The Sort Order for Files and Folders Whose Names Contain Numerals Is Different in Windows XP Than It Is in Windows 2000
The sort order that is used by Windows XP for files and folders whose names contain numerals is different from the sort order that is used by Windows 2000. The following example shows the difference in sort order that is used by the two operating systems to list folders in Windows Explorer when the names of folders contain numerals:
|
Windows XP |
Windows 2000 |
| Ie4_01 Ie4_128 Ie5 Ie6 Ie401sp2 Ie501sp2 |
Ie4_01 |
By default, in Windows XP numerals in strings that are contained in file and folder names are considered to be numeric content, not text. Numerals in folder and file names are sorted according to their numeric value.
In the example that is described earlier in this article, the Ie401sp2 folder is listed after the Ie6 folder when you sort the folders by name in descending order because 401 is a numerically higher value than 6. In the following example, note how the following files, whose names contain numerals, are sorted in Windows XP and in Windows 2000:
|
In Windows XP |
In Windows 2000 |
| 5.txt 11.txt 88.txt |
11.txt |
|
To configure Windows XP to use the sort order that is used by Windows 2000, open Registry Editor and navigate to the following key: Do one of the following, as appropriate to your situation: |
|
To configure the policy for all users of the computer, locate, and then click the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Currentversion \ Policies \ Explorer
-or-
To configure the policy for the current user, locate, and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Windows \ Currentversion\ Policies \ Explorer
On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value
Type NoStrCmpLogical, and then press ENTER.
On the Edit menu, click Modify
To configure Windows XP to use the method that Windows 2000 uses for sorting files and folders, in the Value data box, type 1, and the click OK.
Quit Registry Editor, and then restart the computer.
-or-
Using Tweak UI Powertoy, uncheck Use intuitive filename sorting option under Explorer section. (per-user setting). Tweak UI can be downloaded from Microsoft site
