Looking for Explorer replacement

Discussion in 'other software & services' started by bgoodman4, Dec 10, 2009.

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  1. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    For a number of years I have been happily using a program called Explorer Plus but lately it has become very slow to load (read and display the root tree etc) and to update file name changes. The program has not been updated for years and the publishers web-site does not even list it any longer.

    I also have a licenced copy of a program called Explorer2 but I find its interface awkward and some of its features are downright weird (search functions for example) and some features (such as the preview pane) work erratically (see below for attachments showing the problem, if someone can tell me how to correct this I would be very grateful). In fact, I purchased Explorer + because of the issues I was having with X2.

    Now to the point,,,,,, could someone recommend a good, customizable, Explorer replacement. It should offer dual pane, preview of audio, text, pdf, etc files both in the main interface and in the search results window, as well as quick access to commonly accessed folders (bookmarks or links to particular folders). Being able to customize the layout as well as columns etc is an important requirement.

    Thanks in advance.
     
  2. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    Sorry, I forgot to add the attachments mentioned above. Here they are

    Correct that - I cannot seem to upload then (and they are under 300 KB)
     
  3. Defcon

    Defcon Registered Member

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    Don't see any attachments. I'm very happy with xplorer2, you might want to contact its developer, he's very responsive.

    (edit - it seems we both posted at the same time). Have you tried Xyplorer?
     
  4. Saraceno

    Saraceno Registered Member

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    Here's a fair few of them to try:
    http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?sc=9

    I found this one, doesn't look as flash, but is the most stable with the standard right-click explorer options:
    http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=113#comments

    This one is a single file, which can allow multiple windows, in any format, 2x2 (4 windows), 1x2 (2 windows, side by side). Basic, mainly for copying and pasting, but great program to have.
    http://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=862#comments
     
  5. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    I have written to him/her today detailing my issues. I am hopeful they can be resolved.

    I have spent the last 3 or 4 hours looking for replacements to test. I will list them below. Some are free, some are expensive, perhaps one of them will be to my taste or perhaps I will get my issues with X2 sorted out and stick with it. I will be doing my testing over the next day or 2 and perhaps if my head does not explode during the testing I will post my thoughts and findings.

    Here are the candidates in no particular order

    Altap Salamander
    Directory Opus
    xyplorer
    a43
    Unreal Commander
    Gyula’s Navigator
    Accelman File Manager
     
  6. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    Thank you, I have added Explorer++ to the test list
     
  7. Sully

    Sully Registered Member

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  8. whitedragon551

    whitedragon551 Registered Member

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  9. ParaV

    ParaV Registered Member

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    TotalCommander is my favour!

    Code:
    http://www.ghisler.com
     
  10. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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  11. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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  12. Longboard

    Longboard Registered Member

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  13. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    Thank you, I have added a few to test from here, notably SpeedCommander which sounds very good.

    I have done some testing and so far Directory Opus is leading. Its not absolutely perfect but it will do everything I want it to and then some. The only thing lacking is the ability to control the size and location of some of the windows but this is not really a big issue (I can work around this without much effort).

    Out of a total of 10 programs 4 have been tested, 3 have been eliminated, one is on the short list, and there are 6 to go (plus possibly any further suggestions that look like they may meet my requirements).

    Short List:

    Directory Opus


    Eliminated:

    Altap Salamander
    Explorer ++
    Q-Dir


    Remaining to test:

    Speed Comander
    xyplorer
    A43
    Unreal Commander
    Gyula’s Navigator
    accelman
     
  14. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    Hi bgoodman4,

    my favorite is XYplorer Pro (lifetime license).
    For a comparison check here http://www.gpsoft.com.au/Comparison.html .
    and a nice old review is here http://www.donationcoder.com/Forums/bb/index.php?topic=4849

    What made me to go for the lifetime license 2 years ago is that:
    1. I can't say no to lifetime offers. :p
    2. is completly portable. :thumb:
    3. you can use it on any number of devices that you own. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:

    Panagiotis

    edit:
    In case you do not need all the options of the pro version there is also a home lifetime edition http://www.xyplorer.com/homeedition.php .
     
  15. virtumonde

    virtumonde Registered Member

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    Interesting link Pandlouk.I have both Opus and TC ,like them both,but didn't know till now about TC also having flatview :) which is one of the most useful features for me.
    Opus is by far the most expensive,but Imo is not overpriced,is as good as it's user's skill's.It has one disavantage beside the price, lack of copy queue.One can use Tera Copy ,but at this price i would expected it it built in.
     
  16. pandlouk

    pandlouk Registered Member

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    If you mean this one http://www.gpsoft.com.au/Comparison.html you should take it with a with a grain of salt.

    For example they say that xyplorer does not support "Multi-Level Undo", but this is not true (see the attached picture and the info at the site http://www.xyplorer.com/product.htm).

    I agree that Opus is great but I really prefer XYplorer and not only for its price... (for example I love the "mini tree" feature that no other file manager has... yet)

    Panagiotis
     

    Attached Files:

  17. rdsu

    rdsu Registered Member

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  18. Chubb

    Chubb Registered Member

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    I am not sure if it is important to you but this is very important to me.

    Directory Opus, SpeedCommander, XYplorer, xplorer²,[FONT=Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Sans-serif,sans-serif][SIZE=-1] Magellan Explorer, FreeCommander[/SIZE][/FONT] all support showing the size of a file in bytes. I don't know the others.

    Showing the size in bytes is important to me because I can compare two files easily at a glance. If the bytes are different, they are different. I don't like Windows Explorer because it can only show size in KB. I need to right-click the file to show properties to see the exact bytes to see if the two files are the same.

    AB Commander is another paid File Manager but it only show sizes in KB.

    FreeCommander, UltraExplorer, SE-Explorer are free File Managers. Their features may not be as comprehensive as Directory Opus but you can try.

    PowerDesk was once my favourite file manager because it can show the file size in bytes but it does not support unicode. It failed to display files with filenames in Chinese and Japanese and it is an old product now. There is no more after sales support after Avanquest acquired the product in early 2008.

    Lifetime license is available for XYplorer and xplorer², but there is no holiday discount for them yet. I am waiting for a holiday discount for XYplorer :p. The price of XYplorer will increase in 2010, so make your decision asap.

    PS: xplorer² has a 51% discount (US$14.95) on 18 Dec 2009, but you say you have it already. Details:
    https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=260354
     
    Last edited: Dec 11, 2009
  19. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    I just finished testing Speed Commander and at first I was very pleased with the program. Then a few problems cropped up. One I could live with if I had to, the other,,,well I don't think so.

    The problem I could live with is a strange search function. It seems you must have either all of the string of text of the file name you are looking for, or wild cards for any text you do not have.

    For example:

    I tried to find the file < 1207 Zagar - Karcag Blues.mp3 > by searching for Zagar. No hit. After trying all manner of combinations I realised what was nec was to have the following *Zagar*.* in the search terms box. Miss one of the wild-cards and the file could not be found.

    Now I could live with this. Its a bit of a pain but I could do it if all else were equal. The rest of the program feels very comfortable being similar in a number of ways to ExplorerPlus but even though I installed the English version (the developer is German), the help files were all in German. I went to the publishers website and tried to find out how to correct this but no joy. I went to the forum, its in German. Found a section for English users and clicked on it and yes the topics and discussions were in English but all links etc (registration, search parameters, etc), were in German.

    Too bad, this one is off the list.
     
  20. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    I will be testing this one next and will let you know what I think.
     
  21. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    I like to have a choice as to how the size is displayed. The program I settle on will have to allow me to set to display size as I see fit.
     
  22. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    Perhaps I should be a bit more explicit as to what I am looking for and why.

    As noted above I need a good preview function (images and music files) and I need a good search tool. As part of my job I produce a lot of images and I need to be able to find, group, and quick view them. I have, and use, both Picasa and Adobe Bridge but I find for some searches its easier to do it in an Explorer type program. It is really important that I be able to position and size program windows as I see fit. Not being able to do so really interferes with my work-flow.

    I also have a rather large music collection. Most tracks have been purchased from on-line vendors (I do not subscribe to the file sharing - read stealing - philosophy) and I need to be able to determine if a track I am considering for purchase is part of the collection already, or not. So again a fast search function is important, and info on the track must be readily available. That is name, length, and bit-rate. Also, I need to be able to listen to a track in my collection to determine if its the same or different from the one I am considering purchasing (for example Billy Holiday never sang the same song the same way twice. I have many versions of a particular song done by her, each with exactly the same name and often similar lengths, but they are different in the way she delivered the piece.

    In short I am not so much concerned with what programs different individuals like or do not like. I am only concerned with those that will provide these particular functions (as well as the other normal file management functions of course).

    By the way, I currently am buying tracks from http://www.soundike.com/
     
  23. bgoodman4

    bgoodman4 Registered Member

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    XYplorer is definetly a contender. Nice program.
     
  24. Sully

    Sully Registered Member

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    I would suggest you look into some programs specifically designed to catalog music. I forget now as it has been many years, but there used to be some good freeware ones that would organize your .mp3, and show you lots of detail if you desired.

    I understand your desire for a great explorer alternative, as I spend a large portion of my time with multiple windows open, many of them explorer. My only problem with many of the alternatives is that they may not be as 'quick' as the integrated one, which is afterall a major component of the shell.

    With the work you are undergoing, maybe you should develop some of your criteria into categories and put out a short document with what you find. I wouldn't mind going over it myself to see what you found.

    Sul.
     
  25. Minimax2000

    Minimax2000 Registered Member

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    I settled for xyplorer after having evaluated some contenders. It is not perfect but covers all my needs. Qttabbar didn't work well on Vista x64 so I had to abandon it.:(

    These features conviced me to buy the lifetime license:
    -Tabbed browsing
    -Ongoing, constant development
    -Mini tree
    -Catalog
    -Extensive Search
    -Preview
    - Stable!
    -Generous EULA
     
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