Better file management for Windows NT

Better file management for Windows NT

If you recently started using Windows NT 4.0, you may find yourself longing for a better file management utility than Explorer ù especially if you're used to File Manager in Windows 3.x or NT 3.x.

You're in luck. NT 4.0 comes with an up-to-date File Manager with all the features you've come to love plus support for long file names. File Manager is superior to Explorer in many ways. Here are some of the things you can do with it.

Limit the files displayed in a window with wild cards. Choose ViewûBy File Type.

Customise the toolbar. Choose OptionsûCustomize Toolbar or double-click an empty area of the toolbar.

Display available drives on a toolbar instead of in a drop-down list. Choose OptionsûDrivebar to toggle it on and off.

Control which attributes are displayed in Details view, including the MS-DOS file name. Choose ViewûPartial Details.

Customise a particular font without affecting the fonts of desktop icons. Choose OptionsûFonts.

Arrange multiple minimised icons and windows with or without a directory tree and preserve the arrangement. Hold down the <Shift> key as you choose FileûExit.

So where do you find this great program? Use Explorer (one last time?) to navigate to the Windows\System32 folder, then drag winfile.exe to the folder of your choice within the Start Menu folder. Dropping the file into the folder creates a Shortcut. Now just choose the Shortcut from your Start menu any time you want to use File Manager.

If you'd like File Manager to be as convenient as My Computer, put a Shortcut to File Manager on your desktop or in the Start Menu\Programs\StartUp folder.
û Scott Dunn

Category: Windows NT
Issue: May 1998