Thumbs Files

[ottiliegirl]

I don't know when or how this started but recently every picture file I try to open does not open my pictures as icons. I was going to follow the instructions by Microsoft of opening File Folder Options in Control Panel, selecting View and checking the box "Always show icons, never thumbnails". When I opened the view screen that item was already checked and the pictures were not opening as icons. I shut down the computer and tried again and got the same results, no pictures just thumbnails. I went to both my other computers and in the View screen neither of them had that selection checked and the pictures in both of those computers open as icons. So I UNCHECKED that selection and now the pictures open correctly as i want them to. This appears to be the exact opposite of the instructions given by Microsoft Answers, the How To Geek and PC World. Am I missing something important here? Will something else go wrong because of the way I am doing this? I have over 7,000 pictures I don't want to lose. Please advise if possible. Thank you

 

[Grizzly]

Do I understand correctly that you do NOT want the pictures to show as thumbnails but as Icons??
How did you set the view in Windows Explorer (Details,small icons,medium icons,large icons etc) ??
If you set the view to medium,large, extra large icons or content, you will always see the files as thumbnails. All other settings will show as Icons of the program you open the pictures with...

 

[ottiliegirl]

Maybe I am confused by "icons" and "thumbnails". I have the view in my picture files set for large icons which I assume will open them as pictures and it does, and that is what I want. I am getting them as pictures even though I have NOT selected the line item "Always show icons, never thumbnails". If I make that selection then I don't see my pictures. I see everything looking the same pattern which I am thinking is thumbnails. Am I wrong? Something seems backwards! By the way if there are ten pictures, I see ten pictures and then a square that says "thumbs". Why is that there?

 

[Grizzly]

I have NOT selected the line item "Always show icons, never thumbnails".

that means never Icons,always thumbnails.
the file "thumbs.db" is a small database with information of your thumbnails. it is created every time you see thumbnails in a folder and is quite normal....

 

[ottiliegirl]

I'm still confused. Which term will show me my pictures?

 

[Grizzly]

I have NOT selected the line item "Always show icons, never thumbnails".

That is how its suppose to be if you WANT to see thumbnails.As you mentioned you have set your view to "large icons" which is what you wanted. So your settings are absolutely correct right now. I apologize as I did not mean to confuse you....