Mike Dora 171 Posted July 4, 2017 Hello All A few days ago the Dear Leaders of Microsoft hijacked my PC and auto-installed Win10 Creator Update build 1703. When I go my machine back, I was horrified to find that my carefully-constructed desktop folders, with their icons grouped according to my usage-based preferences (eg in the WW1 Sims folder, first a line of FE2 variant icons, then icons for WOFF & related utilities, then a line of ROF icons & utilities, all set up in the order that I want. Which ain't vanilla alphabetical), had been replaced by a forced alphabetical auto-arrange system. What makes things worse, heinous even, is that there is now appears to be no way to cancel auto-arrange in Win10. Yes I know that Microborg has been forcing this auto-arrange system on us since Win7. Yes I also know of the previous Win10 regedit-ing workarounds to restore freedom and liberty* to users who want to organise their desktops their own way, not as dictated by the dark wizards of Seattle. (*Happy Fourth of July to our American friends BTW!) I was using such a workaround before this Creator Update downgrade.But now even those workarounds don't seem to work any more. And I can't even go back to a previous Restore Point, because the Seattle Gauleiters have thought of everything in their cunning plan for Global Hegemony. The Win10 Creator Update has deleted all my old Restore Points. Now, the oldest available Restore Point is _after_ this new flexibility-reducing update. You may gather from the foregoing that I'm more than a bit miffed by all this. Indeed, before embarking on a (so far fruitless) attempt to fix things, I found myself cursing with words that I didn't even know that I knew. So I'll end this wee rant here with an invitation to everyone else to post their thoughts on this subject. Especially welcome would be proposals for practical solutions! Thanks Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Menrva 3,990 Posted July 4, 2017 Very sorry to hear this. I upgraded to the latest build voluntarily and I didn't have any major issues (except one which broke mostly all Adobe Photoshop products, and neither companies are willing to solve the matter). It's very strange that you cannot go back to the previous build. Usually, after such big updates, there is always a Windows.old folder which contains everything needed for a full restore to the previous build. I really don't know what might have happened. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
+Sundowner 4,515 Posted July 4, 2017 There is a way to turn off auto arrange, but for the life of me I can't remember how at the moment. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MigBuster 2,861 Posted July 4, 2017 Um right click on desktop -> view.......... is it gone in that update.have not got to that yet? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Dora 171 Posted July 4, 2017 Migbuster, That was the very first check. Auto arrange remains "on" full time no matter whether one selects it "on" or "off". Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MigBuster 2,861 Posted July 5, 2017 https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-start/windows-10-creators-update-desktop-icons-keep/42a0e3da-9c66-42f1-a669-b4f0e52ff816 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Dora 171 Posted July 5, 2017 Thanks Migbuster But that doesn't solve my problem. Win10 CU hasn't wrecked my top-level desktop layout (thank goodness!). What it has done, is wreck the layouts within the task-specific folders on that desktop. The attached screenshot shows what I mean. I have a "Sims" folder, and embedded within that I have sub-folders for WW1 sims, WW2 sims, modern sims etc. Now I used to have all the shortcuts within those folders arranged for best convenience and efficiency. Now thanks to MS all of these shortcuts have been bulldozed into a rigid alphabetical auto-arrangement. There is no longer the order and structure that helps me run the program/utility I want quickly and efficiently. The ironic thing is that 25+ years ago one of MS' big selling points for its initial Windows incarnations, was that users could arrange their shortcuts on the desktop and within folders for their efficiency and convenience. I wonder where along the line the mighty corporation lost the plot, where it forgot that the client's needs always come first? And remember, I am only a casual, leisure user. Imagine the frustration for the serious professional (commercial.. ) clients! Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mike Dora 171 Posted July 5, 2017 OK Chaps Problem solved. I think. First though, I found that the Win10 Creator Downgrade was worse than I'd feared. It had also totally mucked up my sound system, so that eg flying in SF2, I heard no sound facing straight ahead but heard left stereo if I "looked" left and vice versa. Also there were no wingmen's voices. Also the frame rate had been halved! So I went Nuclear. Found the method for rolling back to a previous build of Win10, set the ball rolling, then went to weed the garden. That last bit wasn't relevant to the process but it took my mind off things. When I came back in Lo! and Behold, everything seems back to normal. One final precaution, went into Control Panel and disabled auto-updates of Windows. Yes yes I am aware of the "risks", but on the one hand I face a hypothetical messing up of my system by viruses/malware from sources unknown, versus a 100% certainty of messing up of my system by "updates" from a source that is known only too well.. Cheers Mike PS there has been one side benefit to all this. The garden is looking pretty good now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
