Win 7 Control panel view

Remember how the control panel looked in win98, the 'classic view'? Then in XP, Vista and Seven it started in category view but you could change it to classic view, in seven you have to pick category, small icons or large icons. In my install of seven, every time I open the control panel it defaults to category view. I know it takes one click to change but I would like it to be in classic view. I've used the many guides found on how to change it. Using the group policy editor (gpedit.msc) using option two as found here: Control panel view and enabling icon view. I've even tried this though the command prompt run as admin. Even download the .reg file won't change my view settings. Then I goto into regedit and it's correct (see screenshot.) In the end I still get this as in the screen shot. Am I missing something, have I changed something somewhere over riding my choice somehow? Do I just have to live a sad life and make that extra click?

 

Hey, Buck.

This is not a fix, per se, but I'm interested in what will happen. Right-Click Start > Properties > Start Menu > Customize. Under 'Control Panel', select 'Display as a menu'. Click OK.

Now, click Start and hover over or select Control Panel - do all of the applets show, or just the Categories?

 

Set that reg key as in this pic -

 

Slight mod to that - you need a new key under Explorer - ControlPanel - and set it as above

 

Yes, Caliban that will expand it as a menu, I have 'My Computer" set that way. One note. I use a program "Classic start menu" which gives me a XP look and feel. I thought maybe that could of been causing it but even uninstalling it made no difference, when in classic start menu you hold down shift while clicking start to get the original start bar back. A picture is worth a 1000 words:

Wait wait wait. When using the classic start menu I get the category view always. When I shut menu view off in the 'factory seven start menu" and then hold shift and use the original start menu I get the icons when open the control panel. So it IS classic start menu affecting opening the control panel regardless of view settings. Classic start menu has a very through ini file that you can customize, which I did a lot of making things work the way I want. I need to start digging in that looking for where I, myself messed up. I will post what I come up with. Thanks your thinking pushed me into thinking about it.

 

Thanks, that is already there, I've tracked it down to MY fiddling with classic start menu. Now, just to find it....

 

No problem - had to be something simple. Keep us posted.

 

*Solved*

Well, been dealing with this, editing the registry, playing in the group policy editor. Actually gave up for awhile. I had my start menu exactly how I wanted it and was happy, except the control panel view which in my mind "couldn't be because of a re-shelled start menu" Well, "Shell" think about it, I didn't. So back to digging into the .ini file. What do I find?

Code:

; Enable this to make the control panel open in "categories" mode
CONTROL_PANEL.Command=::{26EE0668-A00A-44D7-9371-BEB064C98683}

Yes, I deleted the semi colon myself causing this. By the way, I highly recommend Classic shell for anyone wanting a different start menu in vista or seven, even adds the up button back into explorer among many things plus is open source. Now if someone can figure out how to get custom columns in explorer like the ones dbpoweramp adds to XP. Everywhere I've looked they say it's impossible in seven because of the way it's built.