I spend a lot of my time switching between folders in Windows explorer and the Windows 7 explorer has been driving me nuts lately.
Win7 (or at least the build I have) by default does not auto expand the tree view when you navigate between folders.
The result being you don’t see the usually tree hierarchy on the left pane. Which makes it quite painful if you want to go up a few levels or see the other parent folders.
Luckily there is a new Folder Option called Navigation Pane to switch them back on again. You need to press Alt + T or Organize –> Folder Search Options in Windows Explorer to get to the dialog. 
Switch both of them on and viola I get my beloved tree view back.
PS- Most of my UW colleagues use other explorers and didn’t have to feel this pain.
Thankyou, that is great!
I have had two weeks of putting up with that horrible Explorer feature in Windows 7.
Windows Annoyances – don't you just love them.
DeafLama
ahhhh thank you!!!! i also felt the pain
hell yes. thank you.
Thank you thank you thank you!!!! This was driving me buggy, thanks for helping me to fix it!
thanks for the tip, will also check out cubic explorer. I want to add that organising files in a treelike structure has been around for ages and ages, longer than Micro$oft. It is essential. For M$ to hide visual access to the most basic navigation of your own data is arrogant beyond belief, or at least would be beyond belief if the company was not M$. On a sidenote I completely HATE the new 'ribbon' in M$ office and will stick to OOo from here on. Samme arrogance there. Some of us actually uses the keyboard for navigation….
Thanks you so much!!!
I hate that Win7 has removed or hidden all the useful features and custom tailored the entire OS to people who only use their PCs for Office and web surfing.
Maybe you have delayed my switch to Linux a few weeks but I fear that it is inevitable.
Thanks again.
Thank you very much, I was also annoyed by this new File Explorer… I have win7 home pre installed in laptop….
Somebody would now about other EXPLORER PROGRAM for windows that we could use??!! Instead of the formal one. thank you in advance.
Carlomagn0
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If its common it might be difficult to get, however, be creative and you can usually find something.
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Thank you, thank you ! ! ! Can't tell you how many hours I've spent trying to figure out how to do this. I'm truly grateful for this tip.
thanks dude. this helps alot, that windows 7 feature is driving me nuts
Been using Windows for 20 odd years now, and so often when you upgrade from one OS to the next it is like having to learn a new language. It seems that they try to make things more stream-lined with increasingly more of the 'classic view' features being hidden away of removed. Presumably they think this simplifies things, but to me it just makes them much much harder and slower. I mean I've just upgraded from XP to W7, and having a default of no Menu Bar or Folder Tree, or even User Directory is insane. The default alternatives offered of Burn, Share, Libraries, Downloads etc… I have nil immidiate interest in any of these things.
Thx for the tip!
p.s. Seriously considering installing a classic shell to end this battle of unfamiliarity
Lifesaver! Thank you
Brilliant! Not having the folder tree was driving me insane. Thanks!
I finally went back to XP because of this new Windows Explorer frustration.
I have installed Win 7 now – twice. Got so frustrated with it have returned to XP – also twice. The way they have burried evrything you want to access under layers of camouflage may be fine for Users who never have to work with Files, Folders or Control Panels. For those of us who have to work with them – Win 7 is a shining example of how Ms has lost the plot.
I removed the Libraries feature thru a registry hack. Things looked better but files then started dissappearing or going to Folders I neither wanted or specified. Ran a Google search for Problems with Win 7 Windows Explorer and got 111,000,000 hits. That says it all.
Apart from these problems – also find Win 7 MUCH SLOWER than XP.
Sticking with XP now while I seriously consider migrating to Macs.
thanks just the way i like it
many thks to u
thanks
Thanks Merrill this has been driving me crazy too- Vista screwed this up, and Win7 made it even harder, and just because of this detail, I've avoided updating my own laptop from Vista, and seriously considered going back to XP- which once unsupported, would have driven me to take the time to try another OS.
I've just spent an hour screwing with this, trying to make it easy for my kids to download songs and sync to Ipod, and find them again- and teach them how, and I am on the third iteration doing same for my wife = a very smart hard working professional who is as frustrated as I am- so I would respectfully submit, theres a representative sample of other customers you are losing, because you all are living in your own self-referential bubble up there in Redmond, drinking your own bathwater.
I am taking the time to post, just to honor the others here who have taken the time to help me, and in support- I am lending my voice to them,
and as I usually dont take time to speak up in forums, this will be the only one, so I hope some one in M$ is is out there, who agrees, and can send it to someone there who gives a $hit, and can think back to when you all remembered there was this thing called, the customer…
I agree, this is just another example of the clueless arrogance of some “smarter than you” tech type, paired with some eager young product manager trying to sell a new feature or a new product… too much of that out there in the tech world, and maybe now the bubble mentality is over, and money has stopped chasing the next thing,
maybe M$ will be reminded its about helping make things easier, not harder…
I swear to god, I am about to go back to a manual typewriter… just kidding.
I am not a MS basher or tech guy- just someone who has learned how to use computers at work since 8086 days,
and since I am busy trying to do my job, and I dont need the latest whizbang coolest thing, I just want to git-r-done, doing what worked before-
I see that thank god, I am not some caveman too stoopid to figure things out…
and theres lots more like me out there, so thanks for taking the time to reply…you all, here, and thanks again Merrill for the tip.
MSOFT: I dont have time to waste trying to figure out basic functionality, that worked fine, thats been “improved” so much I cant find it, or use it.
So, here's a tip: when you rollout a new product, feature, upgrade, whatever-
have some respect for the time of your customers-
leave the default option, as is- ie, let it open the way it worked before- and if what you offer is truly so great- then we'll all take the time to check it out- I promise, and if its remarkably better- I'll use it, and be your biggest fan, and change.
But as it stands right now, I've delayed upgrading to Win 7 on my work laptop, even though I;d REALLY like to have the kids using media more- XBOX media machine and all that,
just because of simple annoyances like this-
I really really really dont have time, to waste, being the tech consultant here in the house, just to learn whatever I am afraid I am going to find, that I need to do, afterwards, because of how you have improved my life, and now I have to spend hours relearning the basics,
just to get my own work done, because of your brilliant improvements.
I see theres a whole lot of network admin types on here, or others who have to serve customers, like students, employees, all who have lost hours and hours of productivity, as a result…I wonder if theres anyone on your Board of Directors who might see that concept….hmmm, the Seagate guy….
Lessee, scrolling thru the M$ home site, looking for the word “customer” – a way to send you a message…
hmm, nope, nope…lots of self-referential stuff, though (“bathwater”)….
ahhh- heres an actual guy- and a number…
maybe he will get it….
Waggener Edstrom Worldwide
Bellevue
(425) 638-7000
Wagener- I am leaving you a voice mail,
blah blah blah press 2 to leave a message in the general box..
ok, lets see what happens.
thanks again, y'all- Happy Turkey Day!
Kevin
========
Waggner-
As an example of learning curve time wasting- since I am not tied to a large corp, I have the ability to try new things- to save time and KISS
so, to do that, I took a chance on Open Office, and not looking back…
Please dont make me take the time to change my OS- learn Ubuntu or whatever the best is there…
or buy a new box, just to get my work done.
I keep hearing from business friends that theres enough programs that keep it simple on Mac- I know my wife and kids will like the media…
it doesnt take too many wasted hours, and $$$ lost to pay for that…
I think the MBA speak for that is “opportunity cost”.
if there is anyone still there in Redmond – maybe some gray-haired old crank like me, who can remember there's this little thing called- “the customer”, you will, and take the time to listen….
thanks, great tip.
hey.. thanks a lot. I was wondering whether it was a bug in windows 7. got the solution from your post. thanks once again
This is great…now can we get back our “up” navigation button?!?
Thank you – this has been driving me nuts. Exactly the fix I was looking for!
huge sigh of relief – thanks.
win7 jumping to the bottom of the tree when expanding a file was very frustrating.
Am I reading correctly that there is no way to get Windows 7 Explorer to expand directories in the right pane when we move the cursor over a directory in the Navigation Pane?
tks just did it here! It was very annoying to me either. Tks!!
This may help my confusion as well. But really my problem is that on the left I see at least 3 desktop’s. When I’m trying to save a file, I send it to the desktop first, to make sure it’s on my PC, but then finding the right desktop it was sent to, is very bewildering. More confusion is that I also have Virtual XP on my 7 and I can’t find that on 7′s Window’s Explorer, or should I expect it? I also have trouble moving files between 7 and V-XP. No one seems to have that solution. Can anyone help with these 3 troubles???
Well… this is better, still not good. I liked those little lines showing direct relationships of folders within a tree.
Unrelated: I detest icons. If anyone can tell me how to make them all go away, I will nominate them to the I Hate Windows 7 Hall of Fame
I just sighed in relief after 2 months of pain. I’m not trying to be dramatic but it felt like a headache that just released – /sigh. Anyway, Thanks for the tip! Much appreciated!
PS – the use of “Micro$oft” or “M$” is neither clever or original. If you ever have the desire to write something like this again, please bonk yourself on the noggin and refrain or roll a mac, pay twice as much, but be content just knowing it came in a pretty white box.
Thank you. Windows 7 does seem to hide a lot of things!
Yep… that does the trick… Maybe this Windows7 is better after all… Hummm..
–
Sergio
many thanks!
People under 20 absolutely love Windows 7 and go on and on about how XP is outdated and MS doesn’t support it so it sucks. All the benchmarks show XP is faster and more stable. It also lets you do more things.
I never update Windows if I can help it anyway. The generally accepted knowledge for drivers and the like is if it’s not broken don’t update it. The exception is to software level programs which you should be running, such as an AV and Firewall among other things. People that are too cheap or to dumb to take care of their security think built in OS features are a safer, but of course anybody with a brain knows that isn’t the case.
Even in terms of browsers, IE still has the largest usage but is by far the least secure. It doesn’t matter how many patches MS puts out, it is just bad architecture and too big of a target.
MS latest plan appears to be to remove graphics features for newer games. They are really pushing for DX11 and turn off the features for DX9 for newer games to get people to “upgrade.” If you don’t game I’m not sure why you’d want 7.
I have been unable to find a 64 bit edition of XP Pro SP3. I don’t really see the point of it though, as most programs are designed for x86 architecture and there is really no reason for anybody to have more than 4 gigs of RAM. So I’ll stick with my 32 bit XP Pro which I use for my new builds, as hardware manufacturers and VGAs all have drivers for XP still and continue to support their products. Maybe by Windows 8 I’ll need to scrap my entire build and start over…But I’m giving it a good 5-6 years on my current rig.
thanks for the info, it was very annoying not to show folder tree automatically
It helped me to see all users folder
Use the ‘Backspace’ key to go ‘up’ – same as XP
Thanks a lot, I was also facing the same problem , and I googled and found the answer in this website.
Best Regards,
Shaj Thomas from United Arab Emirates
Thank you! I tried a Mac and it had a terrible explorer. Then switched back to PC but accidentally “upgraded” to Win 7. Looks like they tried to make the Win 7 Explorer more like a Mac, and it’s not a good thing.
This info is really helped me.. thanks a lot..
thanks for sharing… have been looking for this feature for long.
This worked perfectly, Thank You ~!!
thanks for the tip. i much prefer past defaults on windows explorer but otherwise enjoy windows 7.
OMG, thank you so much!
Thanx mate! Always good to see that other people are trying to fix the mess that Microsoft creates. It seems to me thay are changing things just for the sake of changing.
Thanks again!
I am distressed to say that I’ve just been “upgraded???? ” to win 7 because can’t seem to get a retrofit to xp and the lack of windows explorer (most intelligent user’s basic feature) is horrible. Don’t call the mess taht they have in win 7 “windows explorer”. I think after 20 years of defending the PC, I’ve met my match. Here I come Mac!
I got frustrated with Windows 7 as well. So I bought a MacBook Pro. It’s amazing how Apple has all of these frustrations figured out already, plus so many more user friendly improvements!
i have a new dell inspiron laptop, with windows 7 home premium. i cannot locate explorer on this machine, nor can i find documents and settings. much more complicated than xp.
thanks very much for any help u can provide.
Thank you so much for the tip. Works exactly as you say. Why they dumb down windows like this beats me. “Make it easier” translates into “Hide the features”.
Once again, thanks a million – I was getting so annoyed at not being able to find thinks because Windows was hiding the tree.
Yes yes thank you.