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Manage files better with Windows Explorer September 16, 2001 URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/reviews/software/productivity/soa/Manage-files-better-with-Windows-Explorer/0,139023447,120150600,00.htm
Get the insider tips on everything from changing fonts to displaying disk drives in Windows Explorer. Since working with your computer typically means creating or altering files, you probably spend a lot of time performing various file management tasks in Windows Explorer. Whether you are copying, moving, deleting, or just renaming files, there are ways that you can make the entire procedure much easier. In this article, I will provide you with some tips and tricks for working with Windows Explorer. As I do, I will even investigate some Windows Explorer replacements.
Most people think that Windows has two file management programsâ€"Windows Explorer and My Computer. However, in reality, they are one and the same. They are just two different views in the same program: Explorer.exe. Windows Explorer shows you a folder tree list on the left and files list on the right. My Computer just shows you a files list. You can easily toggle between the Windows Explorer and My Computer views. If you are in Windows Explorer and decide that you do not need the folder tree list, just click the close button in the top right corner of the All Folders pane. You can then reverse the transformation by pulling down the View menu, opening the Explorer Bar submenu and selecting the All Folders option
When you are performing file management tasks, you may need to see more of the files on screen. However, do not just click on the Maximize button to expand the window; use the hidden full screen feature. To do so, press the F11 key. This action activates the full screen feature that Windows Explorer has borrowed from Internet Explorer. To return the screen to normal size, simply press the F11 key again.
When you double-click the My Computer icon, you will see a list of all the drives on your hard disk. However, when you launch Windows Explorer, it displays the contents of drive C: in the right panel. If you want the best of both worlds, you can combine the way My Computer displays all the disk drives with the Windows Explorer view. To begin, click Start > Settings > Taskbar & Start Menu. Next, click the Start Menu Programs tab, and click the advanced button. Now, locate your Windows Explorer shortcut in your Programs folder, right-click it, and select the Properties command. When the Windows Explorer Properties sheet appears, click the Shortcut tab. Then, add the /Select switch after the /e switch so that the Target text box reads C:\Windows\Explorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:\ Using the /Select switch with C:\ as the object causes Windows Explorer to open a My Computer view of your system. Now when you select the Windows Explorer shortcut on the Start menu, your window will look more like the My Computer view.
Are you using Web view in Windows Explorer? If so, you can use the Customise This Folder tool to add descriptions to your folders. Doing so makes it very easy to identify quickly exactly, what is in a particular folder. To begin, access the folder to which you want to add a description. Next, right-click on a blank area of the folder, and select the Customise This Folder command. When you see the introduction page of the Customise This Folder Wizard, click the Next button. On the next page, select on the Add Folder Comment check box and click next. Then, in the Folder Comment text box, type your description either in plain text or as HTML code.
Have you ever wanted to change the font Windows uses to display file and folder names in Windows Explorer? Fortunately doing so is easy. Windows Explorer uses the same font that Windows uses for icon titles on your desktop: MS Sans Serif. Therefore, in order to change the font in Windows Explorer, all you have to do is change the font used for desktop icons. To do so, right-click on the desktop and select the Properties command. When you see, the Display Properties dialog box, select the Appearance tab, and choose Icon from the Item drop-down list. Next, click the Font drop-down arrow and select a font from the list of available fonts. To preview your font changes as you are making them, open Windows Explorer and arrange the windows. You can see several icons on the desktop and the Windows Explorer window behind the Display Properties dialog box. Now, as you make a change, click the Apply button to see what the new font looks like as an icon title and as text in Windows Explorer.
If you feel that Windows Explorer is not meeting you needs, you may want to investigate an alternative. You can also perform your own search in the search box above by entering in the keywords File Manager or File Management and selecting "Downloads" from the drop-down menu. However, I recommend two Windows Explorer replacements. The first one is Singularity, a shareware program by Andrei Belogortseff at WinAbility. Singularity's interface consists of two vertical panes in which are displayed two easily navigable file lists. As you can imagine, this configuration makes it easy to copy and move files from one location on the hard drive to another. Singularity has a bunch of other features that make it a top-notch file management program. For example, you will find features that give you the ability to create a new folder, rename a file, or instantly launch find all by clicking buttons on the toolbar. There are two version of Singularityâ€"one specifically optimised for Windows NT4/2000 and one that works in all versions of Windows. The second Windows Explorer replacement that I recommend is called Windows Commander from Christian Ghisler. This file management tool also give you side-by-side panes, but also allows you to change its interface to one similar to Windows Explorer, with a folder tree in one pane and a file list in the other. Basically, you can get the best of both worlds in one tool.
Singularity 2000 is a powerful yet easy-to-use file-management tool that provides a convenient dual-panel user interface as well as a wealth of features and menus to give you nearly global system control. Closely integrated with the standard Windows shell and specially optimised for Windows NT 4.0/2000, Singularity offers a command prompt, a user-Customisable toolbar that can be docked on top or on either side of the main window, a drive bar, status bar indicators, handy folder navigation tools such as a Most Recently Visited Folders list, and the ability to search for text within files. With support for drag-and-drop and context menus as well as excellent help documentation, this file manager is a fitting replacement for your standard Windows Explorer. A more widely compatible version of Singularity for Windows 9x/NT/2000/ME (called simply Singularity) is also available for download from our library. System Requirements:
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Windows Commander (32-bit) is a versatile, highly configurable File Manager replacement. It offers a wealth of features, including full online help, yet is easy to use. With two side-by-side directory/file display windows and single-click access to just about every nook and cranny of your file system, it provides you with powerful file-administration capabilities. Detailed menus and efficient hotkeys let you change directory views (Brief, Full, or Tree), edit your Main or Start menu, run DOS, create directories, disconnect network drives, and initiate FTP connections with point-and-click efficiency. Other features include a multi-rename tool that lets you rename multiple files with the press of a hotkey, a parallel port transfer function, extended FTP capabilities, buttons for frequent file-management tasks, a command line, a search engine that allows file or text searches across drives, and support for long filenames in both Windows 95 and NT. Support for English, French, Spanish, and five other European languages are included. A 16-bit version is also available. This version has not yet been reviewed. System Requirements:
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