Okay, so I’ve got this directory on my computer that has a bunch of DnD generator spreadsheets. I’d like to just print out the directory listing so I can show my friend Roy what I’ve got. Let’s see… how do I do that.

Oh wait.

I can’t.

Something as simple as printing out the directory listing, and Windows hasn’t been able to do it. EVER. And it’s not like they don’t know this is an issue, or that this is something that users want. Roy (the previously mentioned friend) sent me a link earlier today to Microsoft’s online “help” knowledge base (if you’ve ever had to use any of Microsoft’s help docs, you know why I put quote around the word).

They have an article titled, How to add the print directory feature to Windows Explorer. Huh.. whaddya know. Just what I’m looking for. I’m not sure what pisses me off more, that for once “help” is helpful, or that this is a problem so well known that they have an article for it, but have yet to actually include the functionality natively to any OS they have made (time will only tell if Vista is so crippled).

For the benefit of others who may be having this same issue (as well as for myself so i can find this again later) I am posting this information here in this entry. These instructions are altered only slightly to reflect some changes in menu structure since these instructions were first put together.

To add the print directory feature to Windows Explorer, follow these steps:

1. Open Notepad, and then copy and paste the following text into Notepad:

   @echo off
   dir %1 /-p /o:gn > “%temp%\Listing”
   start /w notepad /p “%temp%\Listing”
   del “%temp%\Listing”
   exit

Save the file as Prin.bat in the Windows directory, and then close Notepad.

2. Start Windows Explorer, click Tools, and then click Folder Options.
3. Click the File Types tab, and then click File Folder.
4. Click Edit, and then click New OR Click Advanced, and then click New
5. In the Action box, type Print Directory Listing.
6. In Application used to perform action, click Prin.bat, and then click OK.
7. Click OK, click Apply, and then click OK.
8. Open Windows Explorer, right-click the folder that you would like to print a directory listing of, and then click Print Directory Listing.

And there you go. A simple solution to fix a persistent Windows problem. One that should never have existed in the first place, once they moved from ‘bloated file manager’ to ‘bloated operating system’. Oh well. I never claimed they were perfect.

Have fun kids.