making folder display options "stick"

This drives me crazy. I have a folder that catches Firefox downloads.
They are of all different filetypes. For some reason, Win 7 decides which
columns are "appropriate" to display based upon the types of files it
finds. Other folders show this behavior too; if there are media types
present it will insist on giving me columns with Artist etc., but not,
for example, file size or creation date.

Is there a way to force what I want and to have it retained?

TIA,
Jason