In short, having a double explorer-like screen is extremely useful.

 

I recently found a nice tool for Windows which is called "Stardock Groupy".
It adds Tabs to Windows Explorer and allows you to add any application as tab
by simply dragging a window over another.

Here's a screenshot from another thread:


As you can see, I have one window opened (with only one button on the taskbar) with JDownloader, Opera and 2 Explorer windows.
Makes things a lot easier.

Btw. I never used Total Commander or similar explorer tools cause I really don't like the interfaces and GUI's.
The only Explorer alternative I used before was "Explorer++" cause it's more easy to modify system files and settings
on broken PC's I have to fix here and there by running it with higher privilegues.

 

Because they're better. Multiple tabs, app shortcuts bar and a lot more amenities that standard file manager does NOT have.
The OP was "what you consider best sw", well your opinion is that factory file manager is best, ok, nothing wrong with that.
Why does it feel like you're offended of other opinions?
Anyone will get everything at his/her taste, as anything else in life, so to speak, if you like lobsters (and I don't), I don't ask you why, actually I don't care at all.

Live and let live.

 

I am only asking, because I simply don't know these softwares. And that's why I am curious what the benefits are of it. I mean if a lot of people are using it, then there has to be a good reason, right? So I am quite interested in even using it aswell. And also to find out if it's also maybe something for me. Is that really weird?

Also I didn't said nowhere that I consider Windows Explorer as best. I only said that I like using it. That's really a difference. And if you know me well, then I already have made a lot of statements here that I do appreciate everyone else opinion and there is nothing wrong with it. Of course exceptions are included. I can't not really approve opinions in some extreme situations.

Anyway, I am not offended at all. Absolutely not or nothing in my post was supposed to be like that. Which part of my previous post shows you that I am offended? Pretty curious, because I don't think anything in my previous post indicates that. I mean what's so offensive about it if someone asks only a little question why people are using a specific software?

It only strenghtens the assumptions that you are the one that does feel offended and not me. Also by responding where you said in the same post you don't care?

By the way I don't like lobsters either. Mussels are nice at some times

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2020

Not file managers but powerful enough:

Search Everything... Find files and folder faster then ever.
TeraCopy... Comfortable file copy manger (sync/async copy). There is a beta v3 in the blog with dark mode. Drag'nDrop to a running copy job copies to the same location.
Registry Finder... Fast searching in the whole Registry and with favorites.

These my absolute must have in a Windows environment! If anyone knows a free TeraCopy alternative with same functionality pls share.
Also AutoRuns & Process Explorer from Sysinternals.

ahh,, Better file manager then Windows Explorer. These above tools are my addons ;)
Also still using QTTabBar.

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2020

If I misjudged, I apologize.

Only, "I don't really see why almost everyone here is using something different" sounds like (but as I said I could have misjudjed):
"there is no reason" ->"anything else than w.e. is bs".

Regarding the "I don't care at all" it's about lobsters, but to link it to w.e., if you still suggest me to use it, I just don't care about it, because I know its limits enough well, compared to other file managers, freeware or not.

Peace

 

@orbitbooster

Oh, no worries. We are humans. We are not perfect. I think I have misundertood you too. So apologies on my side to you aswell

I meant that more as in like that I don't understand, because I just don't know anything about it and why I would love to know more. Not in a way that I am not approving the opinions of others in this thread. If you don't know something, then it can be harder to understand in the end. It's like getting complicated math without any explanations. Anyway, all good

For how long are you using different softwares by the way?

 

Last edited: Mar 3, 2020

I disabled indexing on all hdds and i use voidtools Everything for searching file in my system, it's light, free and super fast for the purpose.
I use LibreOffice, free and open source similar to Windows office.
I don't use any antivirus at all, i just use COMODO firewall free and disabled Windows antivirus and firewall.
I use GIMP for modify pictures, great tool, free and open source.
I use Yandex browser, based on chromium, i tried almost all browser around and i found out that Yandex is the most complete, secure and fast browser around and the one that handle at best cpu and ram if you have a ton of tabs open, it also have some wonderful features.
I use iobit uninstaller, kinda fast but not really necessary since Windows is a shitty os and i have to search on Everything for leftovers everytime anyway no matter what uninstall app i use.
I use Adwcleaner to check my system for garbage in general from time to time
I use QuiteRSS for RSS feeds, little, free and light powerful app.
I use a free vpn called hola, it works everytime i really need it.
These are some of my favourite software for windows and the ones i use the most

P.S.: i kinda hate fancy graphics and effects on windows in general they are useless and kinda heavy if you plan to use your machine for music production, so i disabled all that fancy shit.

 

Nice list too! But..

..Yandex from the Russian Search Service. Not better then Google for me. I like more the Iridium Browser as my FF alternative..

 

I just realized that I do already have a program like this on my desktop. It's called UltraSearch, but I never use it actually. It was on a recommendation from a known member here that advised me to install it, but I don't know who anymore.

I think I am not using it, because I am not searching for files that often. And when I do I mostly immediately know where the files are. So it's already only a matter of seconds for me to find it with Windows explorer. That's why I never have thought about it on how to make searching faster. But yeah, if you have a big storage, looking for files very often, don't know exactly where the files are, etc, then I totally see why it's handy. Absolutely! I am going to take a look at voidtools and the other recommendations in this thread

https://www.jam-software.com/ultrasearch

 

another big up for XYplorer.
Have used it for a few years now. It's a shame that it's being discontinued.
Won't stop me using it though.
I also use Listary which is a fantastic prog.
And I use 'Everything', a lightening fast search replacement for windows crappy one.

 

It is doing a great job.
What i got here.
MediaMonkey,it manages video and audio files, playlists.And MusicBee is the music manager.PassGeeker is good at resetting the password of all the Windows OS.

 

A few free utilities being useful together...

• Firstly, a major 'thumbs up' for the 'Everything' Search facility from voidtools, mentioned many times in this thread.
• Secondly, a recommendation to explore Robocopy (if and when required) Robocopy is actually built into Windows.
• And Thirdly, a recommendation for PassMark ImageUSB

Here's an example where I found all three of the above to be invaluable.
I organised a 32GB USB drive which now has 2.4 million midi files on it. They are of course very tiny files.
To copy that many tiny files onto a USB drive is a challenge, and Windows is totally hopeless at achieving that. I do like Teracopy and Syncback for all my copying but even those apps fail to cope well with this task in reasonable time. It would take days!
Robocopy (built into windows) works at command line level and allows you to bypass all the sluggish file management that Windows inflicts on the copying process and which apps like Teracopy (working within Windows) still have to endure.
Robocopy is by far the fastest approach I have seen for copying files and it has very flexible options for achieving synchronised source/destination, etc.

After Robocopy had successfully copied 2.4 million tiny files to a USB drive (in hours instead of days), I then included a portable version of VoidTools Everything search. It (quickly) builds a tiny database of the entire 2.4 million files on the USB drive and after that it provides super fast, super flexible searching of all those 2.4 million midi files - it is really brilliant.

The only limitation I have found so far is that the database depends on a set Volume. I haven't (yet) found a way round that, so, to avoid building the database each time. I need the USB drive to use the same drive letter when moving it from machine to machine. It's simple enough in windows to set the USB drive to (e.g.,) Volume M (before building the Everything database) and then set the USB drive to the same Vol M, in any machine that I plug the USB drive into. (that all sounds far more complicated than it actually is - it's trivial and quick)

Lastly, having built this USB drive once, I don't want to do it again, so I use PassMark ImageUSB to build a snapshot image of the entire USB drive, which can then be used to burn duplicates of the USB drive in just a few minutes.

Life would be so much harder without utilities like these.

 

Free... but... license management? WTF?

 

I didn't see it mentioned, so...

PowerDesk Pro 9.

It's been around since the mid 1990's.

 

scoop or chocolately, i favour scoop though as choco is paidware. If you don't know what either of those mean, look it up. Basically portable installers for almost every piece of software there is currently available on the internet.

 

I transfer midi files to various pcs of my clients a lot. 50k files is about the minimum. This type of file falls in the most demanding category of "Random 4k write" that can literally bring to its knees even the fastest ssd. Because i do this quite often (since i build music workstations often), i compress those files to a single rar archive which then can be transferred in no time, and decompressed locally afterwards. I found that this approach is much faster than any type of straight transfer, even with robocopy. The only downside is that these files are not immediately accessible since they are compressed.
Cheers

 

I have been using Total Commander since it was called Windows Commander (MS forced them to change the name around 2002 or 2003...)
I also use daily a wonderful little gem called SearchMyFile, by the folks at NirSoft.