Prevent changes to folder template?

[HCHTech]

I have a customer running Windows 7 where the folder template assigned to the Downloads folder keeps changing. There are a ton of files and subfolders, and the problem is with the time it takes to display the folder. If you set it to "General" (right-click on folder, choose properties, choose Customize tab, choose "General" from the "Optimize this folder for" drop down), then it works fine. If you open the folder in explorer, it pops up almost instantly.

The problem is that Windows keeps changing this setting to 'Pictures'. So apparently it's trying to refresh thumbnails or something and displaying the folder in explorer takes 20 to 30 seconds or more.

I don't think I want to prevent this on all folders (here is the method for doing that), or make all folders the same, just convince it to leave the downloads folder alone.

I have tried unsuccessfully to get the customer to change from dumping all downloads into the download directory, or moving some of the current content out of there, but old habits die hard, apparently.

Is there a way to lock down this setting for just a single folder? The change seems random - you fix it and it works ok for a few days, then the setting changes. I'm thinking of putting a .reg file in the startup group to force the right setting on bootup! I have trained them how to change the setting themselves so I don't have to keep doing 30-second remotes, but there must be a way to prevent the change.

 

[fencepost]

Two questions:

• Are you sure the user isn't managing to change it themselves to get thumbnails?
• Have you tried the Disk Cleanup tool (possibly with right-click, Run As Administrator) to clear the thumbnail cache? Also, Win7 is supposed to have that centralized instead of as a file in the specific directory but check hidden/system files and confirm that there's not a massive thumbnails file in the Downloads directory - if there is, stomp it because it may be full of thumbnails for files that are long gone.

 

[Brunski Tech]

Two questions:

1) Windows 7 Pro or higher? And is it attached to a Sever Software?
2) Have you check the permissions are not inherited from a parent folder or another account (ie having being part of the administrator group)?

 

[ComputerRepairTech]

I have a customer running Windows 7 where the folder template assigned to the Downloads folder keeps changing. There are a ton of files and subfolders, and the problem is with the time it takes to display the folder. If you set it to "General" (right-click on folder, choose properties, choose Customize tab, choose "General" from the "Optimize this folder for" drop down), then it works fine. If you open the folder in explorer, it pops up almost instantly.

The problem is that Windows keeps changing this setting to 'Pictures'. So apparently it's trying to refresh thumbnails or something and displaying the folder in explorer takes 20 to 30 seconds or more.

Wait hold on, does that setting even control thumbnails? Maybe i'm mistaken but doesn't that setting control other things like for example changing that setting while you have the view on details will change what kind of columns show up but it won't change details to thumbnails. If I set the view to list then it doesn't matter if the optimize this folder for pictures is on its not going to show the thumbnails....least not that I can recall.