What's your favourite file manager?

[david77]

This was inspired by the Acrobat thread.

So what do you use?

As I have grown up with MS-DOS I got used to the good old Norton Commander. Ever since the switch to Windows 3.1 I have used this: http://www.ghisler.com/index.htm.
Absolutely essential, couldn't live without it. It's the first thing the goes on the HD after Windows.
Under Linux I use the Midnight Commander, of course.

[PeterG]

I generally install DOS with total commander then install windows. It is always nice to be able to boot into DOS to troubleshoot windows.

I guess old habits die hard.

Regards

[Dawn]

I used Power Desk for years that used to come as a giveaway with OnTrac software products for most of 2000/XP years which was vastly superior to window's explorer. For the DOS machines we had at the shop, we still used File Commander.

[LEECH666]

explorer.exe

Went shitty tho with Vista and newer Windows versions.

[Mechatrommer]

same with leech... explorer.exe and the "brain". but WinXp and earlier only. newer explorer (Win7) sux like hell! i cant even search properly! one thing i'm lacking and dont have time to develop for is "Synchronize/Update (latest) file" between two machines. i never have faith in premade ones (not made by me)

[BravoV]

Same here, dual file lists display rules, was using Norton Commander since DOS era, and now Total Commander on win platform, just couldn't stand win explorer since the beginning of windows era.

Btw the color scheme at my Total Commander is set identically with the original DOS based NC with dark blue background and cyan foreground for the text, talking about fanatic and loyal user, here I am. 

[sacherjj]

Power Shell, when I can't have a real shell.

[david77]

@BravoV: Yeah, mine's also dark blue with cyan scroll bar  . Like NC in the old days!

All Microsoft's attempts at filemanagers have sucked, starting with DOSSHELL (remember that?), Winfile and all incarnations of explorer.exe.

[T4P]

@BravoV: Yeah, mine's also dark blue with cyan scroll bar  . Like NC in the old days!

All Microsoft's attempts at filemanagers have sucked, starting with DOSSHELL (remember that?), Winfile and all incarnations of explorer.exe.

Surprisingly how bad windows7's explorer.exe is, i am perfectly fine with it

[sacherjj]

I click on a folder and hit delete.  Explorer tells me I can't because something is accessing it.  What is accessing it?  Well, that would be explorer.  It wants to read all the files and make sure I have thumbnails and all that crap.  Drives me nuts.

[T4P]

I click on a folder and hit delete.  Explorer tells me I can't because something is accessing it.  What is accessing it?  Well, that would be explorer.  It wants to read all the files and make sure I have thumbnails and all that crap.  Drives me nuts.

That's not only the worst thing with explorer.exe

[Mechatrommer]

Surprisingly how bad windows7's explorer.exe is, i am perfectly fine with it

my mantra says... you prefer to explore in "thumbnail mode"? or dont care whats hidden or not hidden or search your longing lost files?

I click on a folder and hit delete.  Explorer tells me I can't because something is accessing it.  What is accessing it?  Well, that would be explorer.  It wants to read all the files and make sure I have thumbnails and all that crap.  Drives me nuts.

dont use windows, its OS thing, go for linux or mac. perfect?

tools->folder option->view->do not cache thumbnails... i hate thumbnails! i used ACDSee viewer for pictures.

[amspire]

Since Windows 3.1, it has always been Total Commander (was originally called Windows Commander). Even though it has been shareware, it has always been totally uncrippled - just a nag screen on startup until you register.

www.ghisler.com

It has always been very solid, and it has always done the job of replacing a handful of other programs. There have been lots of similar programs, but they are never as solid, and they come and go. Total Commander is just always there.

Windows Explorer is fine up to a point, but it is a disaster when things get difficult.

Richard.

[AntiProtonBoy]

Another vote for Total Commander!

[Psi]

Once i have explorer.exe setup how i like in win7 the only thing that still annoys me is moving files on samba shares.

I have a linux box with a samba share made up of files that are on multiple physical drives.

When i "move" files inside this share explorer "thinks" it can move the files instantly because it assumes that (being on the same share) they must be on the same disk when they're not. So it locks up explorer for the entire move operation as it copes them between disks.

It happens because explorer.exe only multithreads copes, not moves.

[AlfBaz]

I use to love Directory Opus on the amiga... Its still available for the PC

[dcel]

Any one remember the old shareware Stereo-Shell?
I have found that Nero has their shell that is very similar, I use it when grouping or moving a bunch of files, other than that I use exploder.

Chris

[T4P]

Surprisingly how bad windows7's explorer.exe is, i am perfectly fine with it

my mantra says... you prefer to explore in "thumbnail mode"? or dont care whats hidden or not hidden or search your longing lost files?

I click on a folder and hit delete.  Explorer tells me I can't because something is accessing it.  What is accessing it?  Well, that would be explorer.  It wants to read all the files and make sure I have thumbnails and all that crap.  Drives me nuts.

dont use windows, its OS thing, go for linux or mac. perfect?

tools->folder option->view->do not cache thumbnails... i hate thumbnails! i used ACDSee viewer for pictures.

I do not use thumbnails lol ... i unhide every single thing
And yes, i use search a lot

[BravoV]

Total Commander users, suggesting to save this in your bookmark/favorite as well -> http://doublecmd.sourceforge.net/ , its open sauce TC clone at windows or linux platform, pretty good I'd say and capable of using TC's plugins as well.

Example screen shot

[rsjsouza]

I love Free Commander, especially the shortcut keys, the integrated search engine and the feature that shows the size of the subdirectories (helps me a lot in cleaning up garbage from the HD)

However, all the reviews about Total Commander are making me curious... 

[amspire]

I love Free Commander, especially the shortcut keys, the integrated search engine and the feature that shows the size of the subdirectories (helps me a lot in cleaning up garbage from the HD)

However, all the reviews about Total Commander are making me curious... 

I do like Open Source, but when someone has developed Total Commander for for over twenty years, and has made it completely uncrippled shareware for all that time, I like to support the author. I have paid for my license. Every time I have tried the clones, I just do not find them as good. They do not feel as solid, and they usually are missing some tools I use all the time. I just do not trust them 100%.

Just as an example of the type of thing you can do: a few times I have had to upload a big multi-gigabyte file to another site over a bad connection. It dies at 90% upload, and the upload site has no resume. If I try again, it will probably fail again before the upload is complete. So I want to chop the file up and download the remaining portion as a second file, and then append the two files at the receiving end to make the original. I can split and combine files easily in Total Commander. Impossible with Windows Explorer.

I have done a lot of IT support work, and Total Commander is usually the first thing I install on a new system (or run from a USB stick if I cannot install it). With Linux, I usually use a terminal window most of the time, so I use Midnight Commander rather then a graphical file manager. Midnight Commander is impressive as well once you configure it for Lynx-style interface. the Norton Commander stye interface looks old fashion, but it is still a much safer and useful way to work with files then drag and drop interfaces.

Richard.

[Rufus]

Day to day I get by with windows explorer.

For serious file management I have Ztreewin (although I am getting a bit rusty driving it).

[rsjsouza]

Well, I see you made clear you really like Total Commander. However, I am giving my testimony on a freeware software that I think, in my opinion, is my favourite file manager (the original subject of the post). 

I come from years of paying and using Powerdesk Pro in my systems, but I had trouble with their new owners (Avanquest) and decided to move over to something else. I tested several explorer substitutes and ended up landing on FreeCommander years ago (2009 if I am not mistaken) - I do not regret. 

I do like Open Source, but when someone has developed Total Commander for for over twenty years, and has made it completely uncrippled shareware for all that time, I like to support the author.

Technicalities, technicalities... Freecommander is closed source but freeware.

Well, I am also supporting the author by advertising what I think is his very stable and decent product created only with donations and word-of-mouth advertising. This is a practice also done by one well-known aussie that runs this server...

I have paid for my license.

Well, just because Freecommander is freeware it does not mean the software is not good or does not deserve to be advertised in a public forum. I know a lot of paid software that is simply not good when compared to open source clones. But again, one scenario is not applicable everywhere.

Every time I have tried the clones, I just do not find them as good. They do not feel as solid, and they usually are missing some tools I use all the time. I just do not trust them 100%.

In the software landscape there are too many levels of quality and features that appeal to different users. Also, good or not good is a matter of opinion, it is just my favorite file manager. I agree with your impressions about opensource, but they are also applicable to freewares, ad-based freewares, sharewares, commercial... 

I have done a lot of IT support work, and Total Commander is usually the first thing I install on a new system (or run from a USB stick if I cannot install it).

I do the same with Freecommander... Again, it is a matter of opinion.
I don't use file managers with Linux. In my opinion, it is too much hassle.

[free_electron]

file managers ? why would one need file managers ...
under dos yes, but under a graphical operating system ?
You have a home directory and you plunk your stuff in there. done.
And if you set it up right that home directory lives on a network share that is mirrored inside a nas box , and mirrored between nas boxes as well.

[jerry507]

file managers ? why would one need file managers ...
under dos yes, but under a graphical operating system ?
You have a home directory and you plunk your stuff in there. done.
And if you set it up right that home directory lives on a network share that is mirrored inside a nas box , and mirrored between nas boxes as well.

Totally agree.