Solved Win XP Folders sort files problem (Screencast video below)

phil22 February 6, 2013 at 13:49:10

✔ Best Answer

If you click on "date modified" or "date created", Windows takes no account of whether it's a file or a folder - it sorts all of them according to the date/time criteria only. You can't have it both ways. If you want all folders together, above the files, date/time criteria must be ignored, so you simply click on the "Name" column. You can't have it in name order and in date order at the same time - impossible.

Derek February 6, 2013 at 15:11:15

Click on "Date Modified" a second time and the folders will sort in reverse order, with the folders at the top as required. Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

Are you sure there is no some registry key that I can change in order to tweak it ?

Derek February 7, 2013 at 07:43:19

Not to my knowledge - it's just built into Windows. Did clicking it twice not achieve what you wanted - it should have put the folders up top and sorted in date/time order? Not much consolation but its far worse with Vista onwards. That darned auto-sort near makes file handling impossible without third party software. Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks

I know that, of course. And about Vista on - there is much I don't like about these OSes, that's why I'm sticking to XP

Derek February 7, 2013 at 10:28:00

I think #2 says it all - Files and Folders are treated the same. This has been the same since Win 9x and is fundamental to the design of Windows. If there was a registry fix for that it would be common knowledge by now.