Defining default Windows Explorer's column configuration.

[Stan Schultz]

Frustration! It seems that about 90% of my interactions with Windows Explorer (a.k.a., File Explorer) involves only seven, key, column types. And I need them arranged in only one particular order. But the programming engineers have seen fit to define about 70 different formats/combinations, a different one for each class and subclass of folder format that they could dream up. From that it should be fairly simple to deduce that we have about one chance in 70 of getting the correct column display on any single occasion when we might use Explorer.

Yes, I know all about the Folder Options utility in the Control Panel to change the global preferences. Similarly, I know all about right-clicking "View" in the ribbon at the top of the Explorer window, etc., etc. to change the preferences for each folder or folder type on a one by one basis.

I've been playing silly games with Explorer for years, trying to get the definitions correct for me. But it seems that no matter what I do, Windows automagically resets the column definitions on me. They persist through one or two uses, then revert to the Windows' default for that folder type. And I end up having to redefine the entire suite about once or twice a month it seems. Aaaaaagh!

So, I want to change the column types and their arrangement to what is best for me, not for someone on the other end of the continent. And the question is, "Where are those magical, mystical, DEFAULT, column definitions stored so I can go in and manually, permanently, define the global, default definitions (hard wire them as it were) that I want to use for every instance that I run Windows Explorer?"