we're still on XP Pro that we purchased in 2001! One thing I must admit while trying out Windows 7, it's much better than Vista. Hopefully SP1 for Win7 will fix these issues!
