explorer replacements

anyone here use them? right now im trialing total commander but i was wondering if its possible if such program can replace explorer for browsing files. how do i make My Computers and folders open in Total Commander? or are there other utilities with such capability?

 

I use xplorer2 http://www.zabkat.com/ because its small, simple and fast.

But, if I remember correctly, Directory Opus has the feature you're looking for: a real replacement for explorer. http://www.gpsoft.com.au/Intro.html
Between Total Commander and Opus, I liked Opus much more.

 

Yep, been using it since the day it was called Windows Commander.
Don't know if it's possible to do that, but you'll find lots of info in Total Commander Wiki!.
Also found this topic at Ghisler's forum.

Hope it helps you a bit.

Agreed Opus offers a lot more, but IMO it isn't that user friendly.
Also there's a new TC version in beta, so I'll give it try pretty soon as it nears release.

 

my favourite by far is XYplorer (formerly - TrackerV3) then xplorer². lol looks like XYplorer and xplorer² used the same software to build their sites. i wonder if it's the same people it can't be with such similar software, maybe i'll have alook where their servers are after this post lol smilies are so funny
http://www.xyplorer.com/
screenshots
Product / Overview

here's one the screenshots.

http://www.xyplorer.com/images/shots/tabbedbrowsing.png

 

well i just gave opus a try and it works great! sometimes i cant get my views to stick but im impressed nonetheless.

 

I have used Powerdesk Pro for years. (Now a VCOM product) I love the integrated ftp and other things like easy assignment of color folder icons. And yes, you can check a box and next time you start your computer, Powerdesk replaces Explorer. Everyone has always thought of Powerdesk as just a file manager, but there's much more to it. One of my must-have programs.
http://www.v-com.com/product/PowerDesk_Pro_Home.html

You can use the Standard version for free. However, the PRO version has a lot of goodies.

 

I like PowerdeskPro as well. Also, one called Explorer Plus is nice, but no free version or even a trial. PowerdeskPro I have used since 1998.

 

Ack, It is Explorer²! I thought it was Explorer2.

Anyways, Explorer² is a far more powerful browser than windows explorer. For the simplest jobs (renaming and moving files, ect) Explorer2 is clearly superior. Little things like renaming a file does not effect its extension. I have actually timed instances of searches and data queries performed over 10x faster than explorer.

Dual panes make moving files much easier.

Then you move to areas that explorer is simply not capable of. example, searching for file duplicates based on different criteria. Ability to flatten directory trees and search and sort items that aren't even on the same drives, much less folders...

Lastly, unlike WE Explorer² is constantly adding new features. I like the feature they added a while back, having a drive tool bar to aid in navigation.

Can it replace explorer? I think most people would be happier with Explorer²!

check it out! - HandsOff

 

well i tried a few more: xplorer2, xyplorer, and powerdesk.

xplorer2 has teh best comatibility with iconpackager but i rele wish the toolbar icons were bigger and theres too many menus and items. xyplorer has simpler menus but no suppport for IP and i dont know if there is any other view besides "detail". and lastly theres powerdesk, like opus it wont display customized icons for drives and u cant customize the standard icons/toolbar. unfortuneately there is no powerdesk pro trial, its just an unlimited standard version, so i cant verify if the pro version has what i want.

also, afaik, only powerdesk and opus let u replace explorer.

 

XPLORER² FAQ @ http://zabkat.com/x2faq.htm:

How can I make xplorer² the default application for all my folders?

This is not recommended since you'll run into problems with virtual folders. What you can do instead is add a new verb for the Directory "file type" and associate that with xplorer². See registry.txt for more details.

The registry.txt file in the xplorer² installation folder offers this:

A. HOW TO MAKE XPLORER² YOUR DEFAULT FOLDER APPLICATION

As part of the installation process xplorer² adds "open_x2" in the context menu for filesystem folders.

If you want to have this the default action (so that folders open in x2 when you click on them) then make sure this is the default verb, either using Folder Options ("file folder" type) or editing the registry:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]
@="open_x2"

If you want some slightly different command line options you can add any of the supported options (see the quickstart guide) editing this registry key:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open\command]
@="C:\Program files\zabkat\xplorer2\xplorer2.exe" /T /1 "%1"

 

WFSuser-

At first I thought the toolbar icons were to small, however, they are so usefull that now I am glad that they are small enought to all more of them on the toolbar. They are rather ugly IMHO. I make icons alot. Most of the custom one s in my screen shot were ones I made. I have even contemplated making some replacesments, and seeing if they would adopt them, but it's not a high priority, and they probably wouldn't care anyways.

There are only a couple problems I have. The main one is that I want folders in the thumbnail view to contain mini-thumbnails on the contents when the contents are image files. I can't believe that windows explorer can do something better than Explorer²!

Of course, I haven't checked the latest update, and it could be in the works.

BTW...what is WFS


-HandsOff

 

@aagfr - thankx for the info

http://img90.imageshack.us/img90/8820/wsf1rb.jpg
if i had my gmail at the time, i wouldve had a more creative username.

 

I didn't think of that!

Well, it's original enough, I guess, and when the malware figures it out it will run for cover!


-HandsOff

 

Just saw this thread today. I want to ask how did u choose different colors for different type of files. Thanks.

 

http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/Configuration#Colors

http://www.geocities.com/wilbertnl/images/xyplorer.png

 

Thanks. BTW the feature Color Filter is not fully functional in free version. However u can add two of them.

 

PowerDesk is my favorite. Its UI is neat and its toolbar contains the most handy icons for my everyday use. However, the latest version of PowerDesk, version 6 is not written in unicode. Some Japanese and Chinese characters were displayed as "?" in PowerDesk. Tech support told me that PowerDesk 7 is in the works but no details is available.


Magellan Explorer is another alternative. It has a lot of configuration options but the icons are not as handy as PowerDesk. Although I have a license for Magellan Explorer, I seldom use it.

Home Page: http://www.enriva.com/

Screenshots: http://www.enriva.com/MagellanExplorer/screenshots.html



ExplorerXP is free and it provides the very basic. It displays the total size of each folder and allows you to browse multiple folders from a tabbed interface.

http://www.explorerxp.com/

http://www.explorerxp.com/screens/mainscreen1.png

 

explorer2( double panel)
xpPlorer( mutiple tabs)

Both have free versions, really good.

 

Total Commander since more than 4 years. Very fleixble, plugins, i even do a lot of system related stuff with it, like uninstalling, service configuration, etc. etc.
Can't live without it.

 

Ditto that - and it's extremely light on resources!

 

I use a predefined Total Commander setup. with plugins, very good menue extencions etc. Give it a try.

You find it here:
http://en.totalcmd.pl/ Don't be a fraid even the pages is also in Polish the setups come in polish and english.

Total Commander Powerpack (i use that one):
http://totalcmd.pl/powerpack
or
Total Commander Ultima Prime:
http://en.totalcmd.pl/download/app/new/Total_Commander_Ultima_Prime_1.8

More plugins, powerpacks, icons, utilities, addons, etc. here:
http://www.totalcmd.net/

 

Come on, Tommy! Where's our screenshot? A picture paints 1,000 words! (I showed the explore² interface, a few posts back).

Actually, I've heard total commander is very good. I will probably eventually look at it. No one at Wilders seems to have anything to say about Directory Opus ($60), which I am also curious about.

I am using explorer² Pro ($20, i think). It has a couple issues that should be considered as possible drawbacks.

- No caching of thumbnails. I've expressed my views at the software's forum, but the creator is determined to keep the program as light on resources as possible. Light and Fast. And it is very fast. But you'll need something like XnView (Free!) to view images.

- Unless this has changed, They actually use Windows Indexing Service. I was stunned and amazed. Of course, I don't use the service, thus I feel a bit cheated! In another thread people suggested desktop searches. I cant understand why indexing files, and managing them are seen as separate tasks. Wouldn't it make sense for the software that moves and renames and deletes files, to also update the search engine.

At any rate, Explore² makes up for this by having much better methods for finding files. The way you select folders to search is very flexible, not limited to the current folder, or drive.

-HandsOff

 

When it comes to file managers, its all a matter of personal preference. If you want something you can customize till you drop, with tons of features, there dopus. I know quite a lot of people use tc too, very nice. But i settled for xplorer2. Reason, its light and fast, and had all the features I needed, (dont want to use somethng with lots of capabilities which i will not use), more importantly it fit right into my computing habits.

You just gota try em all to make a better decision.

 

Well, the problem is, even if I try them all, I may not understand the value of certain features. The point I was trying to make is that a lot of software is solving one problem with one hand and creating a new problem with the other hand. It seems to me this is the situation when we use one application to index files and search. And another application to move, rename, and delete files. LOL -In this scenario, the more you organize your files, the harder it will be to find them! Ironically, my native windows search has become much faster than it used to be. I am guessing it is because I use windows explorer so much less frequently. Who knows! Just a theory...

I will add a little info to the mix. Another feature I like about the dual-pane explorer² is that by having two folder panes in one window you can easily copy or move files back and forth. If you orgainize MP3's or pictures this is very handy. Just select any number of files and F6 key moves them to the opposite pane. The F5 key copies them to the opposite pane. It's not a new concept...it's just an easier way to work!



-HandsOff

 

Ok OK, here we go

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/9661/tcgm2.th.png

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5765/tc2mq5.th.png

http://img88.imageshack.us/img88/5520/tc3pz4.th.png