FAQs: TC 9.50 - Tips & Tricks for new user // Update // Backup

Stefan2 · Post by *Stefan2 » 2019-10-17, 07:48 UTC

Some tips for tester or new user about issues I am faced on my own using a fresh TC "installation":

TC 9.50beta1 - 2019-10-16
- - - WARNING: This is a pre-release version. Do not use this version with critical data!
- - - WARNUNG: Dies ist eine Vorabversion. Verwenden Sie diese Version nicht mit kritischen Daten!

Also read the wiki:
https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Main_Page
When to backup // What to backup // Where to find those files? >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Backup
Ini-settings >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Ini-settings
Command line parameters >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Command_line_parameters
Options >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Options

FAQs: Total Commander is fully portable / UseIniInProgramDir=7
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=41760&p=292844#p292844

How to update your older version?

- First, to be save, copy your whole Total Commander folder to an save place.
Also see "Help menu > About Total Commander... > INI-Files:"
for the location of the configuration files "wincmd.ini" and "wcx_ftp.ini" and back up them too.
Plugins may also store their INI files in the folder of the wincmd.ini, but mostly only very old plugins
will do that, newer plugins store their configuration files in their own folder inside the TC plugins folder.
Also see the wiki: "What to backup" >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Backup

- You can install the new TC version parallel to the old one in a different folder.
On first start, TC will use the configuration files (INIs) from the location you have set on installation.
If you have just unpack the setup files, TC will use Appdata folder for the INI files.
The TC configuration is stored in a file called "wincmd.ini" (and "wcx_ftp.ini" if FTP was used)
See TC "Help menu > About Total Commander... > INI-Files:" for the location of these files.

- Also you can just update your old TC version with this new version,
now on installation time, or later, by copying the newer files over the old files.

If you use the installer, your configuration files will be preserved as TC can tell from the timestamp what to skip.
But if you unpack the setup files you have to take care yourself on not overwriting your modified files.
The main config files are the *.INI files ("wincmd.ini" , "wcx_ftp.ini"), but also the *.INC files
and the languages files (*.INC / *.LNG / *.MNU /*.MNU) could be were modified by yourself?
Also see the wiki: "What to backup" >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Backup

- - -

Total Commander will use the configuration INI files

from the location stored in the registry (IF you had used the setup installer.exe):

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Ghisler\Total Commander]
--or--
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Ghisler\Total Commander]
"IniFileName"="%APPDATA%\\GHISLER\\wincmd.ini"
"FtpIniName"="%APPDATA%\\GHISLER\\wcx_ftp.ini"
"InstallDir"="c:\\totalcmd"

--OR-- from the TC program folder, if you have your wincmd.ini in the TC program folder
and wrote the following settings in that wincmd.ini below of [Configuration]
UseIniInProgramDir=7
See TC Help > Settings in the file wincmd.ini (Part 1)

--OR ELSE on default--
in %APPDATA%\GHISLER\

--or in the very old time in the "C:\Windows" folder

- - -

To have something to play with without messing with your work wincmd.ini,
- you can copy the old, work wincmd.ini to the new TC folder,
- or just create a new, fresh wincmd.ini, as just an empty plain text file in the new TC folder.

To tell TC to use the wincmd.ini in the TC folder,
modify the wincmd.ini and add "UseIniInProgramDir=7" below of a "[Configuration]"-section:

Code: Select all

[Configuration]
UseIniInProgramDir=7 ;7=use this wincmd.ini in TC folder

That's all. On next TC start TC will use the wincmd.ini file from TC folder.

Also, you could rename your old wincmd.ini and let TC create a new one.
Later on just restore the renamed ini file to get your old settings back.
See TC "Help menu > About Total Commander... > INI-Files:" for the location of these files.

That way you can have several folders with TC and use different settings,
IF you use the above "UseIniInProgramDir=7" trick for each different folder.

Also you can have different TC folders and use the same INI, IF the INI is on the default location %APPDATA%\GHISLER\,
or if you copy the wincmd.ini with the "UseIniInProgramDir=7"-setting to all that different folders.

Another way to use is to start TC via command line parameters and advice to use an temporarily INI:
totalcmd.exe /I=Miller.ini /F=MFtp.ini (use Miller.ini instead of wincmd.ini for all settings, and MFtp.ini for FTP)
totalcmd.exe /I="%temp%\myTempTC.ini" /F"%temp%\myTempFTP.ini" (launch TC with temporarily config files in users temp folder)
Command line parameters >>> https://www.ghisler.ch/wiki/index.php?title=Command_line_parameters

- - -

License wincmd.key

To become registered, copy your bought license file "wincmd.key" to the new TC folder.

New users can work with TC as shareware during the trial period.
See https://www.ghisler.com/order.htm for hints how to buy Total Commander.

- - -

Tips & Tricks for new user ;
here I will collect my own settings while working with a new, fresh TC

You may want to add a few keyboard shortcut keys into the wincmd.ini,
to a "[Shortcuts]"-section, to let TC act like default WindowsTM:

Code: Select all

[Shortcuts]
;Enable 'F2'-key to RENAME, additional to origin 'Shift+F6'
F2=cm_RenameOnly
;Enable 'Ctrl+F' to SEARCH (find-files), additional to origin 'Alt+F7'     
C+F=cm_SearchFor
;Use 'Ctrl+O' to launch DOS-Box in current path
C+o=cm_ExecuteDOS
;Disable 'Alt+F4' (Exit, close program), load Help instead
A+F4=cm_Keyboard
;Disable 'F8' (Delete), load Help instead
F8=cm_Keyboard

- - -

To get a menu with almost any possible TC command, you may want to use an alternate Language file:

See http://totalcmd.net/directory/lang.html

Or Extended English Menus for Total Commander (by petermad) > http://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=33740

Or German / Deutsch
Menu für Total Commander v9.00 mit (fast) allen internen Kommandos > https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=325529#p325529
-oder-
TC Extended German Menu 9.0 > http://totalcmd.net/plugring/Extended_German_Menu.html

- - -

Some default keyboard shortcuts:

Code: Select all

F3 = show a file in internal LISTER 
F4 = open file with NOTEPAD.exe
F5 = COPY selected to other panel
F6 = MOVE selected to other panel
F7 = create a new FOLDER
Shift+F4 = create a new (text) FILE and open in NOTEPAD
F8 = DELETE

- - -

Show tabs

Configuration > Options... > Folder Tabs >>> [x] Show tab header also when there is only one tab

Double click on the tab line to open another tab.

- - -

Mouse selection

Configuration > Options... > Operation >>> Mouse selection mode: (o) Left mouse button (Windows standard)

Be aware of automatically enabled "[x]Rubber band selection" (hold LMB and drag over an area to select many items)

- - -

Sorting directories

Configuration > Options... > Display >>> Sorting directories (o)Like files (also by time)

(Note: Folders are always sorted above all files, never mixed alphabetically with files)

- - -

More information for German users:
FAQs: Meine ersten Einstellungen für einen brandneuen TC
https://ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?p=335850#p335850

Files of Total Commander folder

TotalCmd 9.50 beta 6, fresh, unused

Show

TotalCmd 7.0.2a, very old, used version with own additions

Show

HTH?

And now smtg completely different: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpvmX5xrFbQ

GetSystemInfos:
Some tips to know what system version you are using

PowerShell console;

Get-CimInstance Win32_OperatingSystem | select Caption,Version,OSArchitecture,MUILanguages,OSLanguage,CountryCode,Locale,CodeSet
Get-WmiObject Win32_VideoController | select Description,VideoModeDescription
Get-ItemProperty 'HKCU:\Control Panel\Desktop\WindowMetrics' | select AppliedDPI

Possible Result:

Caption : Microsoft Windows 10 HereaVersionIfAny
Version : 10.0.17763
OSArchitecture : 64-Bit
MUILanguages : {en-US, de-DE}
OSLanguage : 1033
CountryCode : 49
Locale : 0407
CodeSet : 1252

Description : Intel(R) HD Graphics 530
VideoModeDescription : 1920 x 1080 x 4294967296 Farben

AppliedDPI : 96

Windows OS Versionsnummern:

Code: Select all

3.5 -- NT 3.5
4.0 -- NT 4.0
5.0 -- Windows 2000

Code: Select all

5.1 -- Windows XP

Code: Select all

6.0 -- Windows Vista

Code: Select all

6.1 --  Windows 7  Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional, Ultimate, Enterprise -- Oktober 2009 -- 7600.16385	
6.1.7600 -- Win7 NT 6.1
6.1.7601 -- Win7 NT 6.1 SP1

Code: Select all

6.2 --  Windows 8  Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Windows RT, Windows 8 Enterprise[4]  26. -- Oktober 2012  -- 92001	
6.2.9200 -- Win8
6.2.9201

Code: Select all

6.3 --  Windows 8.1  Windows 8.1, Windows 8.1 Pro, Windows RT 8.1, Windows 8.1 Enterprise -- 18. Oktober 2013--  96001	
6.3.9200 -- Win8.1
6.3.9600 -- Win8.1 Update1
6.3.9601

Code: Select all

10.0 -- Windows 10	
10.0.10240 -- Windows 10 (1507)
10.0.10586 -- Windows 10 (1511)
10.0.14393 -- Windows 10 (1607)
10.0.15063 -- Windows 10 (1703)
10.0.16299 -- Windows 10 (1709)
10.0.17134 -- Windows 10 (1803)
10.0.17763 -- Windows 10 (1809)
10.0.18362 -- Windows 10 (1903) 19H1