An unofficial blog that watches Google's attempts to move your operating system online since 2005. Not affiliated with Google.

Send your tips to gostips@gmail.com.

April 22, 2006

The Most Powerful Windows Application

How much would you pay for an application that can do:

* file-manager inspired by Norton Commander, but with a modern Windows interface
* has two panes for easy file management
* every pane can have as many tabs as you want
* advanced file search with regular expressions
* rename multiple files
* split files (useful if you want to send a large file by email)
* pack/unpack files in ZIP format
* compare directories
* synchronize directories
* FTP client with support for SFTP
* document viewer that supports: text files, source code files (Assembler, C++, CSS, Delphi, FoxPro, JavaScript, Perl, PHP, SQL, XML), HTML, RTF, Word documents, Excel sheets, OpenOffice documents, executable files, DLL, INI files, registry files, image files (PNG, JPG, GIF, Paint Shop Pro, BMP, PSD, ICO, CUR, ANI, MAC, WMF, EMF, PIC), Flash, media files (MP3, WMA, OGG, AVI), database files (FoxPro, dBase, Paradox, Access, MySQL, CSV), archives (RAR, ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7zip, bzip2), disk image files (ISO, BIN, IMG, NRG)
* AES encryptor (encrypt/decrypt files with 128bit key using password or keyfile)
* decompilation of 32-bit PE executables (EXE SCR) and libraries (DLL OCX CPL BPL), resource files (RES DCR)
* create a list file with all selected files and directories
* count the size of all files in a directory
* shows informations about solar and moon dates, celebrations and calendars
* synchronize your local computer with atomic time via Internet
* browse NT events and services faster
* view/edit/kill processes that are running currently on the system
* RSS Reader
* CD/DVD burning
* view and edit files on ext2 partitions (useful to manage files on Linux partitions from Windows)
* mount disk images as additional virtual drives in system
* much more...

You can pay $34 or you can use it for free, if you don't mind clicking on a button everytime the application starts. Total Commander PowerPack is the most powerful Windows utility you can get for free. And the setup has less than 15MB.

Just compare this list of characteristics with the features of any other application and you will get the most feature-rich and the most powerful Windows application.

55 comments:

  1. Great find, I've been search for an application like this for a long time ;)

    Kiltak
    [Geeks Are Sexy] Tech. News

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree with this post. I've been using Total Commander for more that 7 years... it's definitely the most useful Windows application ever. All file operations are much faster and easier to use that with the common Windows Explorer.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Can it be skinned?
    I had tried another file manager before but since it didnt work with window blinds and icon packager, i dropped it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have been using Total Commander since last 10 years ever since version 1.0. This is THE MOST used app on my computer. Love it! Every people that I have introduced this app to have thanked me for converting them into TotalCommanderians!

    ReplyDelete
  5. They also have a terrific FREE version for Pocket PC/Windows Mobile devices. Beats the pants off the native file explorer and has 95% of the features of the not-free competition.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The PocketPC Commander is the best Explorer replacement available for that platform.

    Total Commander is great but tends to be all applications for all people. For an Explorer replacement with all of the file management capabilities of Total Commander plus greater stability and a smaller memory/disk footprint try xplorer².

    http://www.zabkat.com/

    The download is ~1mb. Their are both a free version with some advanced features disabled and a full featured trial version.

    In addition to the standard Explorer/Total Commander type functions it has some advanced file managent features you won't find elsewhere. Scratch containers/virtual directories, queued file actions, command macros, hard link pasting, etc. All wrapped up in a nice clean interface. Not skinnable AFAIK, but if you want eye candy and not function matched to stability this isn't the package for you.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Been using Total Commander since it was called Windows Commander.

    I have an instance of it open at all times, with the colors set to white and yellow (highlighted) on blue, just like Norton used to be.

    Best program ever. period.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Very cool application. I'm surprised this is the first I have heard of this. I'll be recommending it to friends and co-workers.

    --
    Steve -

    ReplyDelete
  9. Good lord its ugly! Im not sure what it is about Windows developers, throw as many features on an app as possible, and focus almost nothing to usability! Blah!

    I have used the app, and it does do a boat load of stuff.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I personnally prefer NOT TO PAY for Krusader, a KDE app that does nearly everything listed here (excepet gadgets like moonphase or like).

    Linux is Power, Windows is eXPensive. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Been using Commander for years - first application I put on every new machine. Mac's Disk Order is not bad.

    Total Commander is my FTP client also.

    Great find.

    ReplyDelete
  12. For those who are not very impressed with the "modern Windows interface", I would suggest FAR Manager, which is now also free. It is also extremely powerful, especially when expanded with the plugins of your choice. I find FAR the most useful application for me (in addition to the web browser, of course :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I forgot to mention that FAR is very suitable for those, who prefer using keyboard. It is not very mouse friendly.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Meh xplorer2 its way better.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I happen to like Directory Opus myself.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Here's the one that gave rise to them all (heck, you may be old enough to remember those days):

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Commander

    ReplyDelete
  17. Using Total Commander Power Pack 6.51 at the moment.

    There isn't a day that I do not use Total Commander.
    It is my most used program on my Windows machine.

    Used to be called Windows Commander.
    In those days it was much simpler than it is now.
    Perhaps this is why some people are afraid to use it as the program has evolved?

    I know people that work in the PC Industry that are afraid to use Total Commander and sit there like idiots with a million Windows Explorer Windows open.
    I have even tried to offer my assistance and show them how to use it, but in most cases they all do the windows thing.
    I smirk to myself when I see this happening.

    My favourite application and also the first program I install on my PC.

    BTTB

    ReplyDelete
  18. Microsoft finding smart ways of making money.

    Copy, Repack and sell.

    ReplyDelete
  19. 1st app I install (after the OS is installed of course)

    ...actually I don't even install it, it's on my 2nd disk and (after the OS is installed of course) I just change the location of the .ini files, so I don't have to set it up again.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I have to agree, Total Commander rules.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Too many features. Much be more simple and powerful. Google won the search race because it had a simple interface to start with. Total Commander seems to be confusing.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Stunningly ugly. Looks like something from 1996.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I've also been using Total Commander since it was called Windows Commander and despite the negative comments here, is by far the best file manager tool for Windows. I wonder if you guys can suggest something close to TC but for OSX. I am on OSX now but I am still crying for TC :(

    -florin

    ReplyDelete
  24. Let me put it this way: If TC ceased to exist or I could not use it any more my job efficiency would be greatly diminished and I'd be forced to find a suitable replacement (or a better OS) fast. I feel sorry for all those drag-and-droppers around me every day - they are so painfully slow and clumsy. I try to pitch TC to them all the time, but very few are capable of understanding that keyboard is way faster and more precise than a mouse for file management and similar operations. WinZip? Who needs that crap? FTP client? Built in too. With the Power Pack TC can be run from a network share or a portable drive without any reconfiguration or installation. Mr. Ghisler needs and deserver out full support to keep developing and offering this great tool and that is why I purchased my own copy and encourage everyone else to do the same. $35 is peanuts compared to how mych time and grief TC saved me over the years, and it's a lifetime licence to boot!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Try FAR file manager; it's much more powerful than TC

    ReplyDelete
  26. FAR is nice, but it's almost a DOS application. You can't use your mouse and the interface has many limitations. As much as I liked Norton Commander, Total Commander is a better successor because it follows its philosophy and adapts it to the new environment.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yes, yes, yes!
    I'm also a TC addict.

    I have always found Windows as if one could never touch the ground.
    (I miss the command line.)

    So, this TC has solved my problem:
    * It starts with Windows and keeps in the background until I turn it off.
    * It also connects to my Linux Box and lets me pick files from my dirs.
    * It can open an RPM file.
    * The way it shows the differences between two files is more visual and clear than any diff version.
    * I also have it with the Norton Commander's colors.
    * It lets you launch command line things, and lets you keep some in memory and with hot keys.
    * I have lots of switchable tool bars.
    * It is so stable, (can't compare to any other Linux version of the MC family) that if you record a CD with it you can launch it from any PC by just clicking on the application.

    It is the Ford of the NC's family.

    BEWARE! If you try it for some time, you'll never replace it for any other thing...

    ReplyDelete
  28. Total Commander is the greatest Windows application of all. I have been using it since version 1 and Christian Ghisler, the author, has provided years of continuous free updates. It does take a little practice, it's not a kiddie toy like Explorer, but Win(oops)Total Commander will reward your efforts over and over again.

    Oh, it's also very ugly. The new beta version 7 looks a little better, but that's a small price for functional perfection and great support.

    ReplyDelete
  29. ya sure..its a good applicaiton ... i think it uses a lot of resources of a system.
    Still its quite ok

    fazayal

    ReplyDelete
  30. I've been using Total Commander since Version 3.01. Now it almost totally replaced the start bar in Windows. I have access to control panels in TC, Properties of harddisks, and there is the nice start menu which is much faster having no icons. Search in directory just by typing the filename is extremely fast. Possibility to copy the path of a file or the path of a directory into clipboard makes The time-conusuming clicking through directories in File/Open or Save dialogs not longer necessary. I recommend this feature to everybody.

    ReplyDelete
  31. This software is NOT free! It is shareware for 30 days. It is irresponsible for this post to claim it is free if you don't mind clicking a button. If you don't pay after 30 days you are using illegally.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Yes, Dude, you're right. I thought Total Commander is free for personal use, but it's not.

    I apologize for any inconvenience caused by my statement. This program should be bought by a big company (Google?) and made available for free.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Agree with the post and most of the comments. It is the most used app on my computer too. Opened all the time and replacing almost all slow operations in explorer with ligtning fast timesavers. Just wish there were more apps like this :)

    ReplyDelete
  34. is there some alternative to win/total commander for linux/unix operating system ?

    ReplyDelete
  35. Total Commander is a nice start, but isn't fast and powerful enough for those who want to do serious work. FAR isn't pretty, it's un-intuitive at first, and it looks like a 20-year-old DOS application - but first looks are deceiving. I have been using FAR for as long as I've been using Windows, and can say for sure that it's the only application that gives be the speed and power to do serious work. With over 700 plugins (which include the ability to use some Total Commander plugins), flexible macros, lightning-fast response time and very high customisability, it is without doubt the best file manager for me. Its text editor, when fitted with the right plugins, beats most editors in commercial IDEs - I have to resort to IDEs only for debugging or visual design.

    FAR's only significant disadvantage is its poor Unicode support, but the FAR dev team is working on that problem.

    ReplyDelete
  36. There is indeed nothing better than FAR.
    But true 64bit support is a key feature for me and the only app which can do this is SpeedCommander.
    SpeedCommander can run a lot of TC plugins, too. It's definitly worth a look.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I agree that till date I have not seen much powerful application as Total Commander. more than 5 year I have been using it, but not any file explorer has matched its speed for me. It does FTP, File Explore, Rename,Copy, Cut, Paste, Sync, many more uses. It does it so efficiently.

    Its definitely my most prefered and suggested application.. ViMaL.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Great to learn there are so many die-hard fans and users of Total Commnader still going around. Personally, I've been using this prog since ver 1.0, from the DOS era. Can't imagine powering on my PC and not running TC. Of course, there are umpteen Orthodox File Managers out there - quite a few of them are Freeware too- but you just can't beat TC for the features. Eventually it boils down to what one is comfy working with. For those who haven't given it a try as yet, I strongly recommend to give it a shot....it grows on you!! (Take my word for it!)

    ReplyDelete
  39. I'm another TC devotee of many years. I have shared my opinions with many people and there have been only a few converts. Maybe there are better utilities out there but I'm very comfortable with what TC has been and has become, and can't imagine a computer or PDA without it. The license agreement is very reasonable in that you can install it on any computer that you are the principle user, and free upgrades! Everyone who has come to depend on this app, get out your credit card and pay the guy 34 bucks that gave us this tool that makes our computer time easier.

    ReplyDelete
  40. try altap salamander, much better.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Forgot the link for Dos Navigator:
    http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/dn/

    ReplyDelete
  42. I'm also a hardcore TC fan.
    I have been using TC ever since it was called Windows Commander (also used NC, DN, FAR manager in the old times). I'm using TC 6.55 at the moment (I don't like tabs for some reason)

    This is the first application I install on my computer after the OS. I just couldn't exist without it. If I had to go back to explorer and drag and dropping I would probably kill myself.

    ReplyDelete
  43. Yo tambiĂ©n soy un fanĂ¡tico del TC (lo descubrĂ­ allĂ¡ por la versiĂ³n 3.50 y actualmente uso la versiĂ³n 7.04a).
    Para mi es una aplicaciĂ³n imprescindible y, junto con IrfanView, son una pareja incluso dirĂ­a necesaria.

    ReplyDelete
  44. DirectoryOpus (www.gpsoftware.com.au) is far superior to Total Commander - power/functionality, ease of use, tweakability etc. No need to convince you here just try both for a 2-3 day with each (dont even open Windows Explorer) and you will see.

    ReplyDelete
  45. FREE COMMANDER gets my vote
    http://www.freecommander.com/

    ReplyDelete
  46. This is the windows app that im looking for.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Total Commander se llamaba Windows Commander. Microsoft le mando los abogados y tuvo que cambiar el nombre. La idea viene del Norton Commander, su predecesor DOS por el famoso Peter Norton

    ReplyDelete
  48. I just saw this post and its already four years on. Do you think this Total commander will work well with Vista? I'm so interested in its ability to rename multiple files.

    ReplyDelete
  49. It works well in both Windows Vista and Windows 7. Check the official site.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Used Norton Commander -> Windows Commander -> Total Commander Since Dos 3.3 Days. Just would like same features in a linux Version. It works in Wine though ***** Stars

    ReplyDelete
  51. program is nice, but overpriced.
    in mac app store Pages are 15 eur, XCode is 5 eur and total commander is 40 CHF.

    If author set price about 3-5 eur, he would be a billionaire

    ReplyDelete
  52. Just try My Commander the smallest member of commander's family and the fastest of course.

    It is under development but totally free and ultra portable. 32 and 64 bits available from http://myco.yonan.ro/

    Only for window 7 and above.

    ReplyDelete
  53. nobody know XTree Gold ?! ;)) in the times of norton commnader it was much more powerfull, eg. you could copy more than one directory at once! old times.. but i have to say, there is also successor for windows (and os/2 ;) called ZTree.. but nowadays i'm used to use TC..

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.