#86 navigation pane problem of Win7-folders and Win7-filemanager

[cheerga]

I have a huge problem with the folders and the filemanager ("explorer") of Windows 7: As long as I work within the filemanager, the navigation pane is always welcome to me and here I use the navigation pane a lot. But in other folders - which I e.g. create temporary on the Desktop (in order to collect within it various files, which belong somehow together) - in such folders I don't want to see the navigation pane at all !

Certainly, if I click in such a folder (which is placed e.g. on the Desktop) on the menu "Organize" ---> Layout ---> Navigation pane, then the navigation pane disappears in that folder. BUT at the same time the navigation pane is now gone in ALL other folders and ALL other filemanagers which I open from that moment onwards ! This happens although I never meant to switch off the navigation pane in all other folders and in all other filemanagers which were opened after that moment !

But this is a real backward step of Win7 compared to Windows XP ! In Windows XP it was also possible to turn off and on the folder-tree ("navigation pane") by clicking on the menu "View" ---> Explorer Bar ---> Folders. But under Windows XP one could make this setting (folder-tree visible or not) for each individual folder and for each individual filemanager ! Not so clumsy as under Win7 where only one setting exists for ALL folders and for ALL instances of the filemanager !

Under Windows XP it was also possible to switch on and off the addressbar for each individual folder and for each individual filemanager and under Windows XP there was no such stupid "Organize - Include in library - Share with"-bar which cannot be hidden for an individual folder and for an individual filemanager.

But under Win7, if you create a folder (e.g. on the Desktop) and open that folder, then you are permanently forced to look at these - in this context - useless navigation bar, useless "Organize - Include in library - Share with"-bar, useless addressbar. As a result, when you open such a folder on the Desktop, due to these (in this context) useless components, the open folder occupies so much unnecessary space on the Desktop ! About 70% of the folder-area on the Desktop is lost to the undesired folder-components addressbar, "Organize - Include in library - Share with"-bar, navigation pane and the little remaining folder-content-space is left much to small !

Even the "Favorites" and "Libraries" of Win7 are no substitute for those small folders (respectively containers of files) which one could create under Windows XP as long as the settings for the addressbar, the "Organize - Include in library - Share with"-bar, and navigation pane do not apply to the "Favorites" and "Libraries" only but apply globally for ALL folders and for ALL instances of the filemanager !

Therefore I am asking ; is there really no tool, no tweak, no registry setting, no software so that also under Win7 the navigation pane (and the addressbar and the "Organize - Include in library - Share with"-bar) can be turned off and on for SOME folders and for SOME instances of the filemanager - but NOT for ALL folders and NOT for ALL instances of the filemanager ?

[Ivo Beltchev]

Hiding or showing the navigation pane from Classic Shell is one of the most often requested features. Unfortunately I am not aware of any way to do this. Sorry.

On top of that you are asking to store the state per folder. Classic Shell doesn't store any data per folder at the moment. That's more of ShellFolderFix or QTTabBar territory.

[xpclient]

Good news. The latest Classic Shell 4.0.6 has a built-in button now to toggle the folder/navigation pane as well as the Details pane and the Preview pane.