Is it possible to completely integrate alternatives to Windows Explorer?

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DaRuSsIaMaN

[H]ard|Gawd
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Apr 22, 2007
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This may be a stupid question... But I have never yet tried using any "alternatives" to windows explorer. I searched around a bit just now, and apparently there are a bunch of alternatives out there. I want to figure this out before I try it, especially since I'm thinking about Win7, which I don't have yet.

My question is, once you install it, is it possible for the alternative explorer to completely take over from the native windows explorer? In other words, let's say I have folders or shortcuts to folders sitting on my desktop. If, after installing the software, I double click a folder or a folder shortcut, will I pop into the old windows explorer or into the alternative software? The latter result is the one that I want to achieve. I want it to be completely integrated in windows to completely replace the standard explorer.

Is this possible? I specifically want to achieve this in Win7... because the new explorer (after winxp) sucks ass big time.
 
no, i think you are thinking or the likes of geoshell ect. they are more a desktop shell replacement and imho are quite tricky to work with all they really do is enable absolute customization of your desktop, but every thing is static, and the customization is done thought code (like a cfg file) for even the simplest of shortcuts.. however, when you need to browse to a file, it is still windows explorer that dose the work, thought it may be reskinned.

as for the way explorer works, its the same explorer that has been used since nt4.0 granted the lay out may have changed slightly, they revamped the search engine so it is MUCH faster (you just have to let it do its indexing the first time...) but as far as the click to browse function of vista/7 nothing has changed for a very long time.
 
ThreeDee said:
$70? ..for what exactly?
Click to expand...

Let me re-phrase that...

I went with XYplorer years ago and have never looked at my desktop again, for starters... (except when I first boot into Windows, of course...)
 
So what does XYplorer accomplish? Does it do what I want to achieve?

Thor said:
as for the way explorer works, its the same explorer that has been used since nt4.0 granted the lay out may have changed slightly...
Click to expand...

The layout is precisely what I'm concerned with. Not the way it works (as much... although it has some annoying quirks in functionality too). I work with Vista at a computer in the lab where I work, and I hate it. Accomplishing most (important) tasks within the OS requires using windows explorer. So if the layout sucks, that's a major hindrance to my computing.

All the button customization that was possible in WinXP is now gone. I particularly rely heavily on copy/cut/paste/delete buttons, as circled in my screenshot. Equally important to me is the "up a directory" button. Not having any those and having to right click on everything or using only forward/back buttons slows me down and annoys the hell out of me. The new address bar with its stupid arrows instead of the "normal" style of address is also retarded and confusing. I could rant more but I should stop.




***

So anyway I'm still confused about what the answer to my original question is... is it possible to replace windows explorer with something else or not?
 
Never even heard of XYPlorer myself (hey, it happens) but I just gave it a fairly thorough run through (I'm a software tester for a fairly long time now) and I gotta say... ugh. :)

That's about all I'm gonna say. Explorer FTW!!! :D

DaRuSsIaMaN said:
All the button customization that was possible in WinXP is now gone. I particularly rely heavily on copy/cut/paste/delete buttons, as circled in my screenshot. Equally important to me is the "up a directory" button. Not having any those and having to right click on everything or using only forward/back buttons slows me down and annoys the hell out of me. The new address bar with its stupid arrows instead of the "normal" style of address is also retarded and confusing. I could rant more but I should stop.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't call it retarded, just not something that appeals to how you do things. I'd say it's more likely that you're stuck in "stuck in the past" mode and you're not interested in doing things differently.

Having said that, the fact that you're focusing almost exclusively on buttons to do things negates the keyboard shortcuts that so many people use and have used since almost day 1 with Windows, the standard stuff like Control+C to copy, Control+V to paste, etc. Geez, if I had to try and do regular copy/paste/move/cut operations using only the mouse and buttons I'd go freakin' insane... ;)

(and yes I will hit Control+A for All to copy all this and then Control+C to paste it into the other posting...)
 
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Bahamut said:
Never even heard of XYPlorer myself (hey, it happens) but I just gave it a fairly thorough run through (I'm a software tester for a fairly long time now) and I gotta say... ugh. :)

That's about all I'm gonna say. Explorer FTW!!! :D
Click to expand...

So it does not completely replace win explorer, correct? You have to run it separately?
 
DaRuSsIaMaN said:
So it does not completely replace win explorer, correct? You have to run it separately?
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It's a standalone app, so yes you're required to run it differently. It might be possible to alter settings in Windows and force it to open XYPlorer whenever Explorer is called up, but if you're using Explorer so much anyway then you'd just start XYPlorer and leave it running...
 
Bahamut said:
...but if you're using Explorer so much anyway then you'd just start XYPlorer and leave it running...
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Well, like I said my ultimate goal (if possible) is to have an explorer alternative run whenever I double click a folder (or folder shortcut) on my desktop. So...

Bahamut said:
It might be possible to alter settings in Windows and force it to open XYPlorer whenever Explorer is called up
Click to expand...

... how would I accomplish that?? :D
 
Bahamut said:
Never even heard of XYPlorer myself (hey, it happens) but I just gave it a fairly thorough run through (I'm a software tester for a fairly long time now) and I gotta say... ugh. :)
Click to expand...

No credible software tester would ever say they gave anything a fairly thorough run-through in under an hour...
 
DaRuSsIaMaN said:
Well, like I said my ultimate goal (if possible) is to have an explorer alternative run whenever I double click a folder (or folder shortcut) on my desktop. So...



... how would I accomplish that?? :D
Click to expand...

Like I said, you don't need your desktop anymore...

Folders I use the most are just their own separate tabs... Although I do have 59 tabs (folders) open right now, which ain't normal...
 
DaRuSsIaMaN said:
Well, like I said my ultimate goal (if possible) is to have an explorer alternative run whenever I double click a folder (or folder shortcut) on my desktop. So...
Click to expand...
What are you hoping to accomplish that Explorer doesn't do?
 
Tolyngee said:
Like I said, you don't need your desktop anymore...

Folders I use the most are just their own separate tabs... Although I do have 59 tabs (folders) open right now, which ain't normal...
Click to expand...

Haha. Well... sounds like a reasonable alternative but I do like my desktop and looking at my background :p

*********

I think I may have found my solution....

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_shell_replacement
http://www.thecooler.info/technology/41.html/

Sounds pretty sick! And thorough: complete shell replacement. And surprisingly doesn't sound difficult at all either lol
 
Arainach said:
What are you hoping to accomplish that Explorer doesn't do?
Click to expand...

Mostly, explorer's layout (in Vista and win7) is not customizable with buttons and therefore I don't like it. It also has some weird quirks in Vista such as when I right click an item that was not already selected by single-clicking on it first I can't do stuff like cut/copy etc. It requires you to click once then right click. Stuff like that is annoying but it's mostly the lack of customizable buttons and the lame address bar
 
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