Can ANYONE tell me how to do this?

[esdel]

It seems so elementary, yet the whole MS Kowledge Base never mentions it.
When you list your files, under the "details" option, there are columns for Name, Size, Type, Date Modified and then space for dozens of columns you can choose to add.

But NOWHERE does it say how you ADD things in these columns!

One column it lets you choose to have is "Key Words"
But HOW do you enter them!

I am on XP
In a thing called MS MediaPlayer there IS (extremely well hidden: congratulations Bill) a way to enter what you want in these columns. In this way you build a music library. It is GREAT!

So if Bill lets me have a MUSIC library, why not a FILE library?

Do I have to resort to the trickery of telling MS that all my files are "Music"

If any of you kind people can help, thank you so much
esdel

[morefun]

The seletion of the headers options are under view - Choose details. Then you add of remove the details you wish to view.

Morefun

It seems so elementary, yet the whole MS Kowledge Base never mentions it.
When you list your files, under the "details" option, there are columns for Name, Size, Type, Date Modified and then space for dozens of columns you can choose to add.

But NOWHERE does it say how you ADD things in these columns!

One column it lets you choose to have is "Key Words"
But HOW do you enter them!

I am on XP
In a thing called MS MediaPlayer there IS (extremely well hidden: congratulations Bill) a way to enter what you want in these columns. In this way you build a music library. It is GREAT!

So if Bill lets me have a MUSIC library, why not a FILE library?

Do I have to resort to the trickery of telling MS that all my files are "Music"

If any of you kind people can help, thank you so much
esdel

[morefun]

File Edit View

Choose Detail
Show
Or right click in one of the headers and select add.

It seems so elementary, yet the whole MS Kowledge Base never mentions it.
When you list your files, under the "details" option, there are columns for Name, Size, Type, Date Modified and then space for dozens of columns you can choose to add.

But NOWHERE does it say how you ADD things in these columns!

One column it lets you choose to have is "Key Words"
But HOW do you enter them!

I am on XP
In a thing called MS MediaPlayer there IS (extremely well hidden: congratulations Bill) a way to enter what you want in these columns. In this way you build a music library. It is GREAT!

So if Bill lets me have a MUSIC library, why not a FILE library?

Do I have to resort to the trickery of telling MS that all my files are "Music"

If any of you kind people can help, thank you so much
esdel

[esdel]

Oh Dear!
I have spent the last half hour trying to reply to your kind message
I have done so many times and it always gets wiped out inviting me to join again and again with a new u/name and password!

TMy deleted message to you is:
Thanks for trying but I want to ENTER the keywords of my choice in the column, not just have an empty colunm.
Like this:
File Size When created Ketwards (= what this file does)
Shoe 24k 07/04/09 Shoe leather, neolite, stitching

How do I do that?
esdel

[hughv]

Rt-click the file/Properties
Choose "Summary", enter away.

[esdel]

Rt-click the file/Properties
Choose "Summary", enter away.

Yes but when I do that Bill DESTROYS the date info for each file

I have 178 files
I want to PRESERVE their dates while ADDING info telling me what each file does.

I give up on Bill's idiot system

How can I COPY a directory listing into Excel on windows XP (and without losing all the date-of-origins)?
Many thanks

[hughv]

"Bill" is not an idiot, and he knows you want to preserve the dates on your files. You're looking at the "Date Modified", and Bill has accurately recorded your key strokes. Rt-click the column headings and add "Date Created" (And "Comments" if you wish.)
This utility will create a text file you can import into Excel(Or you can just use it as is, if you prefer:
http://techcruser.blogspot.com/2007/04/print-out-directory-listing-of-files.html
This can also be done with DOS commands.

[esdel]

"Bill" is not an idiot, and he knows you want to preserve the dates on your files. You're looking at the "Date Modified", and Bill has accurately recorded your key strokes. Rt-click the column headings and add "Date Created" (And "Comments" if you wish.)
This utility will create a text file you can import into Excel(Or you can just use it as is, if you prefer:
http://techcruser.blogspot.com/2007/04/print-out-directory-listing-of-files.html
This can also be done with DOS commands.

Brilliant! You have solved my problem without Bill's "help"
He "simplifies" the problem my DELETING all the dates:-
The Date created is erased and replaced by the SAME date for all (the date when you ADDED this ancient file to this computer)
The date modified (your last chance to have any date remembered at all) becomes the date you added the comment !

Many thanks

[hughv]

The date modified is acting as it's supposed to (You did modify it, after all).
The date created remains the same on my system. Are you saving under the same name in the same folder?