Windows Explorer - Software Review and User Report
By the way, you've just surfed into a website very rich in information about Windows software, tips, tricks and tweaks. Don't leave without exploring the resources listed on the main page.
As of Windows 95, both File Manager as the default file manager, and Program Manager as the default shell, respectively, were superseded by Windows Explorer, which, however, never really succeded in integrating their functionality, nor really improved on either. It is actually a shame that from then on, Microsoft stubbornly stuck to it as the Windows default shell (which means it pops up - in its one-paned or its two-paned flavor - as the default user interface in many facets and corners of the OS: as My Computer, as My Briefcase, as Task Scheduler, as Network Neighborhood, and so on). To make things even more confusing, since Windows 98 (or was it 95?), Microsoft even tried to integrate Internet Explorer in the same interface. Internet Explorer became just another "directory" (nerdspeak: NameSpace object) in Windows Explorer's left pane.
That's where I decided I've had enough. I opted for the Windows Commander file manager instead and never regretted it since.
Software Review - Pros
None I can think of. Oh yes, there is one, though tiny: it remains the simplest way to check on your disk space (and then close it immediately, for there is no other use for it).
Software Review - Cons
None really. To put it simply, Windows Explorer is a tolerable shell, but a pathetic file/directory manager.
User Report - Tips, Tricks and Tweaks
Move/rename Windows Explorer and rename Windows Commander to Explorer.exe, so you can run it with the win-e key combo. For this to work, of course, Wincmd.exe should be in your path or in your Windows dir.
A little trivia: can it be done from Windows itself? And, second, what happens if, one way or another, you actually succeed in doing this? Will Windows still start successfully, and why not? And, second, will you be able to restore your system without reinstalling Windows? Well, that's where things start getting at least a little bit interesting ;) ...
