Restore Vista Folder Views to Defaults When Nothing Else Works

I recently had an interesting issue that was near impossible to find a solution to.  My Windows Vista installation had suffered a bit and it seems that all of my folder views were completely whacked.  I couldn’t reset the views to defaults and it was driving me crazy.

There is an easy way, as a last resort, to restore your folder views back to the default state, but it requires that you modify your registry.

NOTE: Editing the Registry incorrectly can cause serious, system-wide problems that may require you to re-install Windows Vista to correct them. Microsoft nor computingondemand.com cannot guarantee that any problems resulting from the use of Registry editing can be solved. Back up your registry first, but use at your own risk.

1. Click Start
2. In the Start Search box, type regedit

   

3. In the Programs list, click regedit. (If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.)
4. Locate and then delete the following registry branch:  HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellBags
5. Locate and then delete the following registry branch:  HKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwareClassesLocal SettingsSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsShellBagsMRU
6. Log off or reboot

Your windows should now be restored to the state at installation.  All customizations and views are completely reset.