newbie question re: explorer replacement

[janrif]

Hello group, Newbie here - searched for answer & looked thru FAQ & probably missed it but is there a setting that replaces Explorer with Total Commander? TIA

[Vansumsen]

Welcome janrif

Please have a look here

Fiendly
Paul

[icfu]

If you mean running TC as a shell, the answer is No.
If you mean changing double click behaviour on folders on desktop and the like it is of course possible.

Adjust the path, keep the double slashes, save as TC.reg and double click:

Code: Select all

REGEDIT 4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@="Total_Commander"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Total_Commander]
@="Total Commander"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Total_Commander\command]
@="X:\\Path\\To\\TOTALCMD.EXE /O /S /L=%1"

Regarding the available parameters see TC help section 4a.

Edit: Ah, too slow.

Icfu

[Sheepdog]

And if you don't like it you can remove it with the following reg-file:

Code: Select all

REGEDIT 4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@=-
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Total_Commander]

sheepdog

[janrif]

Please have a look here

Thanks to you & everyone for your welcome & responses to my post. I reviewed all the msgs &, on principlE, don't think a user should have to mess with the registry to get what I want to happen. If it can be done that way -- as someone suggested -- it might be included as an option: replace Explorer, yes? no?

I don't know if any of you agree w this but that's my .02 w/o really understanding all of Total Commander'a possibilities.

Currently I use DOpus but was frustrated because it wouldn't/couldn't automatically recognize some logical drives I have connected via a USB hub -- something that Total Commander does out of the box.

I guess I can't have it all.

Thanks very much for your help.

[Sheepdog]

Whats wrong with registry settings? (Nearly) each program writes into the registry.

And if you save icfus an my code you'll have the possibility to set and reset these settings by on doubleclick.

sheepdog

[janrif]

Whats wrong with registry settings? (Nearly) each program writes into the registry.

absolutely nothing except that people like me who really don't understand the ins & outs of registry settings can easily screw up their entire machine by making a mistake. Nothing wrong w the information.

[icfu]

I don't know if any of you agree w this but that's my .02 w/o really understanding all of Total Commander'a possibilities.

I agree that Directory Opus is much more comfortable for the users, I am regularly using it myself, but due to its "DO can do it all" approach the users have less possibilities to optimize it (and less fun).

The feature could of course be integrated but a simple "replace checkbox" would not be enough due to the flexible command line. You would either need to offer an additional edit field where command line parameters could be entered or you would need to create checkboxes for every parameter, too.

Total Commander stores all of its settings in INI files, this is one of the points why many users like TC but it also means that some features will probably never be implemented in opposite to Directory Opus which makes intensive use of the registry anyway so noone cares about it.
Total Commander in opposite to Directory Opus is targetted at professionals and they prefer non-intrusive programs.

In the end the registry files serve exactly the same purpose and you have the big advantage that you can check what will be changed and you can revert the changes without leaving any traces.

absolutely nothing except that people like me who really don't understand the ins & outs of registry settings can easily screw up their entire machine by making a mistake.

This is only true if your assumption is that WE want to destroy your registry. Don't believe everything that Microsoft tells you. The problem is that you have to trust either Directory Opus to do it right (it could destroy your registry as well due to a minor bug) or you have to trust the Total Commander community that they do it right.
You can be sure that you cannot destroy anything with the registry files above if you know how to copy and paste.

Icfu

[janrif]

I don't know if any of you agree w this but that's my .02 w/o really understanding all of Total Commander'a possibilities.

I agree that Directory Opus is much more comfortable for the users, I am regularly using it myself, but due to its "DO can do it all" approach the users have less possibilities to optimize it (and less fun).

The feature could of course be integrated but a simple "replace checkbox" would not be enough due to the flexible command line. You would either need to offer an additional edit field where command line parameters could be entered or you would need to create checkboxes for every parameter, too.

Total Commander stores all of its settings in INI files, this is one of the points why many users like TC but it also means that some features will probably never be implemented in opposite to Directory Opus which makes intensive use of the registry anyway so noone cares about it.
Total Commander in opposite to Directory Opus is targetted at professionals and they prefer non-intrusive programs.

In the end the registry files serve exactly the same purpose and you have the big advantage that you can check what will be changed and you can revert the changes without leaving any traces.

absolutely nothing except that people like me who really don't understand the ins & outs of registry settings can easily screw up their entire machine by making a mistake.

This is only true if your assumption is that WE want to destroy your registry. Don't believe everything that Microsoft tells you. The problem is that you have to trust either Directory Opus to do it right (it could destroy your registry as well due to a minor bug) or you have to trust the Total Commander community that they do it right.
You can be sure that you cannot destroy anything with the registry files above if you know how to copy and paste.

Icfu

[janrif]

The feature could of course be integrated but a simple "replace checkbox" would not be enough due to the flexible command line. You would either need to offer an additional edit field where command line parameters could be entered or you would need to create checkboxes for every parameter, too.Icfu

ok, well all I have demonstrated is my ignorance of how TC actually works but I take your point.

[snip]Total Commander stores all of its settings in INI files, this is one of the points why many users like TC Icfu

That probably goes for me, too but I have to learn more about 'ini' file settings. <not too techie as you can tell>

[snip]In the end the registry files serve exactly the same purpose and you have the big advantage that you can check what will be changed and you can revert the changes without leaving any traces.Icfu

So I guess you are telling me that working the registry is better than working an ini file. If so, ok. What can I say? It still makes me nervous. Lack of confidence because I don't have the knowledge necessary for comfort.

[snip]people like me who really don't understand the ins & outs of registry settings can easily screw up their entire machine by making a mistake.

This is only true if your assumption is that WE want to destroy your registry. Don't believe everything that Microsoft tells you. The problem is that you have to trust either Directory Opus to do it right (it could destroy your registry as well due to a minor bug) or you have to trust the Total Commander community that they do it right.Icfu

Of course I *don't* think you (plural) want to detroy my registry. And, logically, you are right about MS & DOpus, as well. If you took my comment as a personal comment, it was not meant to be.

You can be sure that you cannot destroy anything with the registry files above if you know how to copy and paste.

Well, then maybe I'll try it but if I manage to screw up my registry, will you travel from Europe to Ridgefield CT to fix it? <G>

Bottom line, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post(s)

[icfu]

So I guess you are telling me that working the registry is better than working an ini file.

Nope, but you have to modify the registry if you want to change the folder behaviour, you cannot do this with INI files. In the end the registry is not really different from an INI file. The big differences are that you have a tree view and you can create subsections but if you know how to edit an INI file you know how to work with the registry as well.

Well, then maybe I'll try it but if I manage to screw up my registry, will you travel from Europe to Ridgefield CT to fix it? <G>

Of course I won't.
As life is always a risk you should do a backup if you are unsure. Imaging applications like Ghost I can highly recommend if you are doing modifications to the registry you don't trust.

Bottom line, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post(s)

You're welcome.

Icfu

[janrif]

So I guess you are telling me that working the registry is better than working an ini file.

Nope, but you have to modify the registry if you want to change the folder behaviour, you cannot do this with INI files. In the end the registry is not really different from an INI file. The big differences are that you have a tree view and you can create subsections but if you know how to edit an INI file you know how to work with the registry as well.

OK I am ready to try this out but please be very exact w me as I don't know what I'm doing.

I am working on a w2k-sp4 machine

1) how do I make a good backup of the registry? And where do I put it?
2. exactly where do I paste the info you have supplied
3) exactly where do I paste the info to remove the folder action if I don't like it?

So you see what a newbie I really am.

Thank you.

[Sheepdog]

OK I am ready to try this out but please be very exact w me as I don't know what I'm doing.

I am working on a w2k-sp4 machine

1) how do I make a good backup of the registry? And where do I put it?

Icfu didn't talk about a backup of the registry but of the whole system partition. That for you need an imaging software as ghost or acronis true image while acronis supports a 15 days trial. This is not a recommendation but a hint what you'll have to look for.
You will not only need a backup-image but also an recovery-boot medium that will be provided by the imaging software. Because if your system is down you'll have to boot the imaging software (e.g. Acronis boot CD) and write the image back to your harddisk. After this your system will be restored.

Since it is always good to have a up to date backup of your system partition - because you don't need to meddle with your registry to screw up your system - you will not need necessarily a backup for this maipulation.
With both regfiles you are able to do the manipulation and change it back without a trace.

2) exactly where do I paste the info you have supplied
3) exactly where do I paste the info to remove the folder action if I don't like it?

Open a text editor (as notepad) in your system. Copy the following text:

Code: Select all

REGEDIT 4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@="Total_Commander"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Total_Commander]
@="Total Commander"
[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Total_Commander\command]
@="X:\\Path\\To\\TOTALCMD.EXE /O /S /L=%1"

and paste it inot your text editor. Than save it as "TC.reg".
Open a new empty file in your texteditor, copy this:

Code: Select all

REGEDIT 4

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell]
@=-
[-HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell\Total_Commander]

into it and save it as "TC-off.reg"

Remember the place where you saved both files (maybe you choose the TC program folder because it's TC-related).

the TC.reg file will create a new registry entry to make TC as default when opening folders. The TC-off.reg will remove this entry if you don't like it.

The only thing you'll have to do is to doubleclick at one of the files and confirm that the information should be put to the registry.

sheepdog

[janrif]

[snip]Open a text editor (as notepad) in your system. Copy the following text:[/snip]

Thank you very much for your total patience. I find this list very pleasant and helpful unlike some other lists I have been on. Because of that alone I will be licensing 'Total Commander'.

As for the registry entries, I think I did everything right, i.e. copy/paste text file 1, copy/paste text file 2, save separately in 2 *.reg type files. Then dbl click #1 to insert code into registration. This was confirmed.

From this I should expect to be able to click on a folder & have it open in TC instead of explorer/Dopus. Is that correct? If not what new behavior should I expect as this was my understanding.

On a separate matter, I have d/l a number of plug-ins, know how to un-pack them but don't know how to install them into TC.

Thank you again.

[Hacker]

janrif,

On a separate matter, I have d/l a number of plug-ins, know how to un-pack them but don't know how to install them into TC.

Since TC 6.50 you can install plugins by simply pressing Enter on them. For instance you might have wdx_Image_Info_1.41.zip, and when you press Enter on it, TC asks you if you want to install the plugin contained in that archive. If you click yes, TC suggests a path automatically (you can change it if you wish) and shows a dialog of all plugins of the selected type, where you can change their priority, etc., but that's another issue.

If you have more questions about this, please start a new thread.

HTH
Roman