OT - (sort of) windows file managment

[Scott P]

A couple of weeks ago my motherboard fried. Not a catastrophy, but after the repair, something happened to my file display preferences that I can't seem to fix. :confused: (the mobo, CPU, and memory were replaced)

This is Windows XP, the same o/s that was previously installed. The work was done by the local PC guru that has always done a good job in the past.

Previously files would default to sort by name and numerically be sorted with single digit numbers first, then double digits, then triples, etc. So a list would default to display like this:

00
01
02
03
001
002
003
0001
0002
0003

you get the picture.

Now they are all jumbled and are not sorted by date either. If I click "sort by name" they all come up looking more like this:

00
01
001
0001
02
002
0002
03
003
0003

How can change this back to the way it was? I had a system working for me and now I can't find anything!! :mad::mad:

Thanks!
Scott

[CurtZHP]

Would telling Windows Explorer to list them according to when they were created help?

[Scott P]

It might, but I can't even find that. I thought I knew how to make those changes, but I can't seem to find them. :confused:

I would really like for it to behave like it used to though. :D

Scott

[DominicPerry]

A couple of weeks ago my motherboard fried. Not a catastrophy, but after the repair, something happened to my file display preferences that I can't seem to fix. :confused: (the mobo, CPU, and memory were replaced)

This is Windows XP, the same o/s that was previously installed. The work was done by the local PC guru that has always done a good job in the past.

Previously files would default to sort by name and numerically be sorted with single digit numbers first, then double digits, then triples, etc. So a list would default to display like this:

00
01
02
03
001
002
003
0001
0002
0003

you get the picture.

Now they are all jumbled and are not sorted by date either. If I click "sort by name" they all come up looking more like this:

00
01
001
0001
02
002
0002
03
003
0003

How can change this back to the way it was? I had a system working for me and now I can't find anything!! :mad::mad:

Thanks!
Scott

This is normal 'sort by name' behaviour, so you must have chosen some whacky setting before - I have no idea what yet. Still looking.

I, personally, wouldn't trust a Windows OS install once I'd changed my hardware to that extent. I would be looking to save my data and do a reinstall. Perhaps XP is better behaved, but in the past I've had machines that look like they are running fine with a new MoBo and then suddenly BSD due to the lack of a driver and never return. Don't want to scare you - if you've been running a long time or can't face a reinstall, I understand, but make sure you have a backup of your data, just in case.

Dominic

[RobertV]

One sort order is treating the field as numeric (integer) the other alpha, could be a setting in the local (windows) preferences somewhere!

Best of luck...
Robert V.

[jcgriggs]

Instructions for changing the sort order for filenames in Windoze:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/319827

Hope this helps...

Regards,
John

[Scott P]

Instructions for changing the sort order for filenames in Windoze:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/319827

Hope this helps...

Regards,
John

I haven't tried it yet, but this looks like it will fix it.

Many thanks!!! :D:D
Scott