Submission details
Explorer: always display column headers again (or make it optional)
In the newest builds, the E7 team has removed one of the most useful little feature introduced with Vista: the always active column headers. Even when you are not in the details view, you were able to see and change file sorting and filtering.
I don't know why they have removed this feature. With Win7 focusing more on touch interfaces they should have realized that it's almost impossible to right click with your fingers beside items in Windows Explorer.
Bring this feature back as it was in Vista or make it optional in Explorer's folder view options.
High
High
Not fixed
Discussion (7 comments)
Optional would be best.
Contrary to their data, I use the columns to select between Date Created, Modified and Name, and ascending and descending, almost every time I open a folder.
I don't understand why this is gone, the sort settings are still being used but you can't quickly see what it's sorting on! The people glad to see this feature go seem to think columns shouldn't be shown when the data below isn't being contained within them. But now sorting, stacking, grouping and filtering are slower to get to, and these weren't just used from the details view. The new search bar adds some of the filtering options, but for example, you can't filter names by a range of letters using this method.
The Arrange By Pivot for libraries feels like an odd duplication of the old functionality. It isn't customisable, it's only available for libraries, and interacts oddly with the older stacking and grouping features. If the old methods weren't simple enough, why not simplify it all for all folders, not just libraries.
Win7s changes are interesting but messy and don't feel like an adequate replacement. I'm now forced to use the Details view all the time, which doesn't have the thumbnail previews. I like the idea of libraries but wish Vista's column UI or some equivalent was simply brought forward for folders and libraries rather than this inconsistency.
This feels like a step back to XP
thats microsofts point. many use XP so they want XP users to fell good when upgrading to 7...
This is by far the single most annoying issue I'm facing with Windows 7.
Exploring my files/folders has become an unnecessary chore. I know we lived without it before Vista but now I got so used to it I don't understand why it's gone.
Please bring it back.
Added new image attachment.
Changed problem description.
this is certainly a most vexing issue. using windows 7's windows explorer after windows vista's is excruciatingly difficult.
.Chris wrote on December 11, 2008, 10:52pm
I guess they thought this feature wasnt "cool enough"