14 DAY TRIAL // File managing is no longer an issue, no matter if you are a newbie or an experienced computer user. The majority of the computer users know that, for now, the number one in file managing is Total Commander. Every other file manager is trying to follow that example and accumulate as much popularity as possible.
And we cannot say that the developers have no imagination or that they do not know what the users want/need from such a software, but it is extremely difficult to add new features and options in order to gain as much popularity as the leader.
In fact, which are the most common operations you make in a file manager? I for one use it mostly for creating folders, opening files, copying, moving, renaming, search and delete. I may have missed one or two but you get the general picture.
Most of the file browsing software is not free, but the one we're going to analyze today is completely free and fulfills more or less your needs.
The name is EF Commander Free and it has reached version 3.85. As its name says, the software is completely free. The installation file takes almost 600KB of your hard disc space.
I guess you do not expect any problems in managing this software as it is made for every user to feel comfortable using it. The interface seems a little fragile, but you will soon discover the full power of the application.
The software is a double windowed application so you can see two different drives/folders at a time. This way it will be easier for you to ?abuse? of those copy/move functions and you have a better display of the files on your hard disc.
The menu bar contains options for customizing the view of the two windows displayed. So the user can select a brief view for the left pane and a full view for the right one. Sorting is made easy, just by clicking the bars above the directory list: name, size and modified (for sorting by date).
The Files menu encloses options like Run, Edit (loads the file into the specified editor), Copy, Move, Rename, Make Directory, Delete, Select (Select Group, Deselect Group, Invert Selection and Restore Selection). All these can be done much simpler by using the shortcut keys as copy, move, make directory can be accessed with the usual TC shortcuts (F5,F6, F7).
The Disk menu allows the user to select a disk and see information about it. Here you can also connect to the computers in your network and select folders to share with the others. In the Commands menu, the user can run the DOS window or choose Go To in order to view very fast a certain directory.
The Search Window will pop up as soon as you press the Alt+F7 shortcut combination or select it from the Commands menu. The software is actually using the Search option of Windows OS.
The Options menu allows customizing the toolbar (add/remove buttons), the font of the software and set various options under Configuration.
Here you can make the settings for the main program (showing two drive button bars is my favorite), file names, panel (show/hide hidden files), confirmations for copy, move, remove directories, delete and exit. In Other option submenu the user can enable autosave setup, copy only the newer files, copy from CD without read only, show bubble help, select files with the right mouse button (extremely useful) etc.
If you are not satisfied with notepad as your EF Commander editor, the Configuration submenu (under editor) is the place to change it with whatever is more convenient. The quick search can be performed in a very simple manner, just by pressing the letter of the desired folder. You can also choose to find it by pressing Alt+Letters or Ctrl+Alt+Letters, whichever suits you better.
The toolbar is a mere visual representation of the options available in the menu bar, except for the Refresh, Printers and Faxes and Control Panel shortcuts.
The Good
The software is free and very easy to use and the interface allows you the access to absolutely every feature with no problems and no exception whatsoever.
I just loved the fact that it uses most of the Total Commander keyboard shortcuts, it just makes it even easier to use. The fact that it is a dual pane file manager makes it useful and if you do not wish to see two windows, you can always choose to see only one of them.
The Bad
I wish there was the option of opening tabs. The software does not display the icons of the software the files are associated with.
The interface could use some improving, or at least there should have been an option for the user to customize the colors (background, font, mark, selection, etc.).
Split files option would also have been an asset, as well as Create/Verify checksums.
The Truth
I could go on and on and on with criticizing this software, but taking into account that it is free (and lots of other free managers are much worse) I will not do this. I even recommend the software to be used at least for one day, just to see what it is missing or what its advantages are.
The software is free and it has the most important features a file manager should have. If the software does not please you, feel free to check the trial versions of EF Commander 5.60 ($25) and EF Commander Lite 5.60 ($10) which include a lot more than the free version here.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
