Windows Vista - Stop changing my folder view based on file types

One of the most annoying things about Vista for me is the way it constantly tries to "guess" what kinds of files are in a folder and then change how windows explorer displays the contents of the folder.

This is especially annoying since I tend to use the "Details" view in windows explorer.

There is a really simple application that can fix this problem right up for you though...

You can control this setting on a folder by folder basis, and there is also a simple little registry hack that can make vista stop guessing what kinds of files are in your folder and attempting to "help" by screwing up your view settings. This and more is described in some detail over at HowToGeek.

But if you, like me, would rather have a simple tool to do the trick, go get ExplorerView. It is a simple little app that can toggle about 4 different settings for you.

As for this "feature"... I sure hope it gets axed in Windows 7. It is about the dumbest-ass idea I've seen to date for the WIndows Explorer UI (and there have been a LOT of dumb-ass ideas in that area before). Why would anyone assume that I'd want the format of an entire "list" of files to change just because "some" of those files are videos or music files?

How that makes any sense at all is beyond me!

What is most annoying is the lack of any obvious way to change that behavior or control it directly in the Windows Exporer UI. Sure... there is a sort of option to fix it for a specific folder, but the option is buried in the options in such a counter-intuative way that they may as well have just not bothered to put in the configuration option for it at all.

TicketDesk 1.2 Stable Release

I've just published the stable release for TicketDesk 1.2 over on CodePlex!

This release took much longer than I'd hoped, but it does significantly improve on the previous release in nearly every functioinal area.

TicketDesk is an open source help desk issue tracking system. Unlike many similar products, TicketDesk strives for simplicity for both end users and help desk staff.   

New in this release:

• New Ticket Viewer/Editor
  • Rich Text Editor for comments and ticket details
  • Improved Work-Flow for resolved, closed, and more-info tickets
  • Smoother UI
• Improved TicketCenter
  
  • Multi-Column sorting
  • Better Filtering
  • Remembers view settings between sessions
  • Improved performance
• Improved Attachment Handling
  • Upload multiple attachments
  • Upload attachments for new tickets
  • Attachment Description field
  • Ability to add comments with uploading attachments
• New Email Notification System
  
  • History and Activity stored in DB
  • Intelligently cuts spam when multiple updates occur rapidly
  • Automatic retry for failed deliveries
• Customizable RSS feeds
• Advanced error logging with ELMAH

TicketDesk 1.2 Alpha Release

I'm please to announce that the next major release of the TicketDesk Help Desk Issue Tracking and Support System is on track for a Mid-February release.

I've already put an alpha version of the new release on CodePlex while I wrap up a few loose ends and finish up some cross-browser testing..

TicketDesk is an open source help desk issue tracking system. Unlike many similar products, TicketDesk strives for simplicity for both end users and help desk staff.  

TicketDesk 1.2 is a significant upgrade over the 1.1 release from last spring with numerous improvements in nearly every part of the system. For a list of the major new features please visit the What's New section over at CodePlex.