Since Vista uses different templates for folder types (All Files, Documents, Pic/Music, etc), when you click “Apply current folder settings to all”, it only applies current folder settings to other folders using the same template. So, if you’re applying an “All Files” file folder template, it’ll skip over the view change on Pic/Music folders.

So, you have to go to your root-drive (EG: C:\), select each folder, right-click for Properties, then click the “Customize” tab (if it has one … if not, then either the folders are hard-set system folders, or all are already using the same template…not sure). You can then select the folder-type template, and check the box “apply to all subfolders”. If the “Apply” button comes up, then sure enough you have some rogue folder cruising around in there using some different format. If “Apply” stays grayed out, just click “OK”, since more than likely all the folders/subfolders are using the same template.

Once you do this, you then have to pick a file folder again, go back to the “Organize Folders” option, and do the “apply current folder view to all”. That way it’ll catch any of those lame, rogue pic/music folders that just converted to “All Files” folder template.

Personally, I think this little sub-discussion just highlights why Vista is such a pain in the butt. It’s more stable and has more bells/whistles, but it’s the biggest pain in the butt to do minor things like this in it. This is a testament to the programmers having more control over how the UI was designed then the UI team. The programmers got to add more features, but they took things everyone already knows (like setting up default folder views), added in layers of complexity, then disassociated how to set it all up by making you dig into 2 totally different areas (”organize folder” option & the folder “properties”) to change things that impact the SAME thing…folder views!

Vista is not bad, but the UI execution sure leaves a lot to be desired. It’s the 21st century. No matter how complex software is, good User Interfaces should make it intuitive by grouping like-minded activities together or using Wizards to step folks though complex tasks (which this has annoyingly turned into).

http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h207/sakingsmore/Palin.jpg

For this to be most effective, you should set it while viewing the top most folder, like the root of your C:\ drive for instance, if you want to apply the default to every folder below.

Also, Stacking can be changed by double clicking on the arrow that shows-up on the column header as you mouse over it… so just mouse over the column header as if you were going to adjust the sort, look for the little arrow, double click on the arrow, then deselect which ever Stacks are setup.

Good luck. Nice post to the author!!