Windows XP gave me the audio file info I need. So why did MS remove it and replace it with a slough of useless, and often blank, info in Windows 7 (and up)? 
 
In Windows XP, when you right click an audio file and pick Properties - Summary, you get:
- Bit Rate                 1411kbps
- Audio sample size   16 bit
- Channels                2 (stereo)
- Audio sample rate   44 kHz
- Audio format           PCM
 
In Windows 7, when you pick Properties - Details, you get:
Description
Title
Subtitle
Rating
 
Media
Contributing Artists
Album
Year
#
Genre
Length                    00:04:39
 
Audio
Bit rate                   1411kbps
 
Origin
Media Created
Copyright
 
Content
Parental rating
Parental rating reason
 
File
Name                      My File
Item Type                Wave Sound
Folder path               C:\Folder\Subfolder
Date created             9/23/2009
Date modified            9/30/2009
Size                          47.0 MB
Attributes                  A
Offline availability
Offline status
Shared with
Owner
Computer                  (** this one)
 
The XP info is not even available in the Folder Details list where they added a ton of useless options and removed the useful stuff. Very disappointing MS!

I'm pretty sure you can customize the details columns, but I've never looked specifically for bit depth. Are you sure it isn't in there either? That would be disappointing. Even though I can't say I've ever needed it.

They customize folders with audio content as if you always wanted to see the info as you would through Windows Media Player, but I believe you can indeed alter that behavior for individual folders, as well as for all folders.
 
Yup - just looked for it and found it.
 
Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the desired folder and go into that folder.  Now, right-click in some empty space and click Properties, then click on the tab at the top right that says Customize.  You can control how Windows displays the contents of this folder, so that it displays like a normal folder, rather than a Music folder.
 
Hope that helps, 
 
Bob Bone
 

And after you've told Windows a sufficient number of times that "no, although this folder has one jpg or mp3 in it along with 100 other files, I actually want to see the contents of this folder as per the usual Explorer "details" view" the setting eventually sticks.

If you're lucky.

But only for a while.

Thanks guys, but even with customizing the details, all but one of the XP attributes listed above have been removed from ALL areas of Windows 7(and up?). They simply aren't there anymore.
 
Windows XP right click audio file Properties:
- Bit Rate                 1411kbps (Win7 = YES)
- Audio sample size   16 bit (Win7 = NO)
- Channels                2 (stereo) (Win7 = NO)
- Audio sample rate   44 kHz (Win7 = NO)
- Audio format           PCM (Win7 = NO but "Item type" comes close, tho it only tells you what you already know by the file Extention)
 
This info isn't vital in any way but it is nice to have it all in One Place and it can save me a lot of guesswork when it's needed.

I use this.  Places a item on the Windows 7 rightclick menu for media files

https://mediaarea.net/en/MediaInfo

Thanks pro... downloading now. It's sad to have to go 3rd party to get what you used to get automatically. I should look into 3rd party stuff more often. There's usually something out there for everything these days.