file managers

hello,
how many of you use file managers to replace explorer?
and if so why and what do you use?
i want to replace explorer but so far havent found one that i would want to use everyday.
tabbed is the main reason. i dont want it to be cluttered and dont want it to look to old. the address bar should be at the top.
paid software is fine.
being able to run it off my usb pen would be nice but not needed.
would like to know when new versions come out if they are free upgrades or cost and if so how much.
im only really interested in opinions of people who have used the software for a prolonged amount of time.

 

Hi lodore
Been happily using PowerDesk for many years.
It and other file managers (discussed here: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=176343&page=2&highlight=powerdesk) are full-featured enough that once you find one that you are comfortable with, I am sure you will rarely use explorer.

cheers

 

There are lots of file managers with many different looks. The key thing I needed was ease of copying files from one location to another. I finally settled on FreeCommander http://www.freecommander.com/index.htm It works great for me. Now when I'm on a PC without it, I'm kinda lost!

(BTW, FreeCommander's setup is very flexible. It has tabs but I don't use them.)

 

Hi bob D,
i just tryed powerdesk 7.
i ticked the option to replace explorer during install.
it half crashed a few times.
when i clicked on control panel it opened up powerdesk.
so i couldnt open control panel and unistall it.
luckily i have image backups.

 

I have been using for a long time xplorer2 and I am *very* happy with it.
It has all the requirements you're looking for.
Its GUI is intentionally similar to explorer, so it's intuitive. It can be highly personalised and tweaked if you wish. It has a lite version (free) which is very powerful on its own, and is portable.
Take it for a spin and I doubt you'll leave it!

 

Ouch.
Are you running Vista?
Vista issues & getting rid of powerdesk blog here (describing loss of control panel issue):
http://mugfordmugshots.blogspot.com/2008/07/software-getting-rid-of-powerdesk.html
Powerdesk v6 here on XP Pro without issue (of little consoloation to you I'm sure).
Good news is there are many other file managers to choose from.

Cheers

 

hey,
yes i am
i restored an image.
hopfully the big issue will be fixed soon.
when i tryed power desk 5 or 6 on windows 2000 ages ago it worked fine.

 

hey newbino,
your right absolute awesome program!
its like explorer with wings! but just as easy to use.
can it replace explorer and if so how? couldnt find the option.
just trying to work out if i can move the tabs to the top just like on web browsers?
i have asked these questions on the program fourm.

 

Tools / Options / Advanced: Check "Folder tabs on top"

 

glad you're liking it

from the User Manual
How to make x² your default folder application
As part of the installation process, x² adds "open with xplorer2" in the context menu for filesystem folders.
If you want to have this the default action (so that folders always 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"

to my knowledge you can have the tabs either on top or at the bottom of the dual panes, not otherwise, but I'll be glad to be disproved

 

I am using Directory Opus and I love it! Give it a whirl !

 

http://georgeh123.blogspot.com/2004/10/file-management-xplorer2-lite-version.html

I donated to get the full version of Superfinder. It's easy to change the registry to use AgentRansack. Both are worthy replacements of the built-in find files.

Ia

 

I'm another happy user of the free version of xplorer^2 .

 

I tried a bunch of them, but ended up going back to Windows Explorer.

UltraExplorer looks very promising but its development currently seems a bit slow. It's freeware and yes, its user interface is completely customisable. Current version: 1.5.0.3.

http://www.mustangpeak.net/subdomains/ultraexplorer/index.html

 

I concur. I have tried all them listed here, and others as well. They work great for the most part. However I find it easier to just use the inbuilt one. I am at too many computers that don't have alternates installed, so it is easier to just keep to the same on all.

That being said one feature many of those have that explorer does not is the comparison utilities. I personally use Beyond Compare, but you might find you can use one alternate explorer app that does it all.

Another thing I have found very handy is http://foldersize.sourceforge.net/

Sul.

 

I've been using Fileboss for awhile now and I'm very impressed with it.

http://www.theutilityfactory.com/

 

I use FlexTk Express (http://www.flexense.com). Its about as quick at grabbing the file list as Altap Salamander is.

 

Flex tk is truly good and x64 as well.

 

I can recommend XYplorer http://www.xyplorer.com/ - offers lots of room for customization but not difficult to figure out. Also with constant improvements and a good support system.
Can be run from USB and does not affect registry entries.

I would not want to do without it.

 

FreeCommander is best of the best. Portable, stable and includes huge amount of useful options.

 

Totalcommander is my choice since 13 years back. It is regularly updated and upgrades costs nothing.
Its a Norton clone (for those of you who remember the classic DOS file manager) and very customizable.

 

Yes, that's a very cool proggie. The last freeware version is here:

http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=579

 

Lodore, I've been searching for one as well. Tried xyexplorer, freecommander, and been using a portable version of Total Commander.

Not too fussed on any of them.

So far, I like this portable one (if you don't mind the black background):
http://www.portablefreeware.com/?id=1419#comments

Has tools such as compare folders, folder tree, can open folders/drives in tabs.

Screenshot:
http://www.portablefreeware.com/graphics/nexusfile/screenshot.gif

Otherwise, still looking for that 'perfect substitute'.

Mtexplorer is the most simple portable explorer program I've come across. It's only two files, the exe and the settings file.
http://www.mtexplorer.com/

 

hey zero3K,
looks very good.
just trying the copy feature for a large back file.
steady speed unlike explorer.
bultin sync very nice.
shame vista screws up and goes mega slow even when using a different program to do the file copying.
program is great, vista is useless...
im sure it works great on xp.
MS is the only company that could get away with such a useless OS even after being out for around what 1.5 years at least?
at times like this i really wish i had got xp and not vista... yes it looks nicer but at a way to high cost,speed and reliability.
i think anyone who brought vista should get at least get 50percent discount on windows 7.

 

I would agree, File I/O in MS truly sucks as compared to other OS specially compared to Linux. Only 2008 is better in that respect, Vista is absolutely the pits and its due to poor cache management. XP64 is an unsung gem of an OS compared to other MS offerings having all the attributes of 2003 with x64 power and sadly its not highlighted at all. With SP2 and latest patches its an extremely stable and fast OS and there is absolutely no compatibility problems whatsoever. It runs all that Vista x64 does and runs it fast.