Windows7filter: Are there any options under Windows 7 to sort files and folders in explorer without segregation?
February 22, 2012 11:40 PM   Subscribe

I'm looking to sort an entire folder alphabetically by name, but Windows 7 insists on always keeping files and folders separate. There was a solution for XP earlier, but under 7 that option is nowhere to be seen. I'm open to 3rd party file manager solutions, just as long as they don't look like a programmer with ADHD designed it ala.
posted by a. to Computers & Internet (3 answers total) 4 users marked this as a favorite
 
I'm a little confused. Are you ruling out xplorer2 because (a) you can't find this option or (b) you just don't like the look of it?
posted by flabdablet at 12:06 AM on February 23, 2012


Response by poster: Yup (b), it makes my eyes bleed. I'm happier to live in discomfort than in pain :)

Different strokes for different folks etc.
posted by a. at 12:12 AM on February 23, 2012


Yeah, it's pretty rough out of the box. I've just been playing with it a bit, and it's possible to calm it down quite a lot.

Turn off View->Dual Pane for a start unless you like dual-pane file managers. Then turn off all the toolbars under View->Toolbars and turn off Grid lines in detailed mode under Tools->Options->Window. Right-click a column heading and choose "Select columns", then add and remove stuff until all that's left is Name, Modified, Type and Size.

I quite like the look you get with Hilight primary sort column under Tools->Options->Window, and I expect that would be even more use if you're sorting your folders in with your files.

Also, if you've got Windows 7 set to display large text, this thing looks blurry by default. Fix that by right-clicking on the shortcut that launches it, selecting Properties->Compatibility->Change settings for all users and turning on Disable display scaling on high DPI settings.

It's certainly never going to win any beauty contests but you might find that the suggestions above make it tolerable.
posted by flabdablet at 12:49 AM on February 23, 2012


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