Q:

Windows Explorer - how can I get it to stop randomly choosing how to display folders?

When I go into a folder, Windows Explorer (in Vista) seems to randomly choose how to display the folder - i.e. whether Icons or Details are shown, the Group By setting etc.
This can happen for folders which I maybe haven't viewed previously in Windows Explorer; for example, it might choose to display it as Music when it doesn't have any music in it.
It can also happen for folders which I have previously viewed in Windows Explorer.
For example, I've just gone into one of my folders, which contains primarily other folders, and it has chosen to Group By Name. Previously, I had chosen to display it with no grouping (i.e. Group By (None)).
Other times, it might still show Details for a folder, but only show the Name column, when I had previously displayed Date modified, Size and Type.
How can I control Windows Explorer to do what I want it to do - which is to always display Details with no grouping for newly shown folders, and remembering old setting for previously shown folders?

A:

See the following article:
Delete and Reset Windows Vista Folder Views or Folder Types Settings to Default Clean State

Using Windows Explorer in Windows
  Vista is sometimes annoying and
  confusing as the folder views settings
  and folder types customization is not
  working consistently. Folder views
  which determines which view, such as
  tiles, details, list, small icons,
  medium icons, large icons or extra
  large icons, that users is using to
  browse files and items in Explorer
  window, while folder types set the
  template which shows kind of folder
  and its related commands and buttons
  in toolbar. However, the
  implementation in Vista is buggy,
  messy and abnormal.
The easiest solution all Folder Types
  and Folder Views mess in Vista is by
  reset all settings and customizations
  related to Folder Types and Views to
  revert back to out-of-the box
  post-installation defaults. Note that
  you should try to use Reset Folder in
  Folder Options (open by clicking
  Organize -> Folder and Search Options
  and then go to View tab) before trying
  registry hack below.
Registry tweak below will delete and
  reset all folder view and folder type
  settings to default and clean state by
  rebuilding the related registry key,
  so that every start fresh again from
  scratch. All remembered folder
  settings in Windows Explorer for view
  state, window position, sort order,
  column information, folder type,
  toolbar toggles, and search result
  views will be lost, and reset to the
  original defaults.

