This is an old FAQ is for people using Directory Opus 9 or earlier.
There are separate FAQs for Directory Opus 10 and above. See the FAQ List.
Summary: System folders like Desktop and Control Panel are provided by Explorer are not configured in the same way that normal folders are.
[ul][li]Directory Opus 9:
Changes to system folders are saved automatically when you exit them, whether by closing the window or navigating to a different location.
[/li]
[li]Directory Opus 8 and below:
Changes to system folders are only saved if you close the window without changing folders. If you instead navigate to a different location then your changes will not be saved.
For example, to make My Computer always display in Details mode within Directory Opus 8:
[ul][li]Open an Opus window displaying My Computer.
[/li]
[li]Right-click some empty space within My Computer and select View -> Details.
[/li]
[li]Close the Opus window.[/li][/ul][/li]
[li]Tip: View your Desktop as a normal directory
(This is not needed in Directory Opus 10, which has 'native' handling of the Desktop virtual folder.)
If you type /desktopdir into the path field in Opus then it will take you to the directory which contains your desktop files. After you hit return the path will change to something like C:\Users\Leo\Desktop, depending on your username and version of Windows. (/desktopdir is one of the built-in folder aliases in Opus.)
/desktopdir is often preferable to Desktop. Here are the differences between the two:
[ul][li]/desktopdir is a real directory which Opus handles by itself, meaning that all of Opus's features are available, including the Folder Formats system. On the other hand, Desktop is a special folder which Explorer handles for Opus, resulting in more limited functionality.
[/li]
[li]/desktopdir only shows your personal desktop files. On the other hand, Desktop shows you a merged view of your personal desktop files, plus the desktop files in the special All Users (or Default under Windows Vista) user profile, plus some special icons such as Recycle Bin.[/li][/ul]
You can make Opus automatically use /desktopdir instead of /desktop by going to Preferences - Folders - Virtual Folders, selecting Treat the following virtual folders as real and adding Desktop to the list.[/li][/ul]