There are two possible ways to proceed. The standard method when Windows gets messed up is always System Restore to a restore point before the problem first appeared.
Note that the operating system will be completely reset to that earlier state, so you may lose installed programs and settings changes since then, but you will normally not lose data. However, it can't hurt to have a backup.
The other method, fixing the error directly, is less certain, but I'll give it a try as well. I don't know any setting that causes a newly opened folder to start up in search mode. What you could try first is to open Windows Explorer and click on Tools, Folder options, second box: Open each folder in the same window. This doesn't exactly solve your problem, but it prevents new folders to be opened in a new window in the first place.
If you now click on OK, then repeat the same procedure, but set it back to what it was, Open each folder in a new window, does this solve the unwanted search problem? If not, we'll have to delve into the registry, but I'll wait for your findings first, if you get to this state at all.
By the way, as anyone can ascertain by inspecting the registry files like systray.reg, these files don't touch any folder settings and cannot possibly cause this problem. This is also supported by the fact that they have been used thousands of times for years without any user reporting any even remotely similar problem.
I had this problem with a Thinkpad T30. A left click would act like a right click. The right click didn't work. This occurred with files in window explorer. Within programs the mouse seemed to function normally. I changed key boards, I changed the hard disk. It wasn't windows as far as I could see.
Did you eventually solve it? How? I must admit that I do suspect a software error within Windows, perhaps a wrong registry setting related to the document type "folder" or "directory".
Thank you for your ideas, but the setting did not solve the problem.
Sadly I don't think I have restore points, and if I have, a rollback will hurt a lot.
But I feel im really near the solution. It may involve the registry, in that case I will need your help, windows gurus.
Here's a screenshot. the OS is in spanish but I'm sure anyone would understand...
I went to the 3rd tab of the folder options, the advanced settings buton. As I said on the first post, the default option was that no option is default, that is, the default "Predeterminado" button was enabled for any action, and no action was in bold. I double checked this in my laptop. I was careful no to touch anything but today I did and I made the winamp option default. As you can see on the bottom left the default option became Enqueue in Winamp, and here is the funny part: I cannot select an option "open" as default. to reset the default option to no default you have to click on a blank space in the list so no item is selected and then click on the default button (yes, that is a really bad interfase). when I switch to no one is default, the default becomes find again.
There are two types of folder files: folder and file folder. The options open and explore belong to the file "folder", but the options seen in the screenshot belongs to the file "file folder", so my guess would be that file folder is a subclass of folder. I can theorise that the problem is the inability to return to the default "no one default". I don't know if im willing to reproduce the problem in my healthy laptop.
I had already foreseen the possibility—we have to delve into the registry.
I suspect that the double occurrence stems from the fact that the same thing was initially known as "directory", but later as "folder". Both registry entries still exist side by side, and somebody must have had a hard time finding different translations into Spanish.
Anyway, the folder open command from my computer is stored in the file folder_open.reg. Check whether this helps. If it doesn't, just delete the "open" key from the registry again.
To inspect the file before use, right-click on the link and elect to save the target to your hard disk. Then open it with a text editor.
By the way, the command key's default value is of the type REG_EXPAND_SZ and contains just one string entry (one line):
Sorry man, I did't understand X'D
If that was a tip for delving into the registry, well, those are unknown waters for me
A detail I forgot:
My Computer, My Documents and Control Panel do have open as default and they can be changed to explore as default as well, so those "magic undeletable folders" are doing fine
Action when double-clicking a folder
Sat, 2008-07-12 08:18 by admin
There are two possible ways to proceed. The standard method when Windows gets messed up is always System Restore to a restore point before the problem first appeared.
Note that the operating system will be completely reset to that earlier state, so you may lose installed programs and settings changes since then, but you will normally not lose data. However, it can't hurt to have a backup.
The other method, fixing the error directly, is less certain, but I'll give it a try as well. I don't know any setting that causes a newly opened folder to start up in search mode. What you could try first is to open Windows Explorer and click on Tools, Folder options, second box: Open each folder in the same window. This doesn't exactly solve your problem, but it prevents new folders to be opened in a new window in the first place.
If you now click on OK, then repeat the same procedure, but set it back to what it was, Open each folder in a new window, does this solve the unwanted search problem? If not, we'll have to delve into the registry, but I'll wait for your findings first, if you get to this state at all.
By the way, as anyone can ascertain by inspecting the registry files like systray.reg, these files don't touch any folder settings and cannot possibly cause this problem. This is also supported by the fact that they have been used thousands of times for years without any user reporting any even remotely similar problem.
Double-click searches folder instead of opening it
Sun, 2008-09-07 03:00 by dajuad
I had this problem with a Thinkpad T30. A left click would act like a right click. The right click didn't work. This occurred with files in window explorer. Within programs the mouse seemed to function normally. I changed key boards, I changed the hard disk. It wasn't windows as far as I could see.
Could you solve the problem?
Sun, 2008-09-07 09:38 by admin
Did you eventually solve it? How? I must admit that I do suspect a software error within Windows, perhaps a wrong registry setting related to the document type "folder" or "directory".
RE: Action when double-clicking a folder
Mon, 2008-07-14 23:41 by Zeta27
Thank you for your ideas, but the setting did not solve the problem.
Sadly I don't think I have restore points, and if I have, a rollback will hurt a lot.
But I feel im really near the solution. It may involve the registry, in that case I will need your help, windows gurus.
Here's a screenshot. the OS is in spanish but I'm sure anyone would understand...
http://img410.imageshack.us/img410/5721/theproblemfo8.jpg
I went to the 3rd tab of the folder options, the advanced settings buton. As I said on the first post, the default option was that no option is default, that is, the default "Predeterminado" button was enabled for any action, and no action was in bold. I double checked this in my laptop. I was careful no to touch anything but today I did and I made the winamp option default. As you can see on the bottom left the default option became Enqueue in Winamp, and here is the funny part: I cannot select an option "open" as default. to reset the default option to no default you have to click on a blank space in the list so no item is selected and then click on the default button (yes, that is a really bad interfase). when I switch to no one is default, the default becomes find again.
There are two types of folder files: folder and file folder. The options open and explore belong to the file "folder", but the options seen in the screenshot belongs to the file "file folder", so my guess would be that file folder is a subclass of folder. I can theorise that the problem is the inability to return to the default "no one default". I don't know if im willing to reproduce the problem in my healthy laptop.
Thank you.
Registry
Tue, 2008-07-15 13:49 by admin
I had already foreseen the possibility—we have to delve into the registry.
I suspect that the double occurrence stems from the fact that the same thing was initially known as "directory", but later as "folder". Both registry entries still exist side by side, and somebody must have had a hard time finding different translations into Spanish.
Anyway, the folder open command from my computer is stored in the file folder_open.reg. Check whether this helps. If it doesn't, just delete the "open" key from the registry again.
To inspect the file before use, right-click on the link and elect to save the target to your hard disk. Then open it with a text editor.
By the way, the command key's default value is of the type REG_EXPAND_SZ and contains just one string entry (one line):
And I don't have a default action on folders.
Sorry man, I did't
Fri, 2008-07-18 15:11 by Zeta27
Sorry man, I did't understand X'D
If that was a tip for delving into the registry, well, those are unknown waters for me
A detail I forgot:
My Computer, My Documents and Control Panel do have open as default and they can be changed to explore as default as well, so those "magic undeletable folders" are doing fine
Did you try?
Fri, 2008-07-18 15:35 by admin
Did you try folder_open.reg? What's the result?
i've just tried
Tue, 2008-07-29 04:27 by Zeta27
i've just tried it...
nothing happened...
Have to give up
Tue, 2008-07-29 06:14 by admin
Hmm, have to give up on this one then. Some Windows problems are intractable, particularly when I cannot see the computer.
If you find a solution, please report it here.