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February 13, 2007
Awesome Vista Feature #347
If you have a folder window open, you can't delete the folder. Example, I have an empty folder on my desktop called, let's say, "New Folder".
"What", I ask, "is in this folder? I do not recall, so I shall open it and see."
Opening the folder I discover that it is, in fact, empty.
"This empty folder clutters my desktop, which is not desirable", I say to myself as I drop the offending folder into the trash. Immediately, Vista springs to my aid, warning me that I am deleting a folder, despite my having long ago turned off the "Display delete confirmation dialog" check box. I cannot seem to find the "Display 'you are trying to drop an empty folder into the trash" dialog' check box.
"Fine!" I say, clicking the "Ok" button.
Vista helpfully tells me that I need permission to perform this action.
"I am logged on as an Administrator", I remind Vista, clicking the "Try Again" button.
"You need permission to perform this action", counters Vista.
"But, I am logged on as an Administrator!", I plead, clicking the "Try Again" button.
"Administrator? What is this 'Administrator' you speak of?" asks Vista. "You seem to be under the impression that I work for you, meatbag"
This happens three times before it occurs to me to try something monumentally stupid. I close the open window displaying the non-existent contents of "New Folder", and drag the folder into the trash again. Without a complaint, Vista drops it into the trash and allows me to empty it. No problems, no complaints; just a like a real file management shell, say Norton Navigator from 1989.
Now, I realize that Vista probably has it's panties in a bunch because there is some stupid hidden file (like desktop.ini, or something) inside the folder I want to delete that it has open when the window is open, but you know what?
I don't care. It should work as if it was designed in the later part of the twentieth century.
Posted at February 13, 2007 10:48 PM in Technobabble
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Comments
I think what's actually going on here is that "opening a folder" in the vista desktop is actually equivalent to "firing up an application and viewing a document" so the operating system puts a "lock" on the folder just like it would put a lock on a document file you opened up in word(because there are active processes running which have open file handles referring to the folder/document the OS would "hate for something bad to happen to it") so the lock prevents other processes from deleting the folder.
I just got vista(my "vista tips" page here http://www.williamnewhall.com/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WindowsVistaTips )
I'm actually shocked at how little has been done to improve the functionality of the windows shell*. There are about several things I was certain Microsoft were going to do to improve user productivity but for some reason neither has done these things.
I am very seriously considering doing a start-up to make add-ons for the windows shell...
*One exception would be including UNIX tools(Ultimate edition only, free download for all other versions of Vista and XP here: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/interopmigration/unix/sfu/default.mspx)
Posted by: Will at February 15, 2007 11:19 AM
"you need permission to perform this action" - who do I need permission from?? My mother? Bill Gates?? GAAARRR its driving me crazy. Give me control over my own computer or I will be forced to do something rash...
Posted by: felix at March 13, 2007 10:56 AM
Felix, I believe that the party you need permission from is the U.S. Justice Department. Vista is actually part of a DHS initiative, and those files you can't delete have been flagged by the Justice Department for special monitoring.
Great site, by the way, your stuff looks awesome.
Posted by: edgore at March 13, 2007 11:04 AM
