Problem when double clicking in File Explorer

PixelOz · Mar 29, 2011

Hi I'm David and I'm new to the forum so I say hi to all the other PC lovers like me out there. I have been having this odd issue with File Exlorer since I bought my PC about 1 year, 9 months ago.

Very often when I open the File Explorer and I double click on the C:\ drive icon the folder location jumps to either the Picture folder (C:\Users\David Guzman\Pictures) or to the Music folder (C:\Users\David Guzman\Music) instead of displaying the root folder files and the other folders contained in it so in order to do that I have to click once the blue back arrow (the left one) and then it gets to the root folder in the C:\ drive the way I think it should have done when I first double clicked the C:\ drive icon.

It does this all the time (very frequently) but it mostly jumps to the Pictures folder and it also does this sometimes when I'm inside another folder (any) and I double click in it to see its contents in which case I have to do the same (click the back blue arrow) in order to see the correct content.

Does anybody have a clue of why it does this? Is this some sort of Vista bug?

Other than that the OS has performed very, very well from the get go. It seldom crashes, say what some people say about Vista vs XP (and I have 3 XP PCs at home) I think that my Vista OS hasn't crashed more than 4 times since I bought it, programs crash here and there (but rarely, you know, the normal thing) but the OS has been rock solid and that is way better than the track record that my XP machines have even tough they are relatively stable too so you won't catch me among those that criticize Vista that much, nope.

I know that is not the fastest but I don't mind that that much, my PC is fast enough for me.

Now going back to the main subject at hand. The PC is regularly checked for viruses with different security software (with on demand scanners, I only have one real time antivirus engine running as it is supposed to be - Avast). It has had about 3 different antivirus programs with 3 different firewalls (it currently has Comodo firewall) so far so I don't think that the problem is there.

I have checked the disk many times and defragmented it too as part of regular maintenance and also system files are checked at intervals to keep things in check.

My mouse is a Logitech EX-100, it was part of the Logitech cordless desktop EX-100 but I only use the mouse nowadays cause the keyboard sometimes didn't work so well so I replaced it with a wired Microsoft Basic Keyboard 1.0A. I removed the batteries from the wireless keyboard just in case.

The drivers of the mouse are current (I downloaded the latest version today) but it still does this anyway so I don't think that the problem is there either. The mouse works perfectly otherwise and the PC works like a charm overall.

Any ideas? Has anybody found this weird bug too? :huh:

americancritic · Mar 29, 2011

Hello David and welcome to the forum.

First do you remember how long this has been going on, and maybe what you were doing at the time it happened. Sounds like you have done some homework on this issue.

Second if you don't have I recommend you download the free version of malwarebytes and run a full scan just to be sure, you can use this link...

Malwarebytes

Next if malware comes back fine, have you thought about doing a sfc scan to see if it will fix the problem if not here is what you need to do.

1. Click Start
2. In the search box type CMD.exe
3. Go to the top of the popup list and RIGHT click on cmd.exe and run as administrator.
4. When the command box appears type sfc /scannow notice there is a space between the sfc and the forward slash.

When it is finished doing the scan if there are any error's after the scan then run the sfc scan 3 more times as it repairs more each time you run it. Also here is a great tutorial that will give you all the information you will need...

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/66978-system-files-sfc-command.html

After this please post back and let us know what is going on and if you need more help please let us know and we will be glad to assit you further.

kesume · Mar 29, 2011

Hi,
Did you get your computer with File Explorer already installed?
Have you recently updated or changed anything?

Lottiemansion · Mar 29, 2011

Hi,

Are you sure have have double click active or are you on single click.

PixelOz · Mar 29, 2011

I already have Malwarebytes free version and Superantispyware free version installed in all my PCs and I use them pretty regularly in them and they were run a few days ago (about 4 days ago) and they only found a few tracking cookies which were removed of course and I had been using them for a long, long time.

I also stated that I regularly check system files. I do use the SFC /scannow command in all my PCs. In Vista I just have to run the command prompt as Administrator as americancritic stated. It s a very useful function.

As for the File Explorer already installed, no I always buy generic PCs that I install myself, I rather mix and match and configure the computer hardware the way I prefer and besides those pre-configured Windows licenses are sometimes a problem if you want to transfer them to another PC or even when upgrading a damaged motherboard in some instances.

Also I have to say that it is a lot fun to assemble and put together a computer for me. For me it has always been like opening a box of Lego blocks and playing with them. It is the same with radio control things and other hobbies. I rather assemble my own R/C car or airplane or whatever, I never buy them pre-assembled it is just too much fun assembling things for me. I wouldn't miss it

In addition the warranties of individual PC components these days are usually pretty good, in the case of the Ultra PSU and chassis they have lifetime warranties if you register them withing 30 days of purchase which I did of course and many components today have 3 to 5 years warranty.

As for service you can always consult the individual manufacturers support which I have never had to use so far, ever. Now here and there some forums guys have been able to help me with a thing or two, forums are a useful and valuable help resource indeed.

All of the 4 computers in my house were assembled and installed by me but the Vista machine is the only one that have giving me this little problem.

Is not that I can't use the machine cause this is just a minor inconvenience that is slightly annoying and I enjoy using my PC a lot but I figured that maybe somebody else out there could have the same issue and may know what is causing it, besides the info could help somebody else that also runs across this.

I have quite good experience installing PCs. I have been using PCs since DOS 2.10 with a PC junnior (Uff!!, that was along time ago!) which was my first PC so that is not a problem. I'm the one my neighbors and friends run to to help them with their PC problems and for reinstallation and upgrades when necesary or desired so I have installed probably dozens of PCs (no exaggeration, I'm not trying to boast here just merely giving you a background of my PC experience so you have an idea) and fixed many, many problems in them over the years but you know how it is, here and there is one little thing that you don't know were it comes from.

Of course asking others for help is one way in which your experience fixing PC problems grows.

As for the third idea no, in the folder options it is set to double click

so no that is not the issue but thanks to all of you for trying to help, always appreciated.

PixelOz · Mar 29, 2011

By the way I also tried disconnecting the Logitech mouse receiver and I connected a Microsoft Intellimouse Optical wired (also USB) and I rebooted to see if it was the mouse causing the problem but the problem was still there.

As for anything that I changed no, cause I have noticed the problem almost since I installed the PC so that would be extremely difficult to tell

kesume · Mar 29, 2011

Is this small annoyance of the double click to do with perhaps HKEY_CLASSES_ etc. matters?
Having thought about it, I did wonder if it was a possibility!
Please click on the links below relating to info regarding search companion/folder options.
However, I must stress that messing with the Registry can be very problematic if you dabble & get it wrong.
I am merely trying to find a possible solution to your problem.
I am NOT suggesting you should tamper with the Registry.
These items are, if necessary best left to the professionals.
How to Fix Double Click Always Opens Search in Windows Explorer - How-To Geek
Search Companion Starts If You Double-Click a Folder
They may be in the right direction, I'm not sure, but it was worth contemplating.
Thank you.

PixelOz · Mar 29, 2011

Interestingly enough when I double click on the F:\ drive (A Western Digital external USB My Book HD that I use for backups together with DVD-Rs) it does takes me into the search function contrary to the C:\ drive which takes me to the Pictures folder but it does look like it may have to do with this last mentioned issue.

I did run into the Microsoft page about the issue when I did a Google search but I ignored it cause it was taking me to the Pictures folder instead but when you mentioned that page and it possibly having something to do with drives I started to get suspicious and I tried the double clicking with the other drive icon and it took me into the search function.

I will try to deal with this and then I'll tell you if I was able to fix it. Don't worry I made changes to the registry in many computers before and I do it very carefully and so far I have never had any issues with it other than being able to fix several problems. Let's see how it goes. I will check first to see if there is that setting in the registry and then I'll see what else.

PixelOz · Mar 29, 2011

Well according to the article by Microsoft either one of those two registry values should be set to none (depending on whether the problem is with folders or with drives) but they were already at that so my problem is still there.

Double clicking in the F:\ drive icon always takes me to the Searches folder (C:\Users\David Guzman\Searches) and I click once in the back blue arrow and it takes me to the root folder of F:\.

kesume · Mar 30, 2011

Hi David,
Mmmm! Sorry that did not immediately have a bearing on your 'annoying little' problem.
However, I will try & search further along the same/ similar avenues, as I feel it's there somewhere?
I was reading the Tutorial by Brink on Default File Type Associations, for any clues, but no major finds!
Included tutorial for your information, I think you will find it of interest.
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/233243-default-file-type-associations-restore.html
Please inform me of any progress you make please.

PixelOz · Mar 30, 2011

Well I tried what I tough could be relevant to my particular problem, namely the drive, folder and directory parts of the registry (did a restore point first) and then rebooted the PC but it is still doing this same weird thing.

kesume · Mar 30, 2011

Hi David,
Sorry to hear that it didn't work. It's one of those things that you just can't quite put you finger on, for me anyway.
It's like an itch you can't scratch !LoL!

As you have said previously, it's been there, as far as you can recall, nearly all the time you've had the computer & the File Explorer.
Could the fault be within the files/folders/directory, whatever, on the original downloading of File Explorer.
Therefore being a error exclusiveappertaining to that program & it's attributes? Just another thought??

But i'm still looking as best I can to come up with other ideas.
Maybe other members of the forum may contribute to possible ideas or solutions.
If you find the answer, please let us know.
I will certainly add to the thread if I come across possibilities.
Sorry, for now I tried my best.

americancritic · Mar 30, 2011

Hello David

I am wondering if it is possible for you to try and do a couple of screenshots and upload them so we can get a ture picture in our minds, I am not sure that it will work or not but would you at least try a couple and see, do you have the snipping tool with your vista...

PixelOz · Mar 31, 2011

Just in case I will post screenshots of it soon anyway.

One particular thing is that I placed a My Computer icon on the desktop (from the Start menu with the Show on Desktop check mark function) and is from there that I usually open the File Explorer and I noticed that if I double click this icon and then I double click the C:\ drive icon from the File Explorer window that open it always goes to either the mentioned Pictures or Music folders (C:\Users\David Guzman\Pictures or C:\Users\David Guzman\Music).

I noticed that it does this always but with the My Book drive it always goes to the aforementioned Searches folder. I also noticed that when I open the File Explorer from the Start menu the behavior is the same.

Now the thing about it jumping to this Pictures folder that it does randomly is from any folder that I sometimes try to enter into. When I least expect it I double click into a folder and lo and behold I suddenly see this flickering and then it jumps into the Pictures folder and it is corrected in the same way by clicking once in the blue back arrow.

So I click the blue back arrow and I then get to the folder I intended but what I mean is that I noticed that it sort of displays the folder I intend first very quickly and then it continues very rapidly to the Pictures folder and that is what I mean with that flickering.

Just now did this little experiment and I created a shortcut to the C:\ drive on the Desktop and when I double click in it it does goes to the C:\ root directory directly as it is supposed to do. I did the same with the My Book drive and the same thing, it goes to its root directory when I double click its icon on the Desktop.

Now I don't know if by doing that it stops doing the other random jump to the Pictures folder with the C:\ drive icon cause I have not have enough time to test that yet but at the moment I'm opening the C:\ drive and the My Book drive directly from the icons I placed on the Desktop temporarily to see how it behaves as I use the PC. ?????

Cheex · Mar 31, 2011

Have tried logging in as another user? It may be a profile issue. If that doesnt work you can try the solution below.

Another thing you can try is renaming the explorer.exe file to explorer.bak (on your machine) and paste a different copy of explorer.exe from another machine

copy the explorer.exe file from another vista machine to a flash drive and paste it to your machine.

The explorer.exe file is located in C:\WINDOWS

cheex

americancritic · Mar 31, 2011

Hello David

I am sorry your still having problems, have you tried to do a Chkdsk yet if not here is a great tutorial.

You might want to give this a try anyways...

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/67612-check-disk-chkdsk.html

Check Disk (chkdsk) - Read Event Viewer Log - Windows 7 Forums

Good luck I hope this helps.

americancritic

americancritic · Mar 31, 2011

Hi David

I don't know if this will help or not but please look at this. I have used it in the past and it does fix problems with windows. Let me knnow if it is useful.

Microsoft Fix it Solution Center: troubleshooting software issues

PixelOz · Apr 5, 2011

No need for me to post screenshots. It has been solved. I created a new account and it is gone and now everything is behaving normally again.

I don't know why I didn't try that cause I have done it several times for Windows XP machines that had some problems with good results in several occasions, I just overlooked it somehow.

Well that fixed it. I created a new account and I have configured it the way the old one was so now I'm going to delete the older account.

Everything is working fine now. Even a couple of smaller quirks that the machine was also doing are gone too so there was something definitely wrong with the older account profile.

The machine is working very well again. I'll try for a while and see if it stays working fine but it has been several days already and so far so good so that's that.

Thanks to all of you for your efforts to help me with this particular issue and specially to you Cheex cause you reminded me of the account problems and I was able to fix it because of that, I don't know how I overlooked something so simple but I did and sometimes that is what is needed to fix the computer.

Thanks to you all anyway.

kesume · Apr 5, 2011

Hi David,
Well that's good news. Happy that it is resolved.
Happy computing David.
Regards,kesume.

Problem when double clicking in File Explorer

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