With every new version of Windows, Microsoft tries yet again to give us a fast, simple, and customizable way to open, save, and view the files stored on our PCs. From what I've seen of Windows 7, we can't expect any revolutionary changes to Windows Explorer and the standard folder windows and dialog boxes.
I guess I've gotten so used to the same-old Explorer views that it's a genuine eye-opener when a free program such as Code Sector's Direct Folders gives file and folder management a whole new perspective. The program adds an icon to the taskbar's notification area that lets you jump quickly to your recently opened documents, favorite folders, and just about any other location on your PC.
The Direct Folders utility lets you access files, folders, and other locations by clicking an icon in the taskbar notification area.
(Credit: Code Sector)The program also enlarges folder windows and standard Open, Save, and other dialog boxes to let you view more items without scrolling. Above the window, Direct Folders places an information box that shows the complete folder path of the selected item along with the amount of free space on the disk. Select any part of the folder path to jump to that location. Double-click an empty area of folder windows and dialog boxes to open the Direct Folders menu.
See the complete folder path of the item selected in folder windows and common dialog boxes in the Direct Folders window above the standard dialog.
(Credit: Code Sector)You can customize your Direct Folders shortcuts by clicking the program's taskbar icon and selecting Configure. The Organize Favorites tab lets you change the destination of your shortcuts, the icon they use, and even give the shortcut an alternative destination that you reach by Shift-clicking it.
Customize your Direct Folders shortcuts via the program's Configure dialog box.
(Credit: Code Sector)Other configuration options let you change the number of shortcuts the program displays on its menu, assign keyboard shortcuts for the items, change the number of recent items, resize file dialogs, and set the default view and sort option for specific folders. You can also add applications you want to track via the program and customize their recent-items lists.
The Pro version of the utility costs 14.95 euros and adds the ability to check the amount of free space on each of your PC's drives from the Save dialog, change each application's default Save folder, and automatically select the last file opened in that folder. You can also create subfolders for folders on the main Direct Folders menu.
There's nothing particularly earth-shattering in Direct Folders--just a lot of nice file and folder touches that make working in Windows a little quicker and easier. Makes you wonder why Microsoft couldn't have built some of these time-savers directly into Windows' common dialogs.
If you're a demanding aesthete who insists on stamping your imprimatur all over your computer's interface, TweakXPlorer might be just what you've been looking for. If you're looking for a serious Explorer performance-enhancing drug, you're probably going to want to look elsewhere.
(Credit:
Seth Rosenblatt/CNET Networks)
TweakXPlorer is a simple utility that lets you slap an image in Explorer's background, change font colors, and adjust background settings for the Explorer toolbar. Simple buttons with clean icons will help you navigate through the three main interface tabs.
There's TweakFolder for folder changes, TweakToolbar for toolbar adjustments, and TweakThumbnail to change thumbnail resolution and size. Importing an image into the toolbar automatically resizes it for the toolbar's rectangular dimensions, and the app makes use of sliders to avoid becoming visually stale.
It's portable, although the reasoning behind that decision is not exactly clear. Portable Firefox is something I understand, but for TweakXPlorer it just added several tedious steps before I could test it out.
You'll have to locate your images through the program's file browser, since drag and drop doesn't work here. Other than that, the biggest limitation the program faces is that it's kind of pointless beyond the skinning. If the visual customizations could be coupled with actual improvements for XP's Explorer, I'd be more willing to recommend the program enthusiastically.
Nothing less than a boon for users looking to manage their file menus, freeware utility FileMenu Tools focuses on function with a simple interface. Most users should have no problem quickly learning to use FileMenu Tools to bend Windows to their will, but a detailed Help file is available for novices.
Operating FileMenu Tools merely means manipulating select pull-downs and function icons. Users choose a menu and use the Actions function list to add commands, submenus, or separators. Deleting and moving menu items also takes only a click. Clicking a menu item displays basic function descriptions and properties when available. Adding commands is the app's power function. Advanced users familiar with element types, extensions, and variable manipulation won't have any problems correctly filling in all fields for new commands. Other users will find the Help file answers most questions. After just a few minutes, most will have a new command added to a favorite menu.
FileMenu Tools proves that helpful, high performance utilities can come at no cost. The application performs well, functions are logical presented and easily learned, and it improves on basic Windows operation.
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CNET)
This freeware utility is a boon for users looking to manager their file menus. FileMenu Tools's simple interface logically presents all functions and menus. Most users should have no problem quickly learning to operate this application. A detailed Help file is available for those novices new to the file menu.
Operating FileMenu Tools merely means manipulating select pull-downs and function icons. Users choose a menu and use the Actions function list to add commands, submenus, or separators. Deleting and moving menu items also takes only a click. Clicking a menu item displays basic function descriptions and properties when available.
Adding commands is FileMenu Tools's power function. Advanced users familiar with element types, extensions, and variable manipulation won't have any problems correctly filling in all fields for new commands. Other users will find the Help file answers most questions. After just a few minutes, most will have a new command added to a favorite menu.
FileMenu Tools is another freeware application that proves helpful, high performance utilities can come at no cost. The application performs well, functions are logical presented and easily learned, and it improves on basic Windows operation.
UltraExplorer overhauls the Windows file-browsing experience. Many things will seem similar, yet several key features have radically different work flows from the Microsoft file navigator. It also combines the best aspects of Windows Vista's Explorer with those from XP, and then throws in a few spices of its own to come up with a delicious meal of file management.
The UltraExplorer interface is entirely customizable, from the toolbar menu to the various icons, tools, and options that live below. You can permanently hide any of the 17 toolbars and nine windows that come with the program, so you never have to deal with more clutter than is absolutely necessary. Useful features include an address bar, breadcrumb bar, Dual Views for FTP-style management, and a killer temporary scratch pad called the Drop Stack. It also supports Total Commander plug-ins, and has Quick Thumbs and Stretch tools for quickly resizing icons.
However, the search feature is worse than the one in Windows Explorer, the Options menu is unnecessarily complicated, and the auto-replace Windows Explorer hot key is buggy. UltraExplorer is a very good but not absolutely necessary file-managing replacement.
This slimmed-down file manager trumps Windows Explorer on many counts, but it may have too much flexibility for some users.
Xplorer2 Lite's interface is easily adapted to your preferences. Toolbars and information windows can be moved on a whim. You can browse two or more folders in one window, using program tabs and different panes. What's more, you can customize search windows and save the settings for later use. Visual filters improve crowded directory readability. You can easily rename multiple files at once, split or merge files, synchronize folders, and shred data to prevent recovery. However, Check Duplicates and Compare Subfolders functions are restricted to the paid version.
An enhanced DOS command line allows you to create scripts to process file batches, a nice touch for more advanced users. The online help is detailed, the tool tips are mini manuals, and the Tip of the Day feature gives even more helpful information. The learning curve is exceedingly gentle. Almost everyone should find this file manager a great improvement over their current tool: Xplorer2 Lite will even make novices feel like power users.
There are several good freeware file-browsing alternatives out there. In the past, we've written about both free and shareware alternatives such as 2xExplorer Z1, Xplorer2 Lite, and others. However, none of them come close to the voluminous feature set of UltraExplorer.
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CNET Networks)
Who doesn't love to right-click, especially when browsing the Web? Whether saving images we like to our local drives, copying HTML links to send to friends, or scanning downloaded files for viruses, the right-click has become an essential part of most users' computing lives.
Yet how many times have you right-clicked on a file in Windows and then painfully scoured a long list to find the only option you need; sometimes it's the only one you ever use. Wouldn't life be much simpler to have only the items you want in your right-click menu? Well, for Windows Explorer, it's mostly possible, and the free utility FileMenu Tools makes it rather simple.
The problem with right-click menus (or "context menus," for all you semantic sticklers) is that there's no one place to edit them, even for something as integral as Windows Explorer. Your "Send To" shortcuts are generally editable in your "Documents and Settings" directory, e.g. "C:\Documents and Settings\[USERNAME]\SendTo," but menu items for applications like WinRAR or your favorite FTP program are likely only accessible via your Windows Registry. Editing the Registry can be a hassle--and sometimes downright dangerous--for casual PC users.
FileMenu Tools changes that. Not only can you remove almost all of the right-click menu items that you never use, but the program also offers more than 20 valuable context-menu items that you can choose to include, as well as the ability to create your own. Find and replace for multiple documents and batch-file renaming are only a few of the very cool features that FileMenu Tools can add to your right-click menu. In fact, those new features are worth an article of their own, so for today, I'll only focus on paring down the Windows Explorer context menu to the items that I want to include.
The FileMenu Tools context-menu options include very cool features.
(Credit: CNET Networks)When you first start FileMenu Tools, your standard Windows context menu will grow rather than shrink. That's because FileMenu Tools adds all of its optional items such as "Shred Files," "Change Time," and "Copy Content" to your right-click menu, along with a few new dividers.
Have no fear. The first tab of the main FileMenu Tools interface, called Commands of FileMenu Tools, displays all of those new context-menu options with check boxes next to each. To get rid of them all, simply unselect the check boxes, and then hit the green check mark in the upper-left corner to apply your changes. As I mentioned, there are some very cool features in those commands, but that's a subject for another day.
Next, take a look at the "Send To... " menu tab of FileMenu Tools. These are the commands that are also stored in your Documents and Settings directory. Again, simply uncheck the options that you don't want in your right-click menu, then click the green check mark to apply those changes. If you change your mind before applying, the red X will cancel all your changes.
Adding your own item to the Send To... menu is a snap
(Credit: CNET Networks)It's also fairly easy to add a new program or location to the "Send To..." submenu. In my example, I've added Mozilla Firefox, because I often browse directories as well as open files with it. To add it to my "Send To..." items, I used Edit -> Add Command, selected the "New Command" that was created, and then hit Edit -> Properties to enter in the name (Mozilla Firefox) and the target (C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox2\firefox.exe). Voila. Now I can send any directory, folder, or file that I want to my default browser.
The Commands of other applications tab is where you can trim the most.
(Credit: CNET Networks)The third tab of the main FileMenu Tools interface is likely the most useful. This area lets you remove (or add) commands from applications on your PC, such as compression programs, FTP software, and other utilities. Most programs, such as the aforementioned WinRAR, are good about making it easy to customize context-menu items from their own interface. However, others aren't so nice, and if you've got a lot you want to disable at once, FileMenu Tools makes it much easier than searching around through the "Advanced Options" of individual applications.
The Commands of other applications tab is divided into a variety of areas that you likely use with Windows Explorer, such as "All file types," "Drives," and "Directories." The most commonly used context menu is for "All file types," so let's take a look at that one. In my example, I had 12 different commands for various applications or Windows actions in my default right-click menu, but I really only use two--VirusScan (currently McAfee) and WinRAR. So I unselect the check boxes for the rest, click the green apply check mark, and my list is quickly truncated, as you can see from the image below.
Take a look at my context menus before and after FileMenu Tools.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Now, as far as I can tell, FileMenu Tools can't get rid of all of the default Windows right-click menu items, such as Copy, Rename, or the never-used (in my case) Create Shortcut. To remove some of those options, you will need to roll up your sleeves and get down and dirty in the Windows Registry. Also, reordering right-click menu elements is extremely limited; it's easy to change the order of FileMenu tools commands or those you create your own, but many existing Windows commands can't be reordered. For removing unnecessary third-party applications and customizing, however, FileMenu Tools provides a simple, easy, and free way to clear away some of the clutter.
As I mentioned earlier, I'll take a look soon at all of the functionality you can add to Windows Explorer with FileMenu Tools. Tell me what you think of the app or ask any questions you have about it in the comments.
CMenuExtender can add a range of options to Windows Explorer context menu.
(Credit: CNET Networks, Inc.)There aren't many options for Windows users who want to alter Windows Explorer context menus. One imperfect, though reasonable choice is the CMenuExtender. The application lets users customize choices within the context menu.
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Navigating your hard drive using Windows Explorer is pretty straightforward. Double-clicking a directory like My Documents brings up a list of items you have in that folder. You're given a couple of options for how you view the contents of a folder, such as arranging by date or by name. You also can view your documents using icons or tiles. The Windows Explorer window shares some of the features of Internet Explorer as well, like Favorites and toolbars. Clearly, this is nothing new to anyone who has used a Windows machine, and like many of you, I have my own ideas of how it could be made better.
We can probably agree that the options available with Explorer are adequate for navigating your hard drive, but a little more information and flexibility would go a long way. I found a few programs that add much more to file navigation, such as tabbed and paned directories for drag-and-drop file transfers and document previews so you know what you're opening before you open it. These Windows Explorer replacements offer tons of information about your files at a glance, like expanded properties and sorting capabilities not available with the default Windows setup. Some also feature much more intuitive methods for moving files around. ... Read more
