Microsoft Promises Updated Explorer UX in Windows 10

YES!!!!!!

I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS TO HAPPEN FOR SO LONG!!

I like how File Explorer works as is, I don't really like some other third party versions where they have multiple panes in one window. That defeats the purpose of the Desktop and the Windows operating system UI. I like to have different windows moving freely about to be arranged to my liking, even better is the quad snap in 10.

I'd love to see a more general modern/metro beautification of the whole UI and a nicer designed Ribbon. Removing the File tab would be a start for sure, that's so useless and so redundant and can be moved to the Home tab. Batch file metadata editing is a MUST. Tabbed file browsing I think is a bit verbose, but that can go either way for me. Metro iconography would be perfect, as well as removing the silly hard drive icons and replacing them with a donut chart of sorts, much like on the Nokia Lumia's Storage Sense app where it actually shows what different types of data is occupying your drive. My idea of that is it'll have the different colored chunks and in the middle of the donut, it'll have the drive letter like C:\. Hover your mouse pointer or a single tap and it'll show a number break down like 653.23 GB / 2.72 TB Free. Changing the default view from the old school details to large icons would maximize how many files and folders are in view and properly utilize screen space.

And add more visual fluff like Zune HD animations. :)

Perhaps MS will get it right in the next build, but after installing the 9879 ISO from the Insider page (not the tech eval version), I'm disappointed. This was not apparent in my previous 9879 build (ESD + Windows Updates fully updated).

I liked Win10 before installing the ISO - but now ... methinks they are adding unnecessary steps to many processes just for the sake of change (three or more clicks to do what two clicks did before just to get a Modern app to launch with less capability [no right click run as, or status]). In this case, File Explorer, they're adding something that just doesn't make sense.

Some folks complained about the navigation pane being cluttered and not truly user configurable, but this current implementation is an abomination (IMO)



Who needs two listings of the external drives?
You can't right click remove them, you can't organize them - they're there for some unknown reason.

Interestingly though, you can right click This PC and delete it (same with network) ... however this removes the icon from your desktop, not from the navigation pane.

The feedback I gave was "Woe unto you who dare mess with Desktop users - remember Win8?"
I also suggested that if the intent was to differentiate between local and network drives, then perhaps listing network drives under network was a better choice. But... these are USB connected drives - so they missed the mark.

As an aside, I really don't like the folders listed under This PC either. Give me the choice and I'll be happy to create the user experience I prefer.

Bill
.

Slartybart said:

Perhaps MS will get it right in the next build, but after installing the 9879 ISO from the Insider page (not the tech eval version), I'm disappointed. This was not apparent in my previous 9879 build (ESD + Windows Updates fully updated).

I liked Win10 before installing the ISO - but now ... methinks they are adding unnecessary steps to many processes just for the sake of change (three or more clicks to do what two clicks did before just to get a Modern app to launch with less capability [no right click run as, or status]). In this case, File Explorer, they're adding something that just doesn't make sense.

Some folks complained about the navigation pane being cluttered and not truly user configurable, but this current implementation is an abomination (IMO)



Who needs two listings of the external drives?
You can't right click remove them, you can't organize them - they're there for some unknown reason.

Interestingly though, you can right click This PC and delete it (same with network) ... however this removes the icon from your desktop, not from the navigation pane.

The feedback I gave was "Woe unto you who dare mess with Desktop users - remember Win8?"
I also suggested that if the intent was to differentiate between local and network drives, then perhaps listing network drives under network was a better choice. But... these are USB connected drives - so they missed the mark.

As an aside, I really don't like the folders listed under This PC either. Give me the choice and I'll be happy to create the user experience I prefer.

Bill
.

Hi there

Apart from the "C" (or OS) drive you can get round the whole sorry mess of "Named drives" by using STORAGE SPACES -- IMO very much better than either RAID or Libraries.

You finally can be removed from relating files / directories to "Physical drives" at all. The great thing about these is that you can add volumes of DIFFERENT sizes to the storage spaces unlike conventional RAID and it means you can have large directories / folders / databases which are bigger than a physical volume. Also - need more space - just DYNAMICALLY ADD another volume without having to stop and re-organise everything. If you set it up correctly you are also protected against (IMO the increasingly rare) HDD failures too as you can remove faulty volumes as well.

For example you might have a 1 TB music / multi-media library or online engineering parts catalog database for a web site. By using say 6 X 250 GB drives you can still create your large multi-media library.

Excellent idea (first appeared in W8) but surprisingly I've seen very little mention of it I the Forums.

Storage Spaces: FAQ - Windows Help

Note to SHARE with other machines you just share at the folder level - no problems accessing "Shares" to other W8 / W10 / Vista / W7 / XP or even Linux machines. Windows does the network file transfer conversions.

Your backups still work too (backup at folder level say * or whatever). You don't need to "image the Hdd's".

I have my OS these days on an SSD (these are cheap enough now) and use storage spaces -- I've loads of old laptop HDD's which make a good storage space ( 10 X 320 GB) !!!!. When repairing / swapping people's laptops for them and inserting an SSD (they pay of course) they usually NEVER want the old laptop HDD back. My old server has extra SATA connections so a nice 3.2 TB storage space !!!. .

User data is fine on these old HDD's. The OS / paging and temporary storage run from the SSD.

Eventually I hope when they are cheap enough is to go to SSD entirely --storage spaces will make a HUGE difference here too.


Cheers
jimbo

jimbo45 said:

Hi there

Apart from the "C" (or OS) drive you can get round the whole sorry mess of "Named drives" by using STORAGE SPACES -- IMO very much better than either RAID or Libraries.

You finally can be removed from relating files / directories to "Physical drives" at all. The great thing about these is that you can add volumes of DIFFERENT sizes to the storage spaces unlike conventional RAID and it means you can have large directories / folders / databases which are bigger than a physical volume. Also - need more space - just DYNAMICALLY ADD another volume without having to stop and re-organise everything. If you set it up correctly you are also protected against (IMO the increasingly rare) HDD failures too as you can remove faulty volumes as well.

For example you might have a 1 TB music / multi-media library or online engineering parts catalog database for a web site. By using say 6 X 250 GB drives you can still create your large multi-media library.

Excellent idea (first appeared in W8) but surprisingly I've seen very little mention of it I the Forums.

Storage Spaces: FAQ - Windows Help

Note to SHARE with other machines you just share at the folder level - no problems accessing "Shares" to other W8 / W10 / Vista / W7 / XP or even Linux machines. Windows does the network file transfer conversions.

Your backups still work too (backup at folder level say * or whatever). You don't need to "image the Hdd's".

I have my OS these days on an SSD (these are cheap enough now) and use storage spaces -- I've loads of old laptop HDD's which make a good storage space ( 10 X 320 GB) !!!!. When repairing / swapping people's laptops for them and inserting an SSD (they pay of course) they usually NEVER want the old laptop HDD back. My old server has extra SATA connections so a nice 3.2 TB storage space !!!. .

User data is fine on these old HDD's. The OS / paging and temporary storage run from the SSD.

Eventually I hope when they are cheap enough is to go to SSD entirely --storage spaces will make a HUGE difference here too.

Cheers
jimbo

Thanks Jim,

I'll get around to SSDs, Storage Spaces and maybe File History some day - it's folks here on the forums that make it extremely easy. Thing is ... right now all of my spare space is eaten up by VHDs for WTP

I do have a few old HDDs of various capacity and interfaces (SCSI, ATA, & SATA), but no place to put them (they won't just plug into my laptop) - darn!

I'm glad you posted, not only with very useful information, but it reminded to post an update. I discovered that there were objects in the Desktop folder under my profile (but not under This Computer - odd) that mirrored the 'extra' volumes listed in the navigation pane. Not knowing enough about them, I created a sub-folder in the desktop folder and was going to move one into it as a test. I got distracted and when I looked back, the sub-folder was on my desktop, but the volumes were not ... hmmmm. Some kind of special object - I reported the issue through feedback channels and dug a bit deeper. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure it out.

In the course of less than 24 hours I had so many errors and or unexpected changes (Insider 9879 ISO vs. Preview updated 9879) that I said screw it and reloaded my Win8 system image. I've beaten a dead horse too many times in the past :)

I'll spend the rest of this year cleaning up and start again late Jan when MS puts out the next preview release.

In a hurry? See: New Year - Countdown to New Year 2015 in Reykjavik
Click on Demo and watch tempus fugit

Happy New Year!