The best freeware file manager a comparative analysis. File management in Windows browsing, viewing, copying, deleting files etc is an area where Windows Explorer is not sufficient for many people. Explorer lacks several functions such as a tabbed interface and multiple panes for organizing files easily, quick file viewing, sorting folders by folder size, enhanced archive management, multiple file renaming, to name a few. One of the major shortcomings is Explorers tendency to stop ongoing file operations if one of the files is locked or not available because of security settings, which makes it unclear which files where copied and which were not. There are several freeware file managers that address this gap in Windows file management functionality. We looked at 1. 7 of these and found 1. TRVRSupervisorClient.png' alt='Commander File Manager Software Total Recall' title='Commander File Manager Software Total Recall' />This post will compare the following program across several criteria Cubic. Explorer, Free. Commander, Master Commander, Nexus File, Nomad. NET, Q Dir, SE Explorer, Ultra. Explorer, Unreal Commander and Xplorer. Lite. Editors note this post was written by Freewaregenius contributor Priit L. What are the criteria to evaluate a file managerWhat is important There are as many opinions as there are people. In this article we tried to compare these programs across several criteria that we thought to be important, although at times felt like we had to make a comparison work that was akin to comparing an apple and an orange, which was a hard job. So, we apologize if you feel that your favorite file manager has been unfairly evaluated. If you would like to simply jump to the overall verdict ratings list, click here. In this comparison the criteria are The user interface it must be simultaneously intuitive, powerful enough and not too cluttered. Tabs and breadcrumbs are modern addition to the interface that can improve usability. We also considered the option to open multiple folders in different tabs and to drag and drop files or compare the contents of several folders. File operations lot of file managers use Windows built in file operations which will stop on encountering the first problem. The best file managers have the ability to pauseresume operations for time consuming transfers, to display the transfer rate and estimated time to completion. This chapter describes how to identify and resolve software problems related to the Cisco IOS software on the Catalyst 3560 switch. Depending on the nature of the. File management in Windows browsing, viewing, copying, deleting files etc is an area where Windows Explorer is not sufficient for many people. An operating system OS is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources and provides common services for computer programs. Often they also have enhanced support for skippingoverwriting files, like skip alloverwrite alloverwrite all older etc. If some of the selected files are locked or inaccessible they can be skipped and the copyingmoving of other files will be resumed. Additional features many programs have advanced features that make life easier such as Multi rename tool ability to rename multiple files using patterns. Like rename all selected files like IMG0. JPG to TomsBirthdayPicture3. Mergesplit Split big files for sending them by e mail or burning to optical disks and afterwards joining them back again. Show folder size, sort by folder size allows to sort folders by size of the contents. NB Use with care, as this can be time consuming for big folders like WINDOWS etc. Copy file nameinfo as text also can be used for creating directory listings. Copy ToMove To buttons similar function that to some other small gadget programs offer. FavoritesQuick LaunchDrop Stack etc ability to mark several folders You use often or You need to perform some operations. Also worth mentioning while dealing with Windows file managers is the Norton Commander legacy. Most computer users today may be unaware of the time before Windows when all file operations were carried on the DOS command prompt. Norton Commander abbreviation NC was the most popular file manager at the time and the two paned interface and keyboard shortcuts it introduced are still used on many Windows file managers. We gave points to the programs that can be configured using either Windows Explorer style operation or Norton Commander style operation for the fans of both interfaces. Probably the most popular Norton Commander clone is Total Commander shareware. After evaluating 1. In alphabetical order these programs are Cubic. Free Download Cdr File Design Pics. Explorer, Free. Commander, Master Commander, Nexus File, Nomad. NET, Q Dir, SE Explorer, Ultra. Explorer, Unreal Commander and Xplorer. Lite. The following programs were also evaluated but got a lower score than the first seven a. Alt. Commander, Explorer. XP, File. Ant, JExplorer, Pablo Commander and Snowbird. The Evaluation. The User Interface. In this section the quality and usability of the user interface is evaluated. Cubic. Explorer. Windows Explorer style, with tabs, breadcrumb path and quickviewbookmarkfilters panel. The toolbars and panels can be customized by dragging. Tabs Yes, multiple tabs can be opened. Panes No NC style multiple panes. Favorites Yes, called Bookmarks. Several bookmarks can be quickly opened in different tabs. Score 55. The interface is simple, modern, intuitive and configurable. Free. Commander. Norton Commander NC clone with tabs. Two panes, NC like vertical split or horizontal split. Cannot switch to one pane. Select files in Windows Explorer mode or NC mode. NC legacy key shortcuts. Folder sizes can be shown manual or automatic, folders can be sorted by size. Intuitive quick filtering. Tabs Yes, multiple tabs can be opened. Panes Yes. Favorites Yes. Score 55. Powerful yet simple interface, not too cluttered. Very configurable. Master Commander. Norton Commander style interface with 2 panes, several tabs can be opened on each pane. Most similar to Total Commander shareware by interface and richness of functionality. Tabs Yes. Panes Yes, two panes arranged vertically or horizontally. Favorites Yes. Score 454 Nexus. File. Interface with two vertical panes, switchable to Windows Explorer style one pane interface. Tabs and breadcrumb paths. Different filefolder selection style click left to the file name to select, click another time to deselect. Or select by Spacebar. Tabs Yes. Panes Yes, one or two panes. Favorites Yes. Score 55. Intuitive uncluttered interface with breadcrumb paths. Support skins, the default one is terminal type light text on black background. Nomad. NETWindows Explorer style interface with 1 or 2 panels, arranged vertically or horizontally. Breadcrumb style folder path. Folder tree can be shown beside or above the filefolder listing. Quick and advanced filter. Tabs Yes. Panes Yes. Favorites Yes, called Bookmarks. Score 55. Nice Run. As function in menu which allows to run the program with command line options besides running as different user. One can select all files or all folders by clicking the number of filesfolders on the bottom of the pane. Type a file name to begin quick filter or quick search. Q Dir. Flexible interface with panes and tabs. There are 1. 2 buttons with preconfigurations from 2 to 4 panes, split vertical and horizontal etc. The big folder tree can be shownhidden and also there is a button to show tree for each pane. Address bar can be shown as breadcrumb ExtrasAddress barModern style. Tabs Yes. Panes Yes, easily switched between different configurations. Favorites Yes. Score 55. The first start after installation, displaying 4 panes can be a bit frightening but You can switch to a view that has less details. SE Explorer. The program has different tabs with different modules. The File Manager tab has Norton Commander style two pane interface and NC style keyboard commands. Select files with Insert key, Shiftleft click does not work.