I really think that Directory Opus should be included with the operating system (meaning the Windows OS). I was agonizing for a week with my new machine -- transferring files was painful and time consuming birthing. Blindfolded would be also a good description of how it felt to me.

I bought the v. 9.5 and I am happy I spent the money. These guys deserve every penny of it -- and I am not rich and do not have any shares or cousins working at GPS.

I recommend Directory Opus with clean conscience, it is the best file manager I know of.

Pros: Powerful, fast, customizable, portable (run from USB), aesthetically pleasing. Supports plug-ins, themes, and custom configurations. User support forum. Constant free support updates between major versions. Integrated viewers and hotkey manager.

Cons: Because it is so feature rich, new users sometimes get overwhelmed. Download it, get a free trial license, check out the user support forum (link in help menu).

Summary: This is the first program I install on my windows computers after installing the operating system. And I never have to use Windows Explorer again. This program has a lot under the hood. The money you spend on a license is trivial compared to the time it will save you in the long run.

The best place to learn about this program is at the user support forum (link in the help menu), where some of the users have written extensive tutorials. Opus is powerful; it usually not a question of it can or cannot do something, but how to do it with Opus.

Import/Export the following to backup or share:
- Preferences configuration.
- Toolbars or individual command buttons
- Visual themes

Internal Utilities:
- FTP client
- Synchronization Tool
- Duplicate File Finder
- Internal search system
- mp3 tag editor
- Viewer (supports plug-ins)
- HotKey manager (within Opus or system-wide)
- Simple email client for sending files.
- Image Converter
- File Type Manager
- Renaming system (scriptable): date, mp3/EXIF tags, RegExp, etc.
- Secure File Erase

Key Features:
- Browse FTP, .zip, .rar as folders.
- File Collections (use files from many locations as if in same folder)
- File Filter system
- Advanced file searching.
- Dual File display
- Flat view.
- Customizable Folder formats by: drive type, content type, folder.
- Favorite Folders
- Folder/Path alias system
- Store window layouts and styles
- Folder Tabs and Tab Groups

Integrates with:
- Windows Messenger
- Google Desktop search
- ImageShack
- Flickr

"Powerful" is an understatement. So is "powerfully expensive". While Windows Explorer is not that great as a file manager and even less as far as some other functions it either shares with DOPUS or just doesn't have, please don't be lulled into thinking DOPUS is really worth it's price. It's not. It's just not.
That's not to say it's not good. I honestly don't remember how many file managers I have tried, and none of them comes even close to loading as fast as Explorer...except DOPUS. No others have nearly the breadth of features either. Navigation is really simple and powerful in ways that are both readily noticeable and often subtle. There is just no better program of this type available, and if it weren't so expensive, then it would really be worth using it to take the place of three or four other utilities.
Yep, that's right. ALL the functionality DOPUS offers can be had for free, but it would take three or four other programs to do what DOPUS integrates nicely into a powerful program.
Now, if GPSoftware would just get their heads (and the price) out of the clouds, I could give it my hardiest recommendation. As it is though, my suggestion is, use it for the trial period, then either dump it or...well, I won't go there. Honestly, inasmuch as price is part of the appeal of a program, this thing being priced more than double what it's worth just diminishes all the greatness it really does have. Thing is, you won't realize how overpriced it is until you actually fork over your cash..as one reviewer found out the hard way.
In my opinion, anyone who would pay this price (or tell you it's worth such a price) either works for GPSoftware (or has a loved one who does), owns GPSoftware stock (or has a loved one who does) or is just not very wise with his or her money.

I finally broke down and bought a copy of Directory Opus 9.0.0.9 after trying it for a week and loving it. Unfortunately, I found out the hard way it's not as perfect as it seems to be. I was backing up my huge cd-rips collection, which is arranged in a series of folders and sub-folders, and was very pleased to note that Directory Opus was copying them to my spare drive much quicker than Windows usually does. But then I found out that was just because it wasn't copying the sub-folders! The reason it was so much faster is that it was failing to copy about half the files. Isn't the ability to copy and move files what a file manager is supposed to be able to do? I got no error message, no way of knowing it didn't copy those files until I navigated to the folders themselves and noticed that all of the sub-folders were missing. At $75, it's an expensive file manager that can't even perform all the basic functions of a file manager.

Some time ago I did a review on version 8.1.0.6 and found it to be the very best of a number of file managers/Windows Explorer replacements that I had tried. The new version 9.0 has come out this week and I can honestly say that it is MUCH BETTER then its predecessor. They have added lots of new features, worked some wrinkles out, and most importantly in my opinion, made the program easier to setup and use. The down side of Directory Opus 9.0 is that it is expensive. ($ 65 US dollar new user price and $ 43 US dollars for the upgrade price) While the cost of this software is very high the quality of the program is even higher. This is top shelf material!
While all the basic file manipulation functions can be easily learned it is however quite another story to master the complete feature set of this program. To say that Directory Opus is LOADED is a gross understatement as it is packed to the rafters with features and setup options. You can customize this program to the nth degree. Simply put the options are mind boggling! For these reasons the learning curve for this software is steep, but ample help files and tutorials are available to guide the user through this "jungle." If you are looking tor a new file manager/ Windows Explorer replacement and don't scare easily by an enormous feature set and a massive number of preference options then Directory Opus is the choice.

If you are looking for a Windows File Explorer replacement with more "oompf" than Windows Explorer, then Directory Opus is the "oompfer" for you. Directory Opus easily the "oompfiest" of the various Windows File Explorer replacements (like Frigate, EF Commander, Powerdesk, etc.).

Directory Opus (or simply "DO" among the cool crowd) not only gives you more power than Windows Explorer, it arguably gives you more power than ANY Windows Explorer-type applicatioin available. And it does it while still being easy to navigate, easy to use, logically laid out, customizable, and easy on the eyes.

Its not the cheapest option available, but life is too short to be spent on mundane file management chores. In the long run, it'll give you your life back, and how much is that worth to you?

Directory Opus 8 is a very fast and full featured Windows Explorer replacement / file manager that can be customized to the nth degree. Along with its file managing abilities this software can also handle file synchronization, FTP, image viewing, and duplicate file finding chores. The program comes with a well illustrated 211 page PDF help file to help you learn about Directory Opus's massive feature set and the myriad of ways you can customize it. This program looks and feels like something special, and, in my opinion, is the creme de la creme of Windows Explorer replacements