terrible file explorer bug found

[grdh20]

This is actually user error/bug caused by an overly sensive mouse over situation in the new explorer. I get around it now by turning on "select using checkmarks" option in the "foler options" dialog. Then only checked items get delerted/moved etc.

[jason_ruz]

I can kinda repro running RC2 (5744)... It's easier to explain if the list is in Details view:

1. Click on a folder in the Folders list.

2. Click and hold the mouse button down on the white space next to a folder/file name in the details pane (be sure to keep the mouse cursor inside the Name column), and then drag it out to select the other folders/files.

3. Note that the folders/files just selected don't gain focus (they get highlighted grey). The folder name in the Folder list is still selected, so when I press the Delete key on my keyboard it asks to delete that folder.

This behaviour is inconsistent, because if I click and hold down on the white space on the far right (i.e. in the empty column area that doesn't get highlighted when you hover over it) and then drag to select the folders/files, the details pane gets focus, and those files/folders are selected and highlighted blue. I also think in XP doing the three steps above would normally put the focus into the details pane and delete the selected files/folders, not the folder in the folder tree.

Also, it's not actually important which column I start dragging from or which view I am are in, as long as it's within the area that gets highlighted when I hover over the item, and that the part I click on is whitespace (otherwise it will drag the file/folder instead of doing a selection.)

[Dashel]

I was able to reproduce it on RC2 as well. From what I gather he is saying that the right pane is not taking focus correctly when drag selecting files. So his scenario is correct that you are drilling down with the folder tree on the left, get to the one you are looking for and drag select the files. At that point you expect the right pane to have focus when you hit delete but it doesn't actually get focus until you left click (and thereby unselecting the folders you just selected).

Snip grabs focus so you can't get a true pic of it. It is simply though that the left keeps focus even after group selecting on the right. I doubt this behavior is planned as it only does it when drag selecting starting from the top or left, and never from the bottom or right.

[Brandon Live Veteran]

Actually it looks like there is a bug here. I'm repro'ing it on a newer build - will have to try on the current RTM build tomorrow and find out if this is known.

My repro steps are:

1) Select a folder in the tree view.

2) Click-and-drag to multiselect in the listview (must be in list or details mode) STARTING on top of an item (not in the empty space below the items).

3) Press the delete key.

Thanks for posting this.

[psyko_x]

Actually it looks like there is a bug here. I'm repro'ing it on a newer build - will have to try on the current RTM build tomorrow and find out if this is known.

My repro steps are:

1) Select a folder in the tree view.

2) Click-and-drag to multiselect in the listview (must be in list or details mode) STARTING on top of an item (not in the empty space below the items).

3) Press the delete key.

Thanks for posting this.

And what build might that be? ;)

[boogerjones]

I can kinda repro running RC2 (5744)... It's easier to explain if the list is in Details view:

1. Click on a folder in the Folders list.

2. Click and hold the mouse button down on the white space next to a folder/file name in the details pane (be sure to keep the mouse cursor inside the Name column), and then drag it out to select the other folders/files.

3. Note that the folders/files just selected don't gain focus (they get highlighted grey). The folder name in the Folder list is still selected, so when I press the Delete key on my keyboard it asks to delete that folder.

This behaviour is inconsistent, because if I click and hold down on the white space on the far right (i.e. in the empty column area that doesn't get highlighted when you hover over it) and then drag to select the folders/files, the details pane gets focus, and those files/folders are selected and highlighted blue. I also think in XP doing the three steps above would normally put the focus into the details pane and delete the selected files/folders, not the folder in the folder tree.

Also, it's not actually important which column I start dragging from or which view I am are in, as long as it's within the area that gets highlighted when I hover over the item, and that the part I click on is whitespace (otherwise it will drag the file/folder instead of doing a selection.)

Thanks for explaining it correctly. Now I can reproduce the bug (Build 5840). Windows simply fails to switch focus in this scenario.

[deadcantdance]

Did you file a bug about this or are you not an offical beta tester?

[iwod]

Did you file a bug about this or are you not an offical beta tester?

he doesn't really need to since Brandon has a notes of it already :D

[deadcantdance]

I filed a bug about this today, too. Didn't know that somebody from MS was informed about this.

Bug filing another bug shouldn't be bad, too ;)

Regards,

deadcantdance

[Brandon Live Veteran]

The appropriate people have been engaged on this issue. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.

[raskren]

The appropriate people have been engaged on this issue. Thanks again for bringing it to my attention.

Was this ever resolved?

[Joni_78]

:| . Just tried this the first time, guite bad.

[GeeZuZz]

The wording in the "delete" dialog is also quite bad.

If you are deleting a folder with files - e.g. "c:\windows\bunch-of-files\", the dialog will say "Deleting from c:\windows\..." (without mentioning the name of the folder). That sure have scared me many times, because it makes me think that it's actually emptying the root folder.

I filed this "bug" a while ago (RC1) - hope they fixed it.

(Note: I'm talking about the dialog shown while deleting files, usually this will only be visible if you are deleting a bunch of files/folders)

[GeeZuZz]

Was this ever resolved?

No... "Bug" confirmed in RTM :rolleyes:

[boogerjones]

No... "Bug" confirmed in RTM :rolleyes:

Yep. Haha, I hope an executive at Citrix accidentally wipes his Documents folder because of this on November 30th. Maybe that would get MS's attention.

[Gstar]

Yep. Haha, I hope an executive at Citrix accidentally wipes his Documents folder because of this on November 30th. Maybe that would get MS's attention.

... and that the fix is sitting on MS's servers by Jan 30 ready and waiting to be downloaded...

[Update]

yea, got RTM too same deal

new explorer was ALMOST that cool

[Brandon Live Veteran]

I don't know how you could know that since none of you have the RTM build yet... right? :crazy:

The issue with the listview not taking focus during this specific kind of selection was identified too late to be fixed for the RTM build and there are several mitigating factors that prevented it from being considered recall-class. However the post-RTM fix for this issue has been prioritized appropriately.

[LuckyKnight]

Any update on this __critical__ bug? I was made aware of this bug before I used Vista RTM and it has still caught me out twice. The first time I didn't lose anything important but the second time I almost deleted my profile!! (luckily all I seemed to lose was my Outlook e-mail - which wasn't bad because it was mainly empty).

But this bug could have some very serious consequences. This topic should be pinned, or perhaps re written in a "Known RTM bugs" pinned thread. Will an update be made over windows update or would it be a seperate downloadable hotfix?

[azz0r_wugg]

So if you delete a file or folder in an explorer window set to list view it deletes more?

[LuckyKnight]

Read the thread!!

The bug basically is to do with highlighting files for deletion in Windows Explorer. If you select files from inside a folder it is a possibility that it could delete the entire folder.

The bug is with Windows Explorer, in list or detail mode. I will try to explain how to reproduce the bug but a picture or video would be much better:

In the left tree view - select your folder. The folder will now have a blue outline.

In the right pane hold the left mouse button down and highlight the files you wish to delete. They should be highlighted in blue.

Now this is where the bug occurs - if the files are still highlighted in blue then thats fine. But if the parent folder is now highlighted in blue and the files highlighted in grey, you would delete the parent folder if you pressed delete.

[Brandon Live Veteran]

The bug is in the standard listview control and actually existed in XP as well (not a regression). Although the bug wasn't exposed in Explorer in XP because XP doesn't use full-row select. It was apparently in Vista for a long long time and never reported by any beta testers (and it was definitely an oversight by internal testing but they can't find them all - that's why we have betas!) until I saw this thead here.

It's ugly, I won't deny that. But very, very few people will ever hit it in normal use. I also don't really see it causing anyone to actually lose anything since the dialog that comes up accurately tells you what you're trying to delete - plus the recycle bin and volume shadow copy are pretty good safety nets for just this sort of thing. We're all on vacation this week but I'll follow up soon and figure out if/when a fix might be pushed to WU.

[azz0r_wugg]

How will the vista teams patch vista anyway?

Windows update is used for fixing security flaws, will ms use it to patch problems and bugs in vista?

Or do we have to wait for the sp?

[Andareed]

They have pushed out bug fixes onto WU before. At worst, they'll release a hotfix that you'll have to download from microsoft.com.

[LuckyKnight]

Are they back from their break?