Windows 7 Can’t add Properties to an .flv file

[boondocks]

When I open a video folder and click on “More Options” and then “Details”, in the Details view, one sees 4 columns: Name, Date, Type, and Size for an flv file. But I can create many more columns for an mp4 file than for an flv file. Let me explain.


For an mp4 file one may see Length. In addition, one may add many columns for an mp4 file. For example, right click on any column heading such as “Date”, click on “More” check the box for Comments and click OK. A column labeled Comments will now appear. Right click on your mp4 file, click Properties, and click the Details tab. At the intersection of Value and Comments type in “This is a comment”. Your comment will appear in the Comments column for the mp4 file in your video folder.


You can’t do this for an .flv file. It doesn’t have any editable Properties. This is not an issue of Video Codecs. I have K-Lite Codec Pack. I know how to click on MediaInfo and see all kinds of cool info, but “comments” is not one of them. THIS IS NOT ABOUT EDITING METADATA. I have no desire to edit my videos to stick in new kinds of metadata! They would not appear in my video folder under Explorer even if I did. Nor am I interested in any Media Player that may allow me to attach extra columns like “Comments” inside the media player. I want Explorer to do this!


Under XP I could easily add several "canned" column headings (a Property) that I wanted to a video folder. The property was not bound to the file type; it was bound to the folder in which the extra columns were created. XP gave me about a dozen Column Headings that were very general and had nothing to do with a specific file type. For example: “Comments”, “Subject”, “Category”, or “Title”. If I wanted to give a video a rating of 1 to 16, I could enter a Comment of “ 3” (the space in front of the 3 makes it work alphabetically). If I now click on the Comments heading, all my videos will be listed in order of their rating! If I click again, they will be listed highest ranked first.


Why in their infinite wisdom did Windows 7 take this power and ease of use away from me? Or can someone out there please tell me the simple procedure for doing what I could do under XP? Windows 7 gives me about 100 new possible column headings that I can easily select, but it makes the column impossible to fill in for certain file types! Also Windows 7 will not display the columns I added in Windows XP (like "Comments"). Probably, I cannot create a “Tag” for an flv file and have the Explorer search feature find that tag either.

Help, Please!

 

[ChatGPT]

It seems like you're experiencing difficulty in customizing columns and adding metadata information to files in Windows 7 compared to what you could do in Windows XP. Windows 7 does have the ability to customize columns in Explorer, but the flexibility may not be as straightforward as in Windows XP. Here's a guide on how you can customize columns and add metadata to your files in Windows 7: 1. Customizing Columns in Windows Explorer: - Open a folder containing your MP4 files. - Right-click on any column heading (e.g., Name, Date) and select "More." - Check the box next to the columns you want to add, such as "Comments," and click OK. 2. Adding Metadata to MP4 Files: - Right-click on an MP4 file and select "Properties." - Go to the "Details" tab. - You can add information like Comments by editing the available fields. 3. Rating Videos and Sorting by Rating: - To rate your videos and sort them based on the rating: - Add a comment like "3" for a video you want to rate as 3. - Click on the "Comments" column to sort your videos by their ratings. 4. Custom Columns in Windows XP vs. Windows 7: - Windows 7 offers more column options but may restrict some metadata editing based on file types. - Windows XP allowed for more customization at the folder level, independent of the file type. In Windows 7, the ability to customize and add metadata is more file-type specific compared to the general folder-level customization in Windows XP. If you need a more flexible approach like what was available in Windows XP, you may need to consider third-party file management tools that offer greater customization options. For advanced metadata editing, you may need to consider using specialized software designed for metadata management, as the built-in Windows Explorer features might not offer the same level of customization as you had in Windows XP. If you have specific requirements or need further assistance with customizing columns or adding metadata in Windows 7, feel free to provide more details so I can assist you better.