Mix folders and files alphabetically in XP Details view?

March 19, 2008 4:06 PM

Mix folders and files alphabetically in XP Details view? I don't want them sorted by name showing folder-names separate from file-names. Mixed was always the default Mac way, which I still crave. After years on XP I still haven't found a way. I've tried various 3rd party multi-pane file managers and did find one to do that, but it costs too much. Also, another freeware manager but it's only single-pane. I want either a simple regedit or a freeware multi-pane manager.
posted by Grand Wahzoo to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

In my 20-odd years of using Windows I've never seen anything for this. If it's really important to you, I'd just hump for the 3rd party file manager or go back to the Mac.
posted by rhizome at 4:52 PM on March 19, 2008

In my 27-odd years of using computers, I HAVE found something that does this. :)
Xplorer² Lite. Free for personal and academic use. Super small. Dual-pane capable. Tools menu ~> Options ~> Folders sorted [as files] gets you folders sorted as files. And keep away from Mac. Seacrest out.
posted by tra at 6:26 PM on March 19, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks, yah, Xplorer² Lite is the freeware I referred to that does it, very nice that way, BUT I cannot figure out how to get 2 panes. It has 'tabs' instead of panes, and after a while of fooling with it I cannot see how to actually view 2 (or more) tabs at once. It seems, like tabbed browsers, that whichever tab is active is all I can see. I've tried having 2 tabs open and then doing a Copy command on a highlighted file. It presented a browse-for-target dialogue.
posted by Grand Wahzoo at 7:36 PM on March 19, 2008

The version of Xplorer2 Lite that I just downloaded (1.7.0.5 LITE) has two panes by default. I don't see tabs, I see a standard + list on the left side, and the right pane is an uber-pane divided in two distinct panes. I can copy between panes as I would expect.

I maxed it to 8 panes by using the Tools menu, then selecting Clone, to spawn 4 separate copies of the program.

Couple that with the Windows trick of CTRL-clicking the taskbar buttons (hold down CTRL then click each button so they are selected simultaneously) for the 4 open windows and right-click "Tile Vertically" for a truly stupendously confusing view of files and folders. I need to clean this computer out. There's too much junk here.
posted by disclaimer at 7:59 PM on March 19, 2008

Response by poster: Whoops, I was wrong there, I'd just been trying out XY - not Xplorer² - and that's the one with tabs instead of panes. I'm using Xplorer² as my file browser, but in *it*, I don't see any "Tools menu ~> Options ~> Folders sorted [as files]". Maybe it's discussed in Advanced (see registry.txt), maybe I'm just too tired to see that at the moment.
posted by Grand Wahzoo at 8:03 PM on March 19, 2008

Best answer: Click on Tools. Click on Options. Select the Window tab. You will then see the Folders sorted dropdown option. Let me know if you need a screenshot to point you in the right direction.
posted by tra at 10:18 PM on March 19, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks, tra, that was it. Somehow my old 'brain' didn't see the dropdown. PEBCAC !
posted by Grand Wahzoo at 12:13 AM on March 20, 2008

So what happened to my final comment? Was it censored for some reason?
posted by tra at 7:05 PM on March 22, 2008