A rchive Date
[ 03-02-2001 ]
Category
[ Information Technologies ]
sub-Categoy
[ Microsoft ]
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[http://msn.zdnet.com/msn/zdnet/story/0%2C12461%2C2677159 - hud0002500%2Cmn5.html
Manage Files Better With Windows Explorer
Get the insider tips on everything from changing fonts to displaying disk drives in Windows Explorer.
By Greg Shultz, The Windows Wizard, Help & How-To
Since working with your computer typically means creating or altering files, you probably spend a lot of time performing various file management tasks in Windows Explorer. Whether you're copying, moving, deleting or just renaming files, there are ways that you can make the entire procedure much easier.
In this article, I'll provide you with some tips and tricks for working with Windows Explorer. As I do, I'll even investigate some Windows Explorer replacements.
Toggling between Windows Explorer and My Computer
Most people think that Windows has two file management programs - Windows Explorer and My Computer. However, in reality, they're one and the same. They're just two different views in the same program: Explorer.exe. Windows Explorer shows you a folder tree list on the left and files list on the right. My Computer just shows you a files list.
You can easily toggle between the Windows Explorer and My Computer views. If you're in Windows Explorer and decide that you don't need the folder tree list, just click the close button in the top right corner of the All Folders pane. You can then reverse the transformation by pulling down the View menu, opening the Explorer Bar submenu and selecting the All Folders option.
Using the Full Screen option
When you're performing file management tasks, you may need to see more of the files on screen. However, don't just click on the Maximize button to expand the window; use the hidden full screen feature. To do so, press the F11 key. This action activates the full screen feature that Windows Explorer has borrowed from Internet Explorer. To return the screen to normal size, simply press the F11 key again.
Displaying disk drives
When you double - click the My Computer icon, you'll see a list of all the drives on your hard disk. However, when you launch Windows Explorer, it displays the contents of drive C: in the right panel. If you want the best of both worlds, you can combine the way My Computer displays all the disk drives with the Windows Explorer view.
To begin, click Start > Settings > Taskbar & Start Menu. Next, click the Start Menu Programs tab, and click the Advanced button. Now, locate your Windows Explorer shortcut in your Programs folder, right - click it, and select the Properties command. When the Windows Explorer Properties sheet appears, click the Shortcut tab. Then, add the /Select switch after the /e switch so that the Target text box reads
C:WindowsExplorer.exe /n, /e, /select, C:
Using the /Select switch with C: as the object causes Windows Explorer to open a My Computer view of your system. Now when you select the Windows Explorer shortcut on the Start menu, your window will look more like the My Computer view.
Adding descriptions to folders in Web view
Are you using Web view in Windows Explorer? If so, you can use the Customize This Folder tool to add descriptions to your folders. Doing so makes it very easy to identify quickly exactly what's in a particular folder.
To begin, access the folder that you want to add a description to. Next, right - click on a blank area of the folder and select the Customize This Folder command. When you see the introduction page of the Customize This Folder Wizard, click the Next button. On the next page, select on the Add Folder Comment check box and click Next. Then, in the Folder Comment text box, type your description either in plain text or as HTML code.
Changing the font
Have you ever wanted to change the font Windows uses to display file and folder names in Windows Explorer? Fortunately doing so is easy. Windows Explorer uses the same font that Windows uses for icon titles on your desktop: MS Sans Serif. Therefore, in order to change the font in Windows Explorer, all you have to do is change the font used for desktop icons.
To do so, right - click on the desktop and select the Properties command. When you see the Display Properties dialog box, select the Appearance tab, and choose Icon from the Item drop - down list.
Next, click the Font drop - down arrow and select a font from the list of available fonts. To preview your font changes as you're making them, open Windows Explorer and arrange the windows. You can see several icons on the desktop and the Windows Explorer window behind the Display Properties dialog box. Now, as you make a change, click the Apply button to see what the new font looks like as an icon title and as text in Windows Explorer.
Windows Explorer alternatives
If you feel that Windows Explorer isn't meeting you needs, you may want to investigate an alternative. You can choose from an array of choices at ZDNet Downloads. You can also perform your own search in the search box above by entering in the keywords File Manager or File Management and selecting "Downloads" from the drop - down menu.
However, there are two Windows Explorer replacements that I recommend. The first one is Singularity, a shareware program by Andrei Belogortseff at WinAbility. Singularity's interface consists of two vertical panes in which are displayed two easily navigable file lists. As you can imagine, this configuration makes it easy to copy and move files from one location on the hard drive to another. Singularity has a bunch of other features that make it a top - notch file management program.
For example, you'll find features that give you the ability to create a new folder, rename a file, or instantly launch Find all by clicking buttons on the toolbar. There are two version of Singularity - one specifically optimized for Windows NT4/2000 and one that works in all version of Windows.
The second Windows Explorer replacement that I recommend is called Windows Commander from Christian Ghisler. This file management tool also give you side - by - side panes, but also allows you to change its interface to one similar to Windows Explorer, with a folder tree in one pane and a file list in the other. Basically, you can get the best of both worlds in one tool.
Greg Shultz is a Senior Editor with Element K Journals. He writes the monthly tips and techniques journals, Inside Microsoft Windows 98 and Windows Professional. You can reach Greg at The_Windows_Wizard@hotmail.com]
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