Recommendations for File Manager

Discussion in 'Application Software' started by ohenry, Jan 18, 2022.

  1. ohenry

    ohenry MDL Senior Member

    Aug 10, 2009
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    I am having some problems with File Explorer in Windows 11. It keeps turning off the "show hidden files" options. Randomly, on it's own, and it's annoying as h___. Combine that with some of the shortcomings of this software, and I am ready to explore alternatives. Free or paid, as long as it's not expensive. Suggestions?
     
  2. kaljukass

    kaljukass MDL Guru

    Nov 26, 2012
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    #2 kaljukass, Jan 18, 2022
    Last edited: Jan 18, 2022
    Are you sure this will help you. Microsoft shows and hides so-called hidden files by changing the values of two registry fields, and if your Windows doesn't save or restores those fields for some reason, you might want to investigate why.
    These registry keys are
    Code:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
    fields on right side panel
    Hidden - the value is 2 in the hidden state, otherwise 1
    ShowSuperHidden - The value is 0 when hidden, otherwise it is 1
    if You want to toggle show/hide, You can use this .vbs script and put it where ever you want and then double click on it and will do it.
    Sometimes You may need to refresh folder, if it doesn't change automatically.
    Here is the show-hide.vbs script
    Code:
    Hidden = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\Hidden"
    SSHidden = "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced\ShowSuperHidden"
    Set Command = WScript.CreateObject("WScript.Shell")
    Check = Command.RegRead(Hidden)
    If Check = 2 Then
    Command.RegWrite Hidden, 1, "REG_DWORD"
    Command.RegWrite SSHidden, 1, "REG_DWORD"
    Else
    Command.RegWrite Hidden, 2, "REG_DWORD"
    Command.RegWrite SSHidden, 0, "REG_DWORD"
    End If
    Command.SendKeys "{F5}"
    
     
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  3. dawsonkm

    dawsonkm MDL Novice

    Sep 23, 2012
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    I've been using Total Commander as my daily driver to replace file explorer. It's shareware so you can give it a spin
     
  4. Enthousiast

    Enthousiast MDL Tester

    Oct 30, 2009
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    Afaik, it's shareware with a nag to register at start, there are real freeware copies though.
     
  5. ohenry

    ohenry MDL Senior Member

    Aug 10, 2009
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    Kaljukass, thanks for the information on the registry values. That is definitely good to know.


    Total Commander – tried it, didn’t care for it. When sorting by date, it only sorts the files by date, not the subdirectories. That’s a deal breaker for me right there.

    Palladin, thanks for the link to WinFile. That was definitely a trip down memory lane. I can’t say that I care for it, but it did bring back memories!


    So far I’m leaning towards Qdir. That seems to be a favorite with the crew over at DSLReports and it does work well. One thing that definitely impressed me, when it copies or moves files, the pop-up window is exactly the same as the one from Windows File Explorer. Obviously he is hooking into a OS function for copying / moving, which is a good thing in my opinion. It also sorts the way I expect, and it’s very easy to apply a filter. I’ve never understood why Microsoft doesn’t allow for filtering in their File Explorer.
     
  6. ianymaty

    ianymaty MDL Member

    Jan 31, 2010
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    Did you look in the Configuration? Just go there and set it as you like.

    TC.PNG
     
  7. ohenry

    ohenry MDL Senior Member

    Aug 10, 2009
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    Thanks for the heads up, I was able to find the right setting in Total Commander. I had never seen that behavior before (sorting files but not directories), and I did not expect to find a setting for it.
     
  8. annieannie

    annieannie MDL Novice

    Sep 25, 2009
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    one commander is not stable. TC is fine.
     
  9. pm67310

    pm67310 MDL Guru

    Sep 6, 2011
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    ewplorer++ free look windows 8.1 explorer
     
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  10. stevej

    stevej MDL Novice

    Mar 6, 2010
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    speed commander
     
  11. anna199095

    anna199095 MDL Junior Member

    Jun 25, 2018
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    #17 anna199095, Jan 13, 2023
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2023
    ~deleted