So for some reason, my file dialogs began to sort by last modified date instead of by name like it used to. I mean right when the file dialog popped open, it’s sorting order was last modified date or something to that effect. I can manually change it back to sort by name, but that got tedious whenever I wanted to search for files. This appeared in both every save and open file dialogs. I sent a email to the Shell Team discussion list and they weren’t of much help. They claimed there wasn’t really any way to change the default sorting order of a file dialog. I even tried resetting all my folder display settings, but that didn’t work.
I actually did some research a month ago trying to fix this problem. I mean if I can change it, I should be able to change it back right? Even with my “1337” searching skills, I came up empty handed. However, I guess I was searching with the wrong keywords, but I swear, I tried searching with the same keywords again: sort order file dialog, and this time it showed up near the top of the 1st page. It was actually a forum post that linked to this site: Fix Sort Order. It was apparently a easy registry fix! But the way it is fixed is pretty obscured. From the .reg file:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
“ShellState”=hex:24,00,00,00,33,80,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,01,00,00,00,0d,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00
My registry entry showed:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\
Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer]
“ShellState”=hex:24,00,00,00,33,88,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,01,\
00,00,00,01,00,00,00,0d,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,02,00,00,00
I’m not sure how my registry got changed there, but this did fix it, although it required a log off.
It also changed my start menu from xp mode to classic mode, so I’m guessing one of those numbers there is the start menu mode, while the other is the file dialog default sort order. Guess you can feel free to play around with it if you’re brave enough.
For those who get stuck in this situation, I hope this helps!
Random Crap:
Call Center (direct download) (from MS newsgroup) – A hilarious video about what really happens when you call for technical or customer support. Don’t ever trust them when they ask you to hold. To watch the movie if you downloaded it from the direct link, you’ll need a .flv (flash video) player; not required if you view through their website. I’d suggest FLV Player, since that’s the one I use. You can visit their homepage for more information. At first I didn’t get the ending scene, but after rewatching it a few times, I remember where the fat kid showed up.
Boston Dynamics – BigDog (from MS newsgroups) – The Most Advanced Quadruped Robot on Earth
BigDog is the alpha male of the Boston Dynamics family of robots. It is a quadruped robot that walks, runs, and climbs on rough terrain and carries heavy loads. BigDog is powered by a gasoline engine that drives a hydraulic actuation system. BigDog’s legs are articulated like an animal’s, and have compliant elements that absorb shock and recycle energy from one step to the next. BigDog is the size of a large dog or small mule, measuring 1 meter long, 0.7 meters tall and 75 kg weight. Click here to download the video. The video is actually pretty freaky. I just keep imaging those 4 legs as real legs by the way they move.
Windows Live Local – Virtual Earth Technology (from MS newsgroups) –What is the Technology Preview? Windows Live Local Technology Preview demonstrates our work-in-progress thinking about a rich immersive experience in mapping that also explores local information. … Walk, Drive, Race – in Street-Side Views A fun little project which lets you drive through the streets of Seattle and San Francisco in a race car, sports car, or pedestrian mode. The interface needs a bit of work (even in IE6 and IE7), but it was able to distract me from work for a couple minutes. The arrow buttons is for basic manueverability; the shift button allows you to strafe; and the +/- buttons allow you to zoom in and zoom out. The poster mention to try to go the wrong way down a 1-way street. You should see for yourself what happens.