Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like
Classic Shell replaces the Start Menu. Meaning, when I right click on
the Start Button, and select Explore, the replacement is used, not the
Explorer from MS.

Does anyone know of one?

--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.11.6
Firefox 53.0.2 (64 bit)
Thunderbird 52.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

Ken Springer wrote:
On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like
Classic Shell replaces the Start Menu. Meaning, when I right click on
the Start Button, and select Explore, the replacement is used, not the
Explorer from MS.

Does anyone know of one?

An article at MUO likes XYplorer which comes with a 30d free trial and
costs $40 for the lifetime license.

https://www.xyplorer.com/ Find out why so many folks around the globe
pay US$ 39.95 for a file manager...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-wi...-replacements/
The 7 Best Windows File Explorer Replacements - July 31, 2017

--
Mike Easter

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

"Ken Springer" wrote

| On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.
|

I'm curious what you want to get, or get rid of.
Some things might be available through shell
extensions, like Explorer Bars, though I don't know
what's out there for that.

I wrote my own a few years ago, which I still use.
It adds info, thumbnail and various other functions
to the leftside panel, brining back something like
Win98 functionality. But mine is 32-bit so it won't
work on Win64.

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On 12/7/17 5:54 PM, Mike Easter wrote:
Ken Springer wrote:
On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like
Classic Shell replaces the Start Menu. Meaning, when I right click on
the Start Button, and select Explore, the replacement is used, not the
Explorer from MS.

Does anyone know of one?

An article at MUO likes XYplorer which comes with a 30d free trial and
costs $40 for the lifetime license.

https://www.xyplorer.com/ Find out why so many folks around the globe
pay US$ 39.95 for a file manager...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-wi...-replacements/
The 7 Best Windows File Explorer Replacements - July 31, 2017

Hi,Mike,

But, it's portable, which means it doesn't install into your system, and
thus doesn't replace Windows Explorer. :-(


--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.11.6
Firefox 53.0.2 (64 bit)
Thunderbird 52.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

In message , Mayayana
writes:
"Ken Springer" wrote

| On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.
|

I'm curious what you want to get, or get rid of.

(Me too, slightly.)

Some things might be available through shell
extensions, like Explorer Bars, though I don't know
what's out there for that.

I wrote my own a few years ago, which I still use.
It adds info, thumbnail and various other functions
to the leftside panel, brining back something like
Win98 functionality. But mine is 32-bit so it won't
work on Win64.

So this is one case where 32-bit software _won't_ run under 64, is it? I
presume because in 64, Explorer is a true 64-bit application, so won't
"play nice" with extensions?



--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

There are things that we should be free by law to say but choose not to. A
right to offend doesn't mean a duty to offend.
- Timothy Garton Ash, RT 2016/4/9-15

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

A follow up, Mike,

I just finished looking through the Make Use Of article. Xplorer2 looks
like it might do the job.

I know Q-Dir doesn't replace Windows Explorer, but I had it installed
for awhile, and had fun with it.

The article seems to talk about alternatives and replacements, but when
I search, there doesn't seem to be a "line" separating the two terms.

--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.11.6
Firefox 53.0.2 (64 bit)
Thunderbird 52.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On 12/7/17 6:06 PM, Mayayana wrote:
"Ken Springer" wrote

| On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.
|

I'm curious what you want to get, or get rid of.
Some things might be available through shell
extensions, like Explorer Bars, though I don't know
what's out there for that.

First, a short story, recent actual experience, as in the last month. G

The kid that runs the local PC repair shop had never seen Windows for
Workgroups. So, I installed a copy on an old XP laptop and dropped it
off for him to play with.

Know what impressed him the most? File Manager!! Especially the
navigation pane with the distinct lines showing the file structure
hierarchy.

That hierarchy is hard for people to see and grasp once the Vista
version of Windows Explorer and later. There's no connecting lines.

File Manager of W4WG is even easier to show that as each drive is
displayed in a bar just above the file display.
https://www.idgcdn.com.au/article/im..._img_60352.jpg
Technically, the display is not correct at the topmost level, but it's
the best MS did.

I tutor seniors with their computers, and the closer of a replacement to
File Manager I can find would be a plus as a starting point. And,
replacing Windows/File Explorer rather than a separate program would
make it easier to explain. That would make it easier to transition to
the display they see on their computer.

If they still have something of a quizzical look on their faces, I tell
them to look at it rotated 90Ëš clockwise, it's simply a corporate
organizational chart.

And, don't think everyone knows all this simple stuff we take for
granted. In the last month, I helped a senior who didn't know what a
word processor is, but had stumbled onto WordPad. She didn't know how
to save a file, and has owned this computer since Windows 8.

XPlorer++ also displays the lines, but it's portable. Currently, I
carry a copy of it on a thumb drive.

No matter what program I end up with, I'll have to try them out in W8.1
and 10.

snip


--
Ken
Mac OS X 10.11.6
Firefox 53.0.2 (64 bit)
Thunderbird 52.0
"My brain is like lightning, a quick flash
and it's gone!"

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

"J. P. Gilliver (John)" wrote

| So this is one case where 32-bit software _won't_ run under 64, is it? I
| presume because in 64, Explorer is a true 64-bit application, so won't
| "play nice" with extensions?

It's because a shell extension is an in-process DLL.
It runs in the Explorer process, as part of the Explorer
program, so to speak. 32-bit can run on Win64 but
the two can't mix in the same process. I'm not entirely
clear about the technical reasons. I think it's that an
in-process DLL is sharing the same memory space, which
is different size in 32 and 64. And functions use different
size parameters. For instance, as an Explorer Bar my DLL
receives notifications from Explorer. Things like info about
its size and location, and access to the instance of the
ShemllFolderView object representing the folder contents.
That allows me to respond to events like changes in the
selection. Those messages will have 32-bit parameters.
In 64-bit they'd probably be 64-bit parameters. That means
my DLL would mistakenly read the 1st 4 bytes of the first
parameter as the 1st, and the 2nd 4 bytes of the 1st
parameter as the second parameter. Since that's likely to
be a pointer to data stored at a memory address in Explorer's
memory context, my DLL will try to read "illegal" or wrong
memory as a result and crash. At best it would just fail to
work.

For other 32-bit COM DLLs I can just write an ActiveX
EXE for Win64. Same exact thing but out-of-process. And
any kind of stand-alone software can run on Win64. For
shell extensions it won't work that way. It has to be
in-process. And I don't have experience with writing 64-bit
code. So I gave up on adapting my Explorer Bar and now
only use it on 32-bit systems. But I assume other people
have written 64-bit Explorer Bars.

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

"Ken Springer" wrote

| I tutor seniors with their computers, and the closer of a replacement to
| File Manager I can find would be a plus as a starting point. And,
| replacing Windows/File Explorer rather than a separate program would
| make it easier to explain. That would make it easier to transition to
| the display they see on their computer.
|

I see. I got to looking around and also found this:

http://www.zabkat.com/sshots.htm

I expect the problem will be that most people
writing software are going to be making an effort
to use the most "modern" window components.
And that will also be the easiest approach for them.
To use an old-style "treeview" window would
probably require writing it from scratch.

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On 8/12/2017 8:16 AM, Ken Springer wrote:
On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like Classic Shell
replaces the Start Menu.Â* Meaning, when I right click on the Start Button, and select
Explore, the replacement is used, not the Explorer from MS.

Does anyone know of one?

FreeCommander XE

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On 2017-12-07 20:30, Ken Springer wrote:

A follow up, Mike,

I just finished looking through the Make Use Of article. Xplorer2 looks
like it might do the job.

I know Q-Dir doesn't replace Windows Explorer, but I had it installed
for awhile, and had fun with it.

The article seems to talk about alternatives and replacements, but when
I search, there doesn't seem to be a "line" separating the two terms.

Try DOpus (http://www.gpsoft.com.au/index.html) it replaces Explorer
completely, and I mean completely, desktop and all.

Regards,

--
! _\|/_ Sylvain /
! (o o) Member:David-Suzuki-Fdn/EFF/Red+Cross/SPCA/Planetary-Society
oO-( )-Oo Lord, let me prove that winning the lottery won't spoil me.

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On 12/8/2017 6:16 AM, Ken Springer wrote:
On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like
Classic Shell replaces the Start Menu. Meaning, when I right click on
the Start Button, and select Explore, the replacement is used, not the
Explorer from MS.

Google "file explorer replacement"? :)
https://www.google.com.hk/search?q=file+explorer+replacement

--
@~@ Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!!
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty!
/( _ )\ May the Force and farces be with you!
^ ^ (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10) Linux 2.6.39.3
�借貸! ��騙! ��交! �打交! �打劫! �自殺! 請考慮綜� (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_...sub_addressesa

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On 12/8/2017 11:59 AM, Bob Borbiro wrote:

Does anyone know of one?

FreeCommander XE


BTW, 7-zip has a file manager 7zfm.exe .... :)

--
@~@ Remain silent! Drink, Blink, Stretch! Live long and prosper!!
/ v \ Simplicity is Beauty!
/( _ )\ May the Force and farces be with you!
^ ^ (x86_64 Ubuntu 9.10) Linux 2.6.39.3
�借貸! ��騙! ��交! �打交! �打劫! �自殺! 請考慮綜� (CSSA):
http://www.swd.gov.hk/tc/index/site_...sub_addressesa

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On Thu, 7 Dec 2017 18:08:11 -0700, Ken Springer wrote:

On 12/7/17 5:54 PM, Mike Easter wrote:
Ken Springer wrote:
On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like
Classic Shell replaces the Start Menu. Meaning, when I right click on
the Start Button, and select Explore, the replacement is used, not the
Explorer from MS.

Does anyone know of one?

An article at MUO likes XYplorer which comes with a 30d free trial and
costs $40 for the lifetime license.

https://www.xyplorer.com/ Find out why so many folks around the globe
pay US$ 39.95 for a file manager...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-wi...-replacements/
The 7 Best Windows File Explorer Replacements - July 31, 2017

Hi,Mike,

But, it's portable, which means it doesn't install into your system, and
thus doesn't replace Windows Explorer. :-(

Installer he
http://www.softpedia.com/get/File-ma...orerFree.shtml
last free version.
I've got it set up to look likt WE - I don't like the multi-pane ones - and
it's a lot better than WE.
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

Windows Explorer Replacements
 

On Thu, 7 Dec 2017 16:54:04 -0800, Mike Easter
wrote:


Ken Springer wrote:

On another quest to find a replacement for the default Windows Explorer.

What I'm looking for would actually replace Windows Explorer, much like
Classic Shell replaces the Start Menu. Meaning, when I right click on
the Start Button, and select Explore, the replacement is used, not the
Explorer from MS.

Does anyone know of one?


An article at MUO likes XYplorer which comes with a 30d free trial and
costs $40 for the lifetime license.

https://www.xyplorer.com/ Find out why so many folks around the globe
pay US$ 39.95 for a file manager...

http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/best-wi...-replacements/
The 7 Best Windows File Explorer Replacements - July 31, 2017




I don't know all seven of these, but I know and use Directory Opus.
Highly recommended!