Delete order for files in Windows XP?

[ledetekst]

In what order/sequence are files in Windows XP being deleted, when using Explorer.exe and marking files/folders and pressing delete? Which criteria is Windows using to decide which files are being deleted first? Based on Date (new or old), filename, size? Anyone have a clue?

Is it also possible for to skip files/folders, that cannot be deleted for some reason (in use or locked), and continue deleting other files. For example when clearing Temp folder. In Vista there is a continue option, but in Windows XP it just stops.. Annoying having to find out which files that cannot be deleted, unselect them manually one at a time, and continue and try again once more..

(Know about parameters in CMD yes, but like to do this using Explorer)

Thanks

[Ponch]

The last file/folder you selected is the one highlighted and selected (frame around it), it will be copied first, then the 1st on display and next ones. So if you select last one then 1st one using Shift key, they are copied in display order. But if you select 1st one to last one using Shift, they are copied in displayed order AFTER the last one is copied. Weird but I think that's how it works. For files within selected directories, there might be other factors.

For other possibilities (skipping unreadable/locked files), check for other small programs like TeraCopy or others. There are some threads about those.

[ledetekst]

Thanks for your reply.

Meant for deleting files, not copying though.. In explorers default view it looks like Windows XP is deleting the newest files first (weird..). But if you sort it by date, and select the oldest first, it it will delete by oldest first. That however - doesn't fix the problem Explorer not giving an option to skip files in use/locked.

But I made a fix! Added this context menu in registry instead. Since RMDIR has parameters to skip files, why not add it directly to Explorer?

(not different from the "CMD from here" context menu)

Added a key called "CMD" under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes/Folder/Shell

Added the value "RMDIR_deletion" to the standard REG_SZ

Added a key called "command" HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Classes/Folder/Shell/CMD

Added the value "cmd /k rmdir . /s" to the standard REG_SZ

Now each time you right-click a folder, RMDIR will run from that directory, and delete all sub-directories. Didn't add /Q (quiet) in case of accidental clicks.

Brilliant for stopping those annoying nags!