GROB

Are you a Windows Vista user getting frustrated because you've unchecked the Remember each folder's view settings check box in the Windows Explorer Folder Options dialog box and Vista doesn't seem to honor that? That is, when you use Windows Explorer, your views keep getting screwed up?



This is happening because you have multiple file types on your computer and Vista is trying to do you a favor by giving you a folder view (that it thinks) most fits the file types in that folder. As an example, notice that the columns and column types in the following picture reflect that most of the files in the folder are mp3 files.



This would all be all fine and good, but Vista hangs on to those settings in what it calls the Bag (which is really just a couple of registry hives).

Specifically, these registry entries:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\Bags

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\BagMRU

After a while, just from browsing your computer with Windows Explorer, too much baggage is saved, and you start getting unpredictable and funky views - as in the example below (I never asked Windows Explorer to show me large icons).



If you're motivated, and know your way around the Windows Registry Editor, then you can simply go in and delete the offending entries and your views will be restored (at least for a while). If you're paranoid, you should back up the two hives before deleting (they get pretty big).

Unfortunately, as soon as you start browsing with Windows Explorer again, you start collecting more baggage so you have to keep getting into the registry to delete those settings.

Because I'm lazy, and can't remember those registry key paths to save my life, I developed a little C# application called Gettin' Rid of Baggage, or GROB for short.

It's a very tiny assembly that is compiled against the 3.5 .NET framework (so you have to have Windows Vista to use it - of course, you don't have this problem in Windows XP so it would be pointless to run it on XP anyway).

Its job is to delete those entries for you, tell you it did its thing, and disappear. Be forewarned though, it doesn't back up the entries, it just deletes, so if you're not comfy with that, don't use GROB.

Before you download, know that GROB is free to use, has no licensing requirements, and is free to distribute. But, it comes with no warranty (implied or otherwise) or technical support. Use it at your own risk.

Download GROB

If you're a C# programmer and want to check out the source:

Download the Source Code for GROB

Alright then, happy gettin' rid of baggage!

-Demanding