Folder size area...

[SilverAdder]

Im having a problem with windows explorer in Windows XP. more specifically the folders when moving files and folders around. When moving files around in the folders view, to the left in a window, I first drag the file from a folder and then out in the folder list. The folder that the mouse is hovering over is marked in blue suggesting that the file will end up in this folder. However, there is a huge margin around the folders, meaning that you can drag the mouse almost halfway onto another folder before it turns blue. This would be fine, if the file always ended up in the folder that was blue. But it doesn't. If the cursor is outside the blue area the file ends up in the folder under the cursor even though it isn't marked in blue. You can see an example in the image below (danish O/S). The folder "ImageFileNameWizard" is marked in blue but the cursor is over the folder "mdAxel". In this situation the file would end up in the "mdAxel" folder rather than "ImageFileNameWizard" even though its marked in blue.

What i was wondering is if there is any way to change this margin? Or if you guys had any ideas as to what to do instead?

[mcb2001]

well, i dont actually see the problem, since its just a mather of being sure you have the cursor over the right folder, and not relying that much on what the window shows.

But a few suggestions.

1. Be sure when you drag em, you release em WHEN the selection becomes clear - that is, when it turns blue, release, dont move the mouse!

2. Be sure that you dont do it too fast, since using 1-2 seconds more on each transfer is a small price to pay, when the transfer alone might take up to a minute or more, and considering you could end up doing it wrong 1 out of 10, and making it up to 1/10 times the average transfer time times two (move em twice).

About making the selected area another size, is another story.

Thats a part of the windows core (a .dll file located somewhere in the system folder) doing this, so that aint something you could change that easy - as far as i am conserned.

Hope this can help a bit.

[SilverAdder]

I was mostly just wondering. I work at a company where photographers take loads of photos and move them around a lot and they complain that the files don't end up where they place them. People with little or no computer skills beyond office and the work they do here and they sort of expect that windows can compensate for their lack of ability or concentration. So i figured that if ther ewas some easy solution i could do it and i might get some peace and quiet.

[mcb2001]

Jeg svarer lige på dansk.

Hvorfor får du ikke folk til at åbne mapperne i explorer (almindelig mappevisning) i stedet for i stifinder, da dette kan afhjælpe hele problematiken.

Så har du hver af mapperne i hver sit vindue, lidt dårligere overblik, men det bliver man ret hurtigt fortroligt med, og holder overblikket.

Men som sagt, stifinder og alle dele er kerne filer i filsystemet.

[SilverAdder]

Der er mange mapper at holde styr på og at åbne hver enkelt når man arbejder på over 30 tager meget lang tid og er meget uoverskueligt. Og så ville de bare klage over det i stedet. Det skulle helst være det bedste af to verdner.

[andsome]

I always drag what I want to transfer until the pointer is actually right over the box that I want to drag it to before releasing it, and can honestly say that I NEVER have anything ending up in the wrong place.

[SilverAdder]

I havent ever experienced it either. I didn't even know it was a problem untill they pointed it out to me. But they use this great tree structure and they just drag the mouse up and down in the blank area untill the folder they want it in lights up blue. But yeah, i just told them to move the mouse over the text of the folder, that way they were certain. But then thats a problem because it takes longer and all sorts of stuff. Doesn't matter, was just wondering. It would be the easiest way to make them quiet without any sort of weapon...

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

I don't know if this is possible, but I will do some investigating. I actually have experienced the same problem many times, especially when moving or copying items to folders on other computers, sometimes located at the other side of the planet. It 'looks' like the target folder is selected (blue), you let the mouse-click go, and the blue selection moves one folder up or down. Or sometimes it doesn't move, the stuff just ends up in the wrong folder.

I will let you know what I find.

[andsome]

As I said, I have found it foolproof when I take the pointer right over the folder icon, and NOT just to the blue area.

[SilverAdder]

I actually have experienced the same problem many times, especially when moving or copying items to folders on other computers.

That is exactly the same problem we have. When you are working on 20-30 folders with more than a hundred files in each, misplacing one or two or ten can go completely unnoticed when you move thousands every day. And that completely breaks with the point of having the files in a central location since you can't find them anyway. So if you could find some way of fixing it it would be a great help.

As I said, I have found it foolproof when I take the pointer right over the folder icon, and NOT just to the blue area.

Yes me too, but it can actually be a problem for people with little or no experience. Its not just one person but the whole department that is experiencing this. So if there was some sort of fix it would be a great help. Also, it is a stupid and annoying "feature" seeing as how it actively misinforms you.

[ɹəuəllıʍ ʇɐb]

As I said, I have found it foolproof when I take the pointer right over the folder icon, and NOT just to the blue area.

That is sometimes difficult when moving to remote locations; the mouse pointer does not react smoothly - it may hang here and there, and when you get finally to the target folder, people (like me) just let it go.

I have looked around if the right pane of Windows Explorer can be improved, but didn't find anything. I found that Vista seems to give much more flexibility to users, but on XP you pretty much get what you have.

Let's hope someone else has some ideas, or perhaps a 3rd-party tool that may work better in this situation.