Explorer Columns

[Michael]

Hello all,

In Windows 7, if you open Computer, then open a network drive there's Name, Date Modified, Type and Size by default. If I right click this bar and select 'More...' and select 'Filename' - how can I do this either via GPO or GPP in 2008 R2?

There's Folder Options in GPP, but it doesn't seem to cover available columns in explorer. Many thanks!

[Michael]

Does anyone have any ideas on this? I can't seem to find any discussions on the net, other than displaying 'Creator Owner' instead of the Filename. Essentially the question is the same, how can you deploy this kind of setting?

[ruddj]

At a guess you will need to deploy it out as a GPP registry setting rather than using Folder Options.
Use something like sysinternals Process Monitor to identify registry setting it changes and then deploy that out.

[Steve21]

At a guess you will need to deploy it out as a GPP registry setting rather than using Folder Options.
Use something like sysinternals Process Monitor to identify registry setting it changes and then deploy that out.

It's under HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell for server 08/Windows etc, (think XP is diff) only problem doing it that way is it's done per folder. One folder with a setting doesn't change the rest of them.

So if it's one/two folders that way is good, but guessing you'd like more @Michael ?

Steve

[Michael]

It's just for year group folders, I don't need it for all folders. 7/2008 R2 have a habbit of renaming all the folders as 'My Documents', but enabling 'Filename' on the year group folders would allow teachers to view which pupil it belongs to.

I'll investigate that registry entry thanks. From what you're saying, I'd just need a registry entry per folder?

[Michael]

I took a reg export before and after I manually added the 'Filename' column in 4 folders/directories. Using a file comparison tool, I then found the following differences:

Before:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU\0\10]
"MRUListEx"=hex:01,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,ff,ff,ff,ff

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\410\Shell\{5C4F28B5-F869-4E84-8E60-F11DB97C5CC7}]
"ColInfo"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,fd,df,df,fd,10,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,04,00,00,00,18,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,\
  1a,10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0a,00,00,00,10,01,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,\
  10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0e,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,\
  a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,04,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,a5,\
  f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0c,00,00,00,50,00,00,00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\411\Shell\{5C4F28B5-F869-4E84-8E60-F11DB97C5CC7}]
"ColInfo"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,fd,df,df,fd,10,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,04,00,00,00,18,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,\
  1a,10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0a,00,00,00,10,01,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,\
  10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0e,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,\
  a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,04,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,a5,\
  f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0c,00,00,00,50,00,00,00

After:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU\0\10]
"MRUListEx"=hex:00,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,01,00,00,00,02,00,00,00,ff,ff,ff,ff

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\410\Shell\{5C4F28B5-F869-4E84-8E60-F11DB97C5CC7}]
"ColInfo"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,fd,df,df,fd,10,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,18,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,\
  1a,10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0a,00,00,00,10,01,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,\
  10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0e,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,\
  a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,04,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,a5,\
  f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0c,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,e0,5a,cf,41,5a,f7,06,48,bd,87,\
  59,c7,d9,24,8e,b9,64,00,00,00,c0,00,00,00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags\411\Shell\{5C4F28B5-F869-4E84-8E60-F11DB97C5CC7}]
"ColInfo"=hex:00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,fd,df,df,fd,10,\
  00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,05,00,00,00,18,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,\
  1a,10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0a,00,00,00,10,01,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,\
  10,a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0e,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,\
  a5,f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,04,00,00,00,78,00,00,00,30,f1,25,b7,ef,47,1a,10,a5,\
  f1,02,60,8c,9e,eb,ac,0c,00,00,00,50,00,00,00,e0,5a,cf,41,5a,f7,06,48,bd,87,\
  59,c7,d9,24,8e,b9,64,00,00,00,c0,00,00,00

When I manually run each file, it doesn't change the Explorer columns, so there must be settings made elsewhere.

[ruddj]

It's just for year group folders, I don't need it for all folders. 7/2008 R2 have a habbit of renaming all the folders as 'My Documents', but enabling 'Filename' on the year group folders would allow teachers to view which pupil it belongs to.

This is an entirely different issue that there are multiple threads about. It does not rename the folders, just changes how it displays them. Their are a few different ways to solve it.
Windows 7 Gotchas/Tips/FYI
Home folder shows as "Documents" instead of folder name
Windows 7 renamed our user network folders to my documents

[Michael]

Each of those examples involves doing something with desktop.ini. If I can't find an automated way to display the 'Filename' column, I'll probably just create a guide, so users who need it can enable it themselves.