-------------------------------------------------------- ***WARNING*** EDITING THE REGISTRY CAN RENDER YOUR COMPUTER UNUSABLE. UNLESS YOU ARE 100% CERTAIN YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING, YOU ARE ADVICED NOT TO MODIFY IT IN ANY WAY. -------------------------------------------------------- A. HOW TO MAKE XPLORER˛ YOUR DEFAULT FOLDER APPLICATION see this blog post http://zabkat.com/blog/replace-explorer-2.5.htm B. TWEAKING ADVANCED SETTINGS FOR XPLORER˛ -------------------------------------------------------------------------- NOTE: There is a GUI tool that allows you to edit all these options so you don't need to hack your registry. Check your installation folder for x2SettingsEditor (or use the Start menu shortcut). Or use TOOLS > ADVANCED OPTIONS menu command. This is how it looks: http://zabkat.com/pic/guireg.png x2SettingsEditor /A to edit the ANSI/lite options To locate an option in the settings editor, copy/paste the option name you seek (e.g. nMenuBreak) in its lower left search box. You can also search using any keyword that you think may be relevant -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The main registry key is: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ZabaraKatranemia Plc\xplorer2 — or xplorer2_UC if you have the unicode version installed. Whenever you want to change a value, follow these steps: * EXIT all running instances of xplorer˛ (this is essential) * Start regedit using Start | Run (or equivalent) * Locate the main key where xplorer˛ keeps its settings * Double-click on a "variable" name to change its value (If you have the ULTIMATE edition and store your settings in an INI file, the procedure is similar, you edit the X2SETTINGS.INI file with a text editor while xplorer˛ is not running) Most options have self-descriptive names, so it shouldn't be hard to imagine what each variable does. As a general further hint, names that begin with 'b' (e.g. bUnderline) refer to on/off (boolean) settings. Setting the value to 0 turns the option off, any other value enables it. Names starting with 'n' imply a number of some sort, and those with 'sz' are strings. Hungarian people talk like that, alledgedly . Names that start with "bin" imply values that are made up as the sum of individual bits. Please sum up all the numbers representing the options you want and set this total number to the "bin" value. The registry editor defaults changing numeric values as HEXadecimal, so make sure you select the decimal option first. (if bit values are presented as 0x100, they are in hex) Values that correspond to time intervals are measured in milli-seconds. So if you want to set one to 2 sec, set it to 2000. Here's a description of settings you may want to experiment with, organized by subkey. A [*] next to a value below stands for the default setting. Whenever you want to reset a value, just delete it altogether. When changing values, make sure you switch to decimal (not hex) input mode in regedit. [xplorer2(_UC).global] /////////////// These options apply for all layouts szAudioExtList comma separated list of extensions for "exotic" audio files, e.g. "foo,bar,wm4" szVideoExtList comma separated list of extensions for "exotic" video files, e.g. "ogg,bar,wmdd4" nCustMenuIcons 20[*] how many bookmarks, user commands etc that can be placed on toolbars (5-100) nMenuBreak 0[*] optional column break for long menus every X commands (X=25-50) szAltBrowser path to your preferred browser (eg c:\pathto\firefox.exe) used for on-board HTML help bin1OffNotify set to -1 to disable all "don't show this message again" dialogs set to 0 to re-enable all the important messages nPingTimeoutMS 5000[*] millisecond timeout for checking network availability szShellVerb shell verb to execute with FILE > SHELL EDIT menu command. Default is EDIT but you can use any other verb defined in the registry szFileCountRule Comma separated wildcards of names to match for Contents [S] column that counts file items in a folder. Could also be the name of a previously saved hyperfilter. nUnbufferedCopyMB 1024[*] Files bigger than this limit are (robust) copied without buffering Set to 0 to use windows default (buffered) copy szSystemPropsList comma-separated list of system properties to extend the detailed columns (case sensitive) szGrepExcludeTypes comma separated list of extensions (types) to be excluded when searching for text (applies to complex types like office documents) szGrepWhiteListTypes comma separated list of extensions always considered for text searches bDisableMSAA 0[*] set to 1 to disable accessibility support for custom controls nTagRectWidth 1[*] pixel width of border drawn round color tagged items szBackupFilter optional filter to use for BACKUP menu command (name of saved hyperfilter) chRenDefault _[*] Character that replaces illegal ones (e.g. :\? etc) during file renaming nMountDriveChars 4[*] Length constraint for pure mounted external drives names appearing on drivebar Set to 0 to turn off showing mounts on drivebar (only drive letters) nMaxPositions 150[*] Max number of item positions saved in manual arrangement mode; Set it to 0 to disable saving positions in DESKTOP.INI nMonitorBlowupPC 75[*] Peek preview (2-mouse button) popup window size, percent of the monitor area nPeekTextWidth 700[*] Text peek preview maximum pixel width, if smaller than above szNoDirTypes comma separated list of extensions of archives that should not be browsed as folders nMaxMinisearch 28[*] max number of results in popup minisearch window nMaxCopyThreads 5[*] maximum allowable parallel robust copy operations; 0 disables the limit (you should really use the queue and avoid parallel copies) binLogs -> progress logging control bits [default = all on(-1)] DOLOG_FSEARCH 1 /* log during file search */ DOLOG_ROBACOPY 2 /* log during robust copy */ DOLOG_ROBADEL 4 /* log during robust delete */ binMiscOptions -> miscellaneous options [default = 0] GAOPT_NOSHELLDOBJ 2 /* use xplorer2 dataobject for copying, instead of shell (prevents stuck progress transfers) */ GAOPT_NOBGTHUMBS 64 /* no background threading for thumbnails, saves custom DLL GPFs */ GAOPT_NOCUSTOMICONS 256 /* stops extracting custom drive icons (for non-standard >32x32 icon sizes) */ GAOPT_THREADEDPDF 512 /* allow pdf text background extraction (requires Adobe Reader 7+) */ GAOPT_NOVISTAGLASS 1024 /* disable fancy selection bars etc in vista, make it look like XP */ GAOPT_VISTADDICONES 2048 /* show images while drag drop (default=OFF since it crashes some vistas) */ GAOPT_FOLLOWJUNCTIONS 4096 /* treat junctions as normal folders for search, flatten etc */ GAOPT_COLCALWAYS 8192 /* filename color coding applied even in inactive views */ GAOPT_NOCASCADEFRW 32768 /* don't open new frame windows cascaded (displaced bottom/right) */ GAOPT_IGNOREADSERR 65536 /* robust copy operations won't complain for file stream loss for FAT32 */ GAOPT_SPEAKINTONGS 131072 /* speak out status bar error messages (english only) */ GAOPT_NOREPLACETSR 262144 /* in explorer replacement mode don't remain resident after all windows are closed */ GAOPT_NOBROWSECPAN 524288 /* don't browse control panel, leave for windows explorer */ GAOPT_NOROBUSTDEL 1048576 /* don't use robust delete engine, everything goes through windows explorer */ GAOPT_SAVEUNICODETXT 8388608 /* paste text in folder (x2scrap.txt) saved as unicode file */ GAOPT_NOTHUMBCACHE 16777216 /* don't use windows XP thumbs.db thumbnail cache */ GAOPT_NOX2SHCMENU 33554432 /* don't add xplorer2 items in shell context menu */ GAOPT_NODESKSEARCH 67108864 /* disable desktop search */ GAOPT_XCOLSFGTHREAD 1073741824 /* don't extract extra [X] column handlers on background thread */ GAOPT_XLONGPATHS 2147483648 /* enable long/deep path support with lengths > 260 letters (XP or later) */ binMoreOptions -> extra options [default = 0] GAO2_LETSLEEP 1 /* don't force nosleep mode during lengthy copy operations */ GAO2_NOVISTATHUMBS 2 /* don't use vista thumbnail cache (may be full) */ GAO2_CACHETHUMBS 8 /* items cache their preview bitmaps (not recommended!) */ GAO2_NOPERTABSETT 16 /* disable per-tab setting policy everywhere */ GAO2_NOCPWATCHDOG 32 /* don't install robust copy watchdog, allow slow copies */ GAO2_NOSMARTTABS 64 /* inactive tabs consume full resources as in the past */ GAO2_DOWNLOADCLOUD 128 /* allow downloading on-demand cloud files for preview etc */ GAO2_NOIEHELP 256 /* don't use internet explorer for help and video */ GAO2_WEXPATTRS 512 /* match windows explorer advanced atrributes format */ GAO2_DARKMODE 1024 /* fashionable dark background for most window parts */ GAO2_NOFBROKER32 4096 /* don't use WOW IFilters in x64 */ GAO2_PALDATE 8192 /* combine with friendly date for 1 day resolution */ GAO2_UPDIRITEM 16384 /* show ".." parent item in filesystem folders */ GAO2_365PATCH 32768 /* Experimental patch for office 365 native preview */ GAO2_PRECISEDATES 65536 /* show always 1-second accurate dates */ GAO2_NOHTMLTHUMBS 131072 /* disable HTML thumbnails, uses IE */ GAO2_ORIENTALCP 262144 /* stricter tests for detecting unicode text files */ GAO2_NOVISTACOPY 524288 /* disable vista backup from/to mobile phones */ GAO2_NOADMINSYMLINK 0x100000 /* don't auto-elevate to create symbolic links */ GAO2_NOFLIPTBICONS 0x200000 /* don't change toolbar icon size when switching monitors */ GAO2_DELSELNEXT 0x400000 /* after deletion select the next item */ GAO2_DIRSIZEALL 0x800000 /* calculate all folders dirsize, not just selected */ GAO2_NOPOPUPFIND 0x1000000 /* disable quick filter popup search results function */ GAO2_FULLMECOMP 0x2000000 /* enumerate thisPC folder fully, not just the drives */ GAO2_MIDMOUSETAB 0x4000000 /* middle mouse button to open new tab */ GAO2_NOSHADEDLG 0x8000000 /* don't shade main frame each time a dialog pops */ GAO2_NOSHCOLCACHE 0x10000000 /* don't cache shell properties */ GAO2_NODEEPSHELL 0x20000000 /* don't use win10 (partial) deep path support */ GAO2_NOUSBMONITOR 0x40000000 /* don't junk views after their device is ejected */ File types List of comma-separated wildcards that correspond to each file type, e.g. audio, video etc. You can extend a category by editing its content and adding (or removing) the wildcards to taste. You can even add categories of your own; just add a new string (REG_SZ) value, give it a descriptive name and fill it with the wildcards that define it. Find Blacklist Full paths to folders you want excluded from being searched by "Find files" — they won't be flattened either. You can add extra trouble-making folders as necessary. If you remove any folders, please make sure the remaining list has consecutive folder numbering. The easiest solution is to rename the last folder to the ordinal of the folder you deleted. Tag colors If you want more or other colors for tagging items, edit this list. The format is simple a color name and the RGB value that defines it. Note that the red component goes in the least significant bit, e.g. xBB-GG-RR. Color values can be obtained from any color picker in paint programs. Transformation rules If you want more default rules for Mark | Check build, please add them here. Regex abbrevs [depracated] List of regular expression abbreviations. Name is the single letter of the abbreviation and content is the equivalent regular expression [xplorer2(_UC)] ////////////////////// These options are layout-specific, although some of them have nothing to do with window position and arrangement! NAME VALUE --------------------------------------------------------------------- nKBSizeDecimals 1[*] How many decimals to show for compressed mode sizes, eg 1.01kb vs 1.006kb bSortZipAsFiles 0: as folders 1: as files[*] (when zipfolders are supported) This also affects whether zips appear in folder tree pane or not nFocusTimeoutMS 500[*] timeout (in millisec) affecting the previewer and tree autoupdates The default is to wait 0.5 sec before e.g loading a file's preview, giving you time to scroll without loading previews for each file you come across. nHoverTimeoutMS 1000[*] likewise this is the time you have to hover on a tab or tree node while dragging, before x2 automatically opens the tab or tree node. nRefreshTimeoutMS 500[*] delay between receipt of filesystem change and actual pane refresh too small values will wastefully refresh views too often bogging down the CPU nCopyThrottleMS 0[*] optional MS delay introduced to slow down robust transfers saves on system resource use but makes copies slower; small values (<500) recommended rgbFolderLinkcol RGB color for hilighting the active subpath in pane titlebars [-1 for default] rgbActiveBgcol RGB color overriding the white background of active folder panes [-1 for default] rgbFilterBgcol RGB color override for folder panes with an active visual filter [-1 for default] rgbRibbonBG RGB color override for ribbon background (it is a gradient) [-1 for default] rgbZipFolderBgcol RGB color for panel browsing special folders (ZIP/7Z/RAR etc) [-1 for default] rgbTabHilite RGB color for highlighting the active tab or active miller pane nToolFont100 90[*] percent increase (e.g. 110) or decrease (e.g. 90) for toolbar font size szEditor2Path path for editor2, the preferred viewer association (automatically set by x2) szExtFindFiles path for external find files program [default is explorer] e.g. c:\tools\finder "%s" "%s" should be included; the current folder path is passed as an argument there (this option is only available for the lite version) bSingleWindow 0[*] If 1 then only one window is used for all folders, even when you launch/clone a separate x2 instance. If set to 2, then a new tab will be opened. (if this value doesn't exist just create it as a REG_DWORD) binFileOpFlags 0[*] bitfield with options for file copies initiated through drag-drop or Paste FOF_NOCONFIRMATION would result in no file overwrite warnings etc szNewFileExt Optional extension for NewFile (F7) command, e.g. "txt" will create text files nThumbSpacing 3[*] How many pixels to leave between each thumbnail; set 0 for default spacing nThumbMini100 60[*] How much % smaller is the mini-thumb compared to the normal thumbnail view mode nCodePage 1253[*] Custom codepage for text file encoding used for Mark > Containing text menu nMaxTButWidth 64[*] Maximum toolbar button width affecting text labels szFastSearchProps Comma separated list of system properties to use for Fast Search command (default all) nCharsAutoFilter 3[*] Number of characters typed in the active pane in quick succession that activate the automatic jump to the filter box, for easy visual filtering. 0 to disable. szCustomDateFormat show the date columns in a custom format (other than the default in control panel) szCustomTimeFormat ditto for time formatting; add .zzz to show milliseconds szQVDraftExtList comma separated list of extensions that are allowed to be previewed in DRAFT mode (default all file types previewed, set to "txt,jpg" to only allow txt & jpg files) To exclude a file type use a leading minus e.g. -PDF,-DOC szQVNativeExtList ditto for NATIVE preview mode (quick previewer tab) nMarkNewFileMS Time in milliseconds to wait for new files arriving after a paste operation and mark (select) them. Set to 0 to disable this "mark new items" feature nInfotipDurationMS Time in milliseconds to keep on showing file infotips, if enabled from Options. binSearchContext Add 8 to the existing value to search inside WCX archives. Archived Content option should also be ticked in the search dialog. Makes searches a bit slower nBinSearchMaxSizeMB 50[*] Files bigger than this (in MB) won't be searched for text. Prevents time wasting searching in videos and other irrelevant files. Set to 0 to disable nPreviewMaxSizeMB [0*] Files bigger than this MB limit won't preview in Native preview tab. 0=disable limit msBGTextTimeout [12000*] timeout for reading filtered text in the background, 0 to disable threading szExclusionFilter A comma separated list of wildcards (or a saved hyperfilter name) that turns matching files and folders to "hidden" nFrequentQAL 5[*] How many top frequent folders to add in the tree's quick access list nMaxMillers 6[*] max parallel panes for (miller) column browsing mode nMinDupeSize 1024[*] ignore small files under this size when checking for duplicates; set it to 0 to disable exclusion of small files nMaxDupeContentMB 20[*] for files above this limit use statistical content comparison, range [1-250MB] nMaxSlowRename 50[*] if more files than this are mass-renamed, the old fast method is used nFastFilterCnt 512[*] if you enter a folder with more items than this limit, and there is a slow sort column, it will sort by name temporarily. 0 to disable this protection feature binMiscOptions -> miscellaneous options [default = 0] GIOPT_NOED209 1 /* don't use editor2 at all */ GIOPT_ALTAREFRESH 4 /* backup autorefresh mechanizm */ GIOPT_SAVEF5DIRS 16 /* save all copy target folders in F5 dialog history */ GIOPT_SHOWALLHIDDEN 256 /* when hidden files enabled show superhidden too (protected OS) */ GIOPT_NOKEYSENDMS 1024 /* disallow sending items to mini-scrap pane */ GIOPT_NOPOSHREFRESH 4096 /* turn off the "modern" refresh system; should be used with GIOPT_ALTAREFRESH */ GIOPT_ADDRBARENDOK 8192 /* addressbar will activate as you select an item from history list (ENTER not required) */ GIOPT_DIREXTENSIONS 16384 /* enables filename "extensions" for folders (past the dot) */ GIOPT_PROTECT1SEL 65536 /* "eat first click" option will protect even single item selections */ GIOPT_ROBUSTPASTE 131072 /* implement Edit | Paste command robustly, no explorer */ GIOPT_PERTABLAYOUT 524288 /* layouts include information about individual tabs */ GIOPT_NOLEFTDND 4194304 /* disable LEFT drag-drop to avoid move accidents (right-drag still works) */ GIOPT_NOCOLCACHE 16777216 /* don't cache shell column information (for CVS users) */ GIOPT_RENFULLNAME 33554432 /* F2 selects all filename, including the extension before rename */ GIOPT_NODIRTHUMBS 134217728 /* don't extract folder thumbnails in XP (can get slow) */ GIOPT_ROBUSTMOVE 268435456 /* F6 move command done robust even in same partition (slow!) */ GIOPT_PACKEDTHUMBS 536870912 /* tight thumbnail spacing mode; no room for name underneath */ bSantasLittleHelper This controls whether x2 uses a background thread to do time-consuming tasks like thumbnail extraction etc. To turn it off set it to 0 (not recommended). A value of 2 (default) uses the background thread but running at a lower priority so as not to interfere with the main program. If you find that the columns take ages to fill up (especially when other programs are running) you may set bSantasLittleHelper to 1 and it will run at the same priority level as the main program. [MainFrame Settings] //////////// binDualPaneFlags [default = 9] DPF_SHOWHEADERS 8 /* show titlebar for each view pane */ DPF_NOHEADERSUBPATHS 128 /* they exist but ain't clickable */ DPF_X2TITLETRAIL 4096 /* mainframe shows xplorer2 LAST in titlebar */ DPF_MINIMIZE2TRAY 8192 /* main window minimizes to tray (use in conjunction with bSingleWindow) */ DPF_CASCADECRUMBS 16384 /* breadcrumb menu shows popups with complete folder hierarchy */ DPF_XPTABHILITE 32768 /* active tab has an orange tinge like in XP */ DPF_SHOW1TAB 65536 /* forces tab strip visibility even when only one tab is available */ DPF_NOMIDDLECLOSE 131072 /* mouse middle/double click won't close tabs */ DPF_NOMENU 262144 /* no main menu bar shown, commands from toolbars */ DPF_NOHTMLIMG 524288 /* no thumbnail preview in details dock pane */ DPF_NOTITLE 1048576 /* have no paths in the window titlebar, just xplorer2 */ DPF_NOJUNKTABS 2097152 /* if a folder doesn't exist close the tab instead going to Desktop */ DPF_TABINSERTNEXT 4194304 /* open new tab next to the active one, not last */ DPF_THICKSPLITTER 8388608 /* main dual splitter 2x size to tell it apart from miller */ DPF_JUNKLOKEDTABS 0x1000000 /* ignore any locked tabs when restoring saved folder groups */ DPF_THISPCTITLE 0x4000000 /* show THIS PC icon on the titlebar, popping drives menu */ binMillerFlags bits controlling miller columns mode MIVF_AUTOPOP 1 /* automatically open selected folder after timeout */ MIVF_MANUAL 2 /* opposite of the above, press ENTER to open new miller pane */ MIVF_HILITACTIVE 0x100 /* add a little orange bar to the active column pane */ MIVF_HIDESCROLL 0x200 /* hide the scrollbars of browser panes (make them tiny) */ MIVF_AUTOLARGE 0x400 /* automatically widen the focused miller pane */ MIVF_AUTOSHRINK 0x800 /* reduce the width of the old (left) pane as you open a new one */ MIVF_SELFSCROLL 0x2000 /* show scroller for miller itself? useful for drag-scroll */ msFreeSpaceUpdateInterval 20000[*] if you want to have the disk free space shown on the status bar, set this to a non-zero value. E.g. 5000 means "check the free space every 5 seconds". Set to 0 to omit the indicator altogether Recent Document List\DocumentCount [4] increase if you want to see more recently used documents in mini scrap context menu binTreeOptions [default = 3] FTCOPT_OPENSUBFOLDERS 64 /* when synchronizing with view, expand subtree of active node */ FTCOPT_QALNODROPTARGET 2048 /* quick access list isn't a drop target (prevents insertion mishaps) */ [ScrapFrame Settings] ///////////// Toolbars\0_60160\nFilterBox100 /* percent size of quick filterbox relative to the addressbar */ [xxx pane settings] ///////////// (similar settings for both left/right, mini and scrap panes) binMiscOptions a value made up of any of the next "bits" added up CLVOPT_DISABLEAUTOREFRESH 1 /* patch/efficiency improvement for multi-folder views */ CLVOPT_NAGGINGSCRAP 64 /* scrap frames always asking to save contents */ CLVOPT_ARROWTABPANE 256 /* use left/right arrows to switch panes in detailed view */ CLVOPT_MINIVNONAGS 8192 /* opposite to nagging scrap, never prompts to save changes */ CLVOPT_AUTOSAVESCRAP 32768 /* automatically save contents in CIDA file, even without filename */ CLVOPT_NOSELCOLLAPSED 262144 /* don't allow items to be selected in collapsed group */ CLVOPT_NOEASYBGMENU 1048576 /* solid full row selection, no background menu in empty space */ CLVOPT_CUSTOMAUTOSAVE 8388608 /* automatic saving of custom settings modifications in desktop.INI */ CLVOPT_GRIDSNAP 16777216 /* snap items to grid when arranging manually */ CLVOPT_DELARGEICONS 0x4000000 /* use large shell icons in details, for more line spacing */ [CommandFrame Settings] ///////// This is the console used for DOS command execution, if enabled. nConsoleMaxChars is the upper limit on characters. If reached, some of the older data in the window will start getting deleted. [QuickView] ///////////////////// binRELangOptions If you find that the text previewer gets its fonts mixed up or misbehaves (especially in east european countries), try setting this value to 0. You can also use any of the richedit IMF_xxx constants. If you make things worse you can always set it back to the default [-1]. binMiscOptions QVOPT_THREADED 128 /* native preview handler in a background thread for responsiveness */ QVOPT_NODOWNAX 512 /* don't download activeX documents (office) in IE mode */ QVOPT_NOZOOMTB 1024 /* don't show the picture zoom toolbar */ QVOPT_NOAUTOTURN 2048 /* don't automatically rotate JPGs from exif orientation */ QVOPT_NOANIMATE 8192 /* don't animate peek preview when first shown */ ------------------------------------------------------------------------ WWW: http://www.zabkat.com Forum: http://forum.zabkat.com