Windows Explorer expands folders inappropriately, jumping the folder you expand to the bottom of the navigation pane

Anonymous
2009-10-28T18:12:01+00:00

When using a left-side Navigation pane, if there are enough folders in the navigation pane such that you have a vertical scroll bar, if you click on a folder with the mouse (so as to see the contends in the right pane), then expand the folder (either by clicking on the + symbol or with the arrow key), then the left pane will automatically scroll up as far as it can such that the folder you expanded is still in view at the bottom of the pane. This removes the folder from under your mouse, where it would be expected to stay.

This is certainly a bug, as it only happens the first time you attempt to expand a folder in the manner. After doing it once, you can scroll the navigation (left) pane so that the folder in question is back in the middle of the pane, and it will expand and contract as expected, remaining under the mouse.

Windows for home | Previous Windows versions | Files, folders, and storage

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Anonymous
2011-06-30T22:14:30+00:00

Because many people seem to be interested in this issue, I'll post some info on my recent contact with Microsoft regarding this issue.

It seemed that everywhere this issue was talked about, all anybody would get from a Microsoft employee was a boilerplate "Thanks for your feedback" response. Never was the validity of the issue discussed or even acknowledged. I decided to write an email to the man in charge, Steve Ballmer, clearly laying out the problem with links to a walkthrough of the problem, this discussion, and the bug report with 220 votes (at the time). I realized that Steve would never read it himself, but I figured his email must get auto-forwarded to someone who might actually read it.

Two days later I got an email from an Advocacy Specialist from Microsoft saying a "grace case" has been created and the Windows Escalation Team would get in touch with me. The next day an Escalation Engineer emailed me asking when would be a good time to talk on the phone about the issues. So that he would be completely clear with what I was talking about, I recorded a screencast that walked through precisely what the issue was.

Edit: I've made a more condensed video demonstrating the "folder jump bug", view it here.

The end result of our talking was this:

  1. The engineers are aware of this issue.
  2. They may or may not provide a fix for it.

Nothing groundbreaking, but it's one more little push in the right direction. In my opinion, posting in this thread about the problem is virtually worthless. I would suggest:

  1. Voting up and commenting on the bug here:

http://connect.microsoft.com/WindowsServerFeedback/feedback/details/621426/bug-when-expanding-folders-in-explorer-server-2008-r2-and-windows-7

He said that site is closely monitored by the dev team.

  1. Writing intelligent, profanity-free complaints that mention how the bug negatively affects your everyday file-management workflow. Email these up the Microsoft food chain until you get a response. You are a paying customer and you deserve to be heard.

I got tired of dealing with it, so am now using XYplorer when doing heavy file management. It stings to have to pay for a decent file manager, but that is life. If this issue bothers you at all, please comment and vote on the bug, and write an email.

UPDATE 9/13/11: Bug is still present in Windows 8 Developer Preview, see it here.

UPDATE 1/30/12: Finally we have a public acknowledgment that this is in fact a bug that needs to be addressed, and it will apparently be fixed in the upcoming Windows 8 Beta. This is good news, but I know I will be using Win7 for at least another year or two, as will many, many others. We deserve a patch to fix this issue in Win7. Until that happens, keep bugging Microsoft about it.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This is a real bug with 645! votes on their feedback page, however MS has no plans to fix it for their Windows 7 users. The bug is fixed in Windows 8, which means nothing for a vast number of us who have no plans to upgrade. If this bug really gets under your skin, I suggest installing Classic Shell, which has been recommended a few times in this thread. You can choose to only install the 'Classic Explorer' feature which fixes this bug among others, and even brings back the old File Copy UI which is so nice to have back. I've been using it for many months now without any troubles.

Also, to those of you who think they find a solution to this problem by simply changing a few options settings somewhere... thank you for your desire to help all of us, but you must not be having the same problem, and please don't post your 'solution' here. If you read some of the 29 pages of this thread, you'll see every solution imaginable has been suggested. This is a bug in Explorer itself. If you use Windows 7 and plan to keep using it, your options are 1) use Classic Shell, or 2) use a third party file management tool, such as XYplorer. If you stumble across this thread because you just noticed this bug, please vote up the bug, and do either 1 or 2.

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  1. Anonymous
    2010-11-25T01:48:18+00:00

    Hi, I too was annoyed to the point of searching for a solution and landed on this thread.  I too am disappointed that MS is not listening to users regarding this issue.

    Thanks very much for telling us about Classic Shell (the app, not the GP); it has solved the issue for me and it works great!  I'm normally skeptical of skinning utilities etc., but this one is awesome.

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  2. Anonymous
    2010-11-23T01:29:20+00:00

    Hi Blaqsmith,

     

    Welcome to Microsoft Answers community Forum!

     

    This behavior is by design and is working as intended. If you want to make a suggestion or give feedback on a Microsoft product follow the link below.

    Microsoft Connect

     

    Hope this helps!

     

    Thanks & Regards,

    Supreeth - Microsoft Support.

    Visit ourMicrosoft Answers Feedback Forum

    and let us know what you think.

    i hear tyriq azziz was looking for a job. he seems to have found one at microsoft. a feature? are you kidding me? when your program sticks soembody in the eye its not a feature its a dammned annoying bug and probably responsible for another flock of people running from this idiot operating system. and while i am at it, your search feature has been ruined as well. my god this type of stuff will be taught in the future as what killed microsoft.

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  3. Anonymous
    2010-11-22T13:59:36+00:00

    I recently got Windows 7 and I can't believe that something as annoying and as obviously annoying to any user could be so blantantly ignored.  Makes me want to sell my stock in the company soon if this is the ____ that I'm investing in.

    The thing is, though, your stock isn't a "bet" that MS will make good software. It's a bet that they can sell the s*** they make, and that the majority of their customers can't tell or won't care (enough) about the difference to hurt MS's profits.

    Honestly the company is lost in so many ways... it's not even 9:00 AM Monday yet, and I have run into 4 ridiculous behaviors of MS products already this morning. Their usability efforts are downright criminal in their ineptitude. You want the REALLY bad news, though? It's that the next best competition: let's say Apple, Google, and Linux-land are all lost, too!!! The art of making powerful, quick-to-control software is a dying one. (And the past 2-3 years with "touch" interfaces being the rage, and 10 years before that with everything turning to "web", sure hasn't helped!!!!!!)

    Of the above, the Linux crowd are the only ones in serious contention for designing less-sucky software. They tend less towards the approach that they need to do the "thinking" for users, but as time goes by, they are falling more and more into that approach as well, because they seriously see themselves as being in competition with these other idiots. And whenthat 's not what's killing your productivity, it's the fact that they are overworked, underpaid, so the comfort features you are used to with other software are not going to be there for a while, if ever. And finally, you have the issue that TBH a lot of the OSS world's "lone geniuses" - and even teams - are more stubborn about change than any at MS could be. I really think MS's problem is that they are so big and they churn out so many cruddy programs with so many stupid issues, there's a communication failure in being able to get the proper feedback from customers on those problems and get the issues fixed in a timely and economical fashion, not so much an outright refusal to be cool (though it sure can fool you sometimes, eh?!) OSS dudes, OTOH, may listen to you politely for time on end, then simply refuse to entertain your requests, telling you to basically "Go fork yourself" if u want something done.

    Long story short: keep your stock, and keep complaining on the forums. :(

    Overall, very disappointing to hear this was not addressed in the patch.

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  4. Anonymous
    2010-11-14T12:09:58+00:00

    I had forgotten about this bug - because I use XP, like 60% of all PC users - until today when I was working on my mate's computer. All worked fine for quite a while and then... WHAM! - the folder I opened by clicking on the left pane expander icon disappeared and I had to go looking for it. It was at the bottom of the left pane, of course.

    Not a bug? MS, you are losing credibility by the second.

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