I’ve been using Windows Vista for a few months now, and am still finding that for every nice new feature I like, there is a change of behaviour or missing element that I dislike just as much. Ah, progress…

Last night, however, I encountered a new bug which is both minor and infuriating: the ability to select multiple files in Windows Explorer vanished. Using the mouse to drag-out a selection box, holding down Shift or Control, and even trying to choose Select All from the Edit menu are all disabled. It’s hard to describe just how annoying it is not to have this simple capability.

It turns out this is a well known Vista bug, first reported back in the Vista Beta days, and there are three solutions. Two are well-documented, the third is much more difficult to find. Naturally, the third solution was the one that I needed.

For convenience, here they are (in order of simplicity).

1. Go into Tools -> Folder Options -> Views and choose Reset Folders (also available under “Organise -> Folder & Search Options”. You may need to do this from within multiple Explorer Windows before it finally works.

2. Alternatively, run RegEdit and delete all keys under this one:

HKCU\Software\Classes\Local Settings\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell

(i.e. Bags, BagsMRU, and MuiCache) in their entirety. Do this with no Windows Explorer windows open; ideally, with Windows Explorer killed in Process Manager before you delete the keys.

3. When neither of the above two methods works, run this FixSingleSelect VBScript and it will sort it out – at least, it did for me.

I’m frankly stunned that Microsoft have (a) allowed a bug with such wide-spread impact to make it through to final release, and (b) not issued a patch to address the problem.