Set TC as default file manager?

[MrMcGoo]

I doubt it, but thought I'd check just in case... Is there any way to set TC as the default file manager so whenever Windows opens a folder it opens it in TC instead of explorer?

After using TC for so many years I DESPISE Windows explorer. It's like a brain-dead version of a file manager.

I'm using Windows 7. Thank you.

[Horst.Epp]

Du hast vergessen zu sagen, ob es sich einen x64 TC handelt oder nicht ?

Hier die Reg File für einen x64 TC.
Pfade natürlich anpassen und die Doppelslashes müssen seine !!!
=========================================

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell]
 @="open"
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\open]
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell\open\command]
 @="c:\\tools\\wincmd\\TOTALCMD64.EXE /O \"%1\""
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]
 @="open"
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open]
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\open\command]
 @="c:\\tools\\wincmd\\TOTALCMD64.EXE /O \"%1\""
 

Der Arbeitsplatz und die Systemsteuerung werden absichtlich nicht angetasted !

Und mit dieser Reg File geht es wieder zurück auf den Explorer:
=======================================

Code: Select all

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Drive\shell]
 @="none"
 
 [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell]
 @="none"

[MrMcGoo]

Vielen Dank!

You are right... my apologies. I am using 32 bit TC. So I would need the registry settings for that.

[MrMcGoo]

Are the registry settings for the 32 bit TC the same except for "TOTALCMD64.EXE" of course?

[Skif_off]

2MrMcGoo
Yes.

[Terka]

What is the difference in windows behavior when set TC as default manager? I tried update the registry, but cant see what should it do.
Thank you for explaining!

[Horst.Epp]

What is the difference in windows behavior when set TC as default manager? I tried update the registry, but cant see what should it do.
Thank you for explaining!

Why don't you try it ?
TC opens for all normal calls to display a folder or drive.
If programs explicit calling the explorer nothing is changed of course.

[Terka]

i tried.
tried put it to a file, run it, successfully wrote to registry
then i tried to press CTRL-S in Word, Excel, Outlook.
but it behaves the same.

[gdpr deleted 6]

i tried.
tried put it to a file, run it, successfully wrote to registry
then i tried to press CTRL-S in Word, Excel, Outlook.
but it behaves the same.

You seem to be confused. Ctrl-S opens the Save dialog, it does not open a new Explorer window. It doesn't matter that the Save dialog is using some of the same functionalities as an Explorer window, because conceptually a Save dialog (or Open dialog for that matter) is different from an Explorer window.

You might try right-clicking on a directory within the Save dialog and select "Open in new window". See what happens...

[Terka]

I have win7 and new Explorer opens, no TC.

[gdpr deleted 6]

[...deleted...]

I wrote a lot of technical mumbo-jumbo about the open command for the Directory registry key not working. And yada, yada, i just made a very silly mistake when setting up my quick (and sloppy) test which send me down a rabbit hole of finding an alternative but much more expensive approach. I decided to delete it, since Horst's solution provided above is simpler and does the work and i do not want confuse the readership.

I did not fully delete this post, as to maintain context for Horst's post below which referred to the original post here...

[Horst.Epp]

I have win7 and new Explorer opens, no TC.

Oops, didn't really looked at the registry file posted above and assumed that it was complete and correct. Well, assumptions, doh (It might be complete and correct for Windows versions other than Win7, i don't know...)

It has been forgotten to set the open and/or opennewwindow commands for the Folder class. The commands of the Folder class can be found at HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder\shell.

I have nothing forgotten in the reg file posted
It works perfectly in Winows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10 for me.
This is of course no replacements of Office Save dialogs or other places
and this is intentionally.
For this I use Quick Access Popup toghether with TC.
And there is no problem at all to use long pathes in this area of the registry.
I do it for years in all the OS versions mentioned above.

[gdpr deleted 6]

I have nothing forgotten in the reg file posted
It works perfectly in Winows 7, 8.1 and Windows 10 for me.

Solved that mystery. I made a very silly mistake. Had "openn" as default action in the reg file i haphazardly slapped together. Go figure... caffeine levels too low I will delete my post to avoid confusing other readers, and sorry for any ruckus i may have caused.

Perhaps Terka made a silly mistake like me...?

And there is no problem at all to use long pathes in this area of the registry.
I do it for years in all the OS versions mentioned above.

Yupp, you are right. Another sloppy lapsus of mine here... The initial tests i made with %ProgramFiles% which could not work for all commands here because some of the default keys were still REG_SZ and not REG_EXPAND_SZ, and i didn't notice it. Doh... In my defence, it is already weekend... almost...

[MrMcGoo]

For this I use Quick Access Popup toghether with TC.

2Horst.Epp

Can you give more detail about how to implement this method with QAP and TC for the open and save dialogs?

Wow! I see QAP has TC support. But what kind of integration does that give? It opens TC when a folder is invoked in QAP instead of opening File Explorer? < update: just tried this and it works! Very nice!

BUT... how do you integrate TC into the open and save dialogs using QAP? What is the difference in how those dialogs will work after that? It would be awesome to be able to have TCs navigation and other features in those dialogs. As a matter of fact, that was one of the questions on my list to ask about here.

Another update. OK, I found out how to use QAP to navigate in the open and save dialogs by checking the box for this in QAP options. Then you just invoke QAP when a dialog has focus and it launches QAP allowing you to choose a favorite folder. That in itself is very nice (because those dialogs SUCK for navigating)! But I am still not sure if you are saying there is some way TC can be used in these dialogs.

Thanks for any insight!

[Horst.Epp]

For this I use Quick Access Popup toghether with TC.

2Horst.Epp

Can you give more detail about how to implement this method with QAP and TC for the open and save dialogs?

Wow! I see QAP has TC support. But what kind of integration does that give? It opens TC when a folder is invoked in QAP instead of opening File Explorer? < update: just tried this and it works! Very nice!

BUT... how do you integrate TC into the open and save dialogs using QAP? What is the difference in how those dialogs will work after that? It would be awesome to be able to have TCs navigation and other features in those dialogs. As a matter of fact, that was one of the questions on my list to ask about here.

Another update. OK, I found out how to use QAP to navigate in the open and save dialogs by checking the box for this in QAP options. Then you just invoke QAP when a dialog has focus and it launches QAP allowing you to choose a favorite folder. That in itself is very nice (because those dialogs SUCK for navigating)! But I am still not sure if you are saying there is some way TC can be used in these dialogs.

Thanks for any insight!

As you allready found you can use a hot-key to invoke QAP in Open/Save dialogs. And in this dialog I can select an entry from the TC directory hotlist which is part of the list QAP is offering.
Also all the configured QAP entries like Special Folders are available in Open/Save.