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Main Area and Open Discussion => General Software Discussion => Topic started by: nudone on June 10, 2010, 12:01 PM
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i'm slowly moving from a clunky Vista setup to a nice new Windows 7 system (dual booting between them).
i've been trying to ignore this problem ever since i've been using Vista and now everything is about to get messed up on the new Win7 setup, i'd like to try and be ready...
the (age-old) problem is trying to control which file extensions relate to which program AND the icon associated to each extension.
i guess, i must just use a horrible set of programs that just arrogantly assume they are allowed to take over my system on each reboot - otherwise, my extensions would remain how i set them.
so, is there an extension manager util that will 100% most definitely take charge - compatible with Windows 7.
the obvious requirements are:
- ability to set a custom icon for a file extension AND LOCK IT (so naughty programs can't swap their icon over).
- ability to set the program associated with the file extension AND LOCK IT (again, so naughty programs don't take control of it).
maybe it's not possible?
big criminals seem to be web browsers (or maybe just IE related). at the moment i've got stupid maxthon icons for all .url's - can i change them? no way. other web related extensions also seem to have trouble remembering who they are.
i just find it bizarre that, after all these years, there's still this nonsense with managing files/icons/extensions.
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in Vista it is: Controlpanel > Programs > Standard programs > set standards (my translations from Danish). I don't know about Win 7.
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thanks, Curt.
but that method doesn't really allow me to set my own custom icons (unless i've overlooked something).
eg. i set my own custom icon for the .url extension - regardless of which is the default browser.
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but that method doesn't really allow me to set my own custom icons (unless i've overlooked something).
eg. i set my own custom icon for the .url extension - regardless of which is the default browser.
-nudone
I know it did in WinXP (for me at least, though it didn't stop them from rehijacking your settings). I would make a guess that it is the same, just not easy to find out how. Dang, now that I try in WinXP, I can't remember where to make the changes.... I will post again when I find out how - Maybe Windows didn't change that method. At least it is worth a shot...
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As far as locking the extension, I would think WinPatrol can do this, but I am not sure. Then again, it didn't say squat about Thunderbird changing the mailto: handler. EDIT: It's supposed to monitor file extension changes (http://www.winpatrol.com/filetype.html), maybe I missed the warning.
For editing the file association, the icon, and all the "verbs" associated with the file type, NirSoft FileTypesMan (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/file_types_manager.html) is the best I've seen. I know Vista and Windows 7 cripple some of this functionality, so I went looking, and it was pretty ugly out there until I found it.
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EDIT: Added screenshot (from the web site, not my Windows 7 x64 system.)
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Can't remember how to do it any other way now. BUT for windows XP I can always go into the "My Computer" icon and in explorer choose the Tools>Folder Options... menu item. There (and only there incidentally from what I can see), you can change the registered file types under the file types tab. In the Advanced button, there is the option of changing the icon for that extention as well as how it behaves (what it opens, where it prints to, etc.) as well as what the default option on click is. I use it rarely, but when I do, it is a godsend.
Hope that helps point you in the right direction - assuming you didn't already know all of this and it is still available on newer versions of windows.... ;)
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For editing the file association, the icon, and all the "verbs" associated with the file type, NirSoft FileTypesMan (http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/file_types_manager.html) is the best I've seen. I know Vista and Windows 7 cripples some of this functionality, so I went looking, and it was pretty ugly out there until I found it.
-daddydave
Doh, I keep forgetting about this. Maybe this time I will remember to download and install it once I get home....
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You might also want to check out Default Programs Editor (http://defaultprogramseditor.com/):
Features
* File Type Settings:
o Add, Edit, and Delete context menu items
o Edit file type information (such as icon and description)
o Change an extension's associated file type
* Autoplay Settings:
o Add, Edit, and Delete autoplay handler programs
o Change which autoplay options are available for any media type
o Change the default autoplay handler
* Default Programs Settings:
o Add or Remove default associations (possible to check, but not un-check, in Windows)
* Additional Features:
o Disable the "Search web for unknown extension" dialog
o Standalone utility, or install as a Control Panel applet
o Make direct changes to the system registry, or export edits as .reg files
o Designed for Vista and Windows 7 with UAC support
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https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=10315.msg80101#msg80101
IconPackager
http://www.stardock.com/products/iconpackager/
System Requirements
● Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
● Impulse must be installed in order to download and update software
IconPackager 5, guided tour: http://forums.wincustomize.com/369429
http://www.wincustomize.com/explore/iconpackager
+1 for Icon Packager. I've used it in the past without any trouble whatsoever. You can change your icons from default to whatever you want and back again without worrying about corrupting your default settings. Of course, YMMV!
-Darwin
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thanks for the suggestions everyone.
i'm now downloading IconPackager with the hope that will be different to the rest of the suggested programs.
it looks like there is something weird/wrong with my Vista setup as the icons for .url, .htm, .html (maybe more) just don't wish to participate. maxthon seems to override any changes to .url and dreamweaver appears to control .htm and .html (maxthon isn't even using the correct file type icon - it uses it's own .exe icon instead of the document icon).
i'll have to keep playing about for a bit - but it seems there's a connection missing between what all of these extension managers think they are controlling and what is actually happening on my system. weird.
fingers crossed this download work better...
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right. IconPackager doesn't appear to work any better than the others.
if i find a solution to this mess i'll post back. at the moment i'm assuming this system is just too messed up.
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WinPatrol does this for me... Everytime an application tries to change a file association WinPatrol pops up to confirm that I want the change made.
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okay. i admit i'd not tried WinPatrol yet. i had it on my XP system - but not on this Vista setup.
i'll give it a go now...
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just thought i'd report back with a warning - should anyone else be determined to destroy their system just for a few icons.
i've had the most success using FileTypesMan and thought i'd cracked the problem. unfortunately not. just by changing the .htm and .html icons i managed to force myself into wiping my Win7 and using a backup image - as system restore refused to work (seems like i may as well just turn off system restore). i suppose i should have done a backup of the registry before playing about with things - but i never do that.
i won't go into detail as it's too tiring to type out (and dull). but, essentially, to change the htm/html icons i had to break the connection with the system's browser - but then that means lots of programs break along with it. anything that relies upon the browser for displaying information breaks and an "iframe" error pops up instead.
now, obviously, you'd think that just reversing whatever i'd done would make things work perfectly again - not so. somehow other, deeper, things must get broken. reinstalling browsers and such does not correct things either.
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Not pretty (and I haven't tried it) but this article covers how to change a filetype icon in 7 and Vista:
http://www.winhelponline.com/blog/change-file-type-icon-windows-7-and-vista/
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thanks, Carol. i don't think that will be any better than the FileTypesMan method (which provides a great deal of options to play about with).
it looks like windows has file types and FILE TYPES that are a bit more controlled by the system. the problem i've found is that changing these "special" types will then change other icons elsewhere - they are obviously connected by the system.
i wasn't expecting it to be so awful as this. i assumed, as anyone would, that you can just change an extension's icon and that's it - done.
in most cases it isn't going to be a problem; it's just these special extensions that are the problem. i'm sure i've been able to change these troubling file types in the past - but i can't remember if i just learned to live with how things broke (i think i must have).
perhaps i'm just completely missing something. if someone would like to have a try (and risk breaking their system in the process), i'd like to be able to have different icons for the extensions:
.url
.htm
.html (.htm and .html have to have the same icon by the looks of things.)
associating a program as default to an extension will change the extension's icon. no problem there, that's easy. but it causes things to break elsewhere that you wouldn't expect, e.g. i simply set htm/html to be associated with Notepad++ which then allows me to change the extension icon - but then this creates iframe errors with other programs that expect htm/l to be associated with a browser (RoboForm breaks because of this).
trying to change the .htm/l icon whilst keeping it associated with a browser just seems to let the browser override whatever you try to do.
(these aren't the only extensions i'm trying to control. i've managed to set most of what i wanted but not without having to use the more advanced settings of FileTypesMan. it isn't just a case of changing the icon; MIME type, Perceived Type and User Choice have to be carefully set also. unfortunately this isn't enough for htm/l and url)
p.s.
i'll make a backup of my system and see if the winhelponline blog method works.
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Odd behavior you're seeing there. I've had .htm, .html, etc. associated with text editors quite often, over many iterations of Windows, and it's never caused problems with the browser or OS in general. There's a difference between a *file* of type and a URL shortcut. Maybe the issue is you're trying to associate URL shortcuts with a non-browser? I know you can associate them with non-MS browsers just fine though...
- Oshyan
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hmm, that's good then. i was beginning to doubt what i'd done in the past (or thought what i'd done in the past).
i shall have to look again. currently i'm not trying to change anything with .URL as it just creates problems instantly - and i can accept that just has to stay the way it is (taking the icon from whatever program is set as the default browser).
perhaps it's just that i was using Maxthon as the default browser. OR, maybe it's this FileTypesMan program that is breaking things.
i'll do another backup of the system and try again. (can't believe how difficult this is - it's a clean install of Win 7 so it's not like i've had time to mess it all up.)
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I've asked about this before. It was hard finding something good. The FileTypesMan is something new to me, and it looks pretty good. I can't try it because it's blocked here at work, but I'll give it a try later.
The one I settled with a while back (after a long, hard search) is called Types:
http://types.sourceforge.net/
i don't know if it works with Windows 7. The website doesn't say it does, but you never know.
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I had similar problems while trying to make Opera as the default browser.
Something is definitely wrong in Win7x64 with the file types (and protocols)! Long time since a system issue generated so many curses from me!
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I've had .htm, .html, etc. associated with text editors quite often, over many iterations of Windows, and it's never caused problems with the browser or OS in general. There's a difference between a *file* of type and a URL shortcut. Maybe the issue is you're trying to associate URL shortcuts with a non-browser? I know you can associate them with non-MS browsers just fine though...
-JavaJones
Perhaps I've misunderstood what you said, but my experience with file associations has been quite different. I have one .htm file that I use as my browser's homepage, but I also want to be able to edit it easily in my text editor. Though obviously I can go to it in my file manager, right click, select Open with, and choose UltraEdit (my text editor), I'd rather be able simply to click on it and have it open in UltraEdit. However, when I set the file associations so that .htm files would open in UltraEdit, that definitely screwed things up, since from then on, clicking on any .htm file opened it in UltraEdit, NOT in my Firefox browser. It wouldn't open in my browser. Are you saying that you have had a different experience? I should add that I'm basing my experience on WinXP Pro 32-bit.
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hmm, it definitely isn't as simple as it should be.
superboyac, i've tried Types and was using it with Vista - though i found it to suffer from the same problem all the other tools have. they all work if you are just changing "normal" file extensions. or, again, maybe it depends on the browser you are using (and other programs, e.g. i've had Notepad++ doing strange things when set to the be editor of several file types - change one extensions icon and they all change. only way around it is to break the connection with the MIME type, perceived type, user choice).
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I've had .htm, .html, etc. associated with text editors quite often, over many iterations of Windows, and it's never caused problems with the browser or OS in general. There's a difference between a *file* of type and a URL shortcut. Maybe the issue is you're trying to associate URL shortcuts with a non-browser? I know you can associate them with non-MS browsers just fine though...
-JavaJones
Perhaps I've misunderstood what you said, but my experience with file associations has been quite different. I have one .htm file that I use as my browser's homepage, but I also want to be able to edit it easily in my text editor. Though obviously I can go to it in my file manager, right click, select Open with, and choose UltraEdit (my text editor), I'd rather be able simply to click on it and have it open in UltraEdit. However, when I set the file associations so that .htm files would open in UltraEdit, that definitely screwed things up, since from then on, clicking on any .htm file opened it in UltraEdit, NOT in my Firefox browser. It wouldn't open in my browser. Are you saying that you have had a different experience? I should add that I'm basing my experience on WinXP Pro 32-bit.
-cyberdiva
No, I'm not suggesting it works any differently from what you say. Specifically, that .htm extensions, when associated with another program that is not a browser (e.g. a text editor) means that *all* .htm files will *always* open with that program. That is presumably what you want when you associate a file type though. I don't see a way you can have e.g. .htm associated with 2 apps at once. It's URL shortcuts that I never wanted to associate with any other program, and which I think are perhaps dangerous to reassociate.
- Oshyan
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i give up. can't believe how much time i've wasted on this now. i'm not going to try anything else as it will push me over the edge.
i'll accept it might just be the programs i'm using. just as i think i've got it all working either Maxthon or Notepad++ will override whatever i've done. they appear to be fighting for control over my extensions. or, you could say that windows just doesn't work "correctly" when it comes to a few file types (it's trying to be too clever - or these programs are).
.url is meant to open with Maxthon - no problem. let maxthon control the url icon i don't care anymore (i can edit the file type icon directly inside the Maxthon .exe if i want to).
.htm and .html are meant to open with Notepad++ - which they do - until Maxthon decides to take control again. setting Maxthon not to check if it's the default browser helps - but only if i don't try to change the icons for these file types.
.htm/l and .php are meant to have their own distinct file type icons - but as Notepad++ can't remember what it's doing it decides to use the same icon for every file type it's associated with.
the overall problem appears to be this (other than me being stupid enough to try to change file type icons)...
file types associated with Notepad++ can only have distinct icons if they are "disconnected" from Notepad++ using FileTypesMan. they still open with Notepad++ but .htm/l, .php, .txt, .nfo, etc all have their own icons. this would be almost perfect but as these extensions have just been "disconnected", Maxthon somehow realises this and takes control of the .htm and .html extension again.
so, it's a never ending circle of breaking and disconnecting the extensions when there are two programs trying to apply their own "universal" file type icons to these extensions.
one terrible workaround would to be use different editors for .txt, .php, .htm/l as each program would associate its icon to the file type it edits. i can't believe i'm contemplating this but i may just do it. i like Notepad++, it's quick and has the features i need - but now i'm beginning to despise it. and maxthon. and windows 7. and windows vista. and this computer. and this keyboard. and my eyes.
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This sounds like it might be an issue with the apps in question, although to be fair I don't think MS has necessarily made it crystal clear how to handle this sort of thing, what with system-managed file type associations, app-managed associations, MS apps (e.g. Windows Media Player) stealing associations, auto-association on startup for some apps, etc, etc. It's a confusing mess for sure, but I think it's partly precipitated by MS not having a really good, clean way to handle it all.
- Oshyan
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No, I'm not suggesting it works any differently from what you say. Specifically, that .htm extensions, when associated with another program that is not a browser (e.g. a text editor) means that *all* .htm files will *always* open with that program. That is presumably what you want when you associate a file type though. I don't see a way you can have e.g. .htm associated with 2 apps at once. It's URL shortcuts that I never wanted to associate with any other program, and which I think are perhaps dangerous to reassociate.
-JavaJones
Thanks for your response. I confess that when I set .htm to open with UltraEdit, it was because I thought the only file that would be afffected would be the one I use for my browser's homepage, since normally I use .html rather than .htm for webfiles that I make. But of course I was overlooking a lot, and I finally had to change the file association for .htm back to opening with my browser. I should add that I finally did solve the problem of opening just the one .htm file in UltraEdit by creating a small script in ActiveWords. I now type the activeword I've assigned to this task, and the file opens in UltraEdit.
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nudeone - I used to be a Maxthon fanatic but no longer use it. IE8 allows me to do just about everything that I used to do in Maxthon. The only thing I initially missed were the wonderful mouse gestures built into Maxthon. At any rate, why not try removing Maxthon, rebooting, and see if that solves your problem?
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nudeone - I used to be a Maxthon fanatic but no longer use it. IE8 allows me to do just about everything that I used to do in Maxthon. The only thing I initially missed were the wonderful mouse gestures built into Maxthon. At any rate, why not try removing Maxthon, rebooting, and see if that solves your problem?
-Darwin
not a bad suggestion - i'd already contemplated ditching Maxthon, maybe you can help me, Darwin...
mouse gestures can be replaced with StrokeIt (which i've already done as it allows me to use maxthon style gestures across all my browsers - and more).
but, i use Maxthon because of the "super drag 'n' drop" feature. yesterday i tried the Maxthon style plugins available for Firefox in an attempt to throw Maxthon out the window. BUT, although they've created a "super drag 'n' drop" style plugin for Firefox, it just doesn't work correctly. it's fine with text style links, but image based links don't drag and open to a new tab (not even when disabling this feature inside the plugin).
sigh, SO...
i've moved back to using my old Vista setup. it feels a bit sluggish because of everything that's on it - but it works - including Maxthon (which is version 2.1.5 - the last sensible version that actually works properly).
i'm going to move back to Win7 in a few days - maybe. i shall put the 2.1.5 version of Maxthon on there.
i don't really care about the icons thing anymore as i know it just can't be fixed. windows just doesn't work - everyone else has said so.
what i find most disappointing is that i thought Win7 would be a panacea to Vista annoyances - but i've found it to be the complete opposite so far (i am still considering just scrapping the win7 install and putting vista on again fresh).
maybe it's pathetic to grumble, but on win7 (or on my win7, at least) Maxthon 2.5 doesn't focus correctly - so i can't even use the scroll wheel on the mouse. Maxthon 2.1.5, would be perferect BUT it doesn't work correctly with Directory Opus - there's a known bug that prevents Dopus opening links into Maxthon - unless you drag 'n' drop them in.
it's all a game of merry-go-round. break one thing to fix another. i really am beginning to think it best to just stick with what already works - heck, i may (seriously) just install XP Pro instead, why am i even bothering with Vista. Windows 7 seems to have even less options than Vista - that stupid taskbar is ridiculous - even after modification. insane. i guess after win7 sp1 is released things will be "okay".
anyway, sorry for typing all that.
is there a drag 'n' drop thingy for Internet Explorer 8, Darwin?
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Heh, heh - no worries, nudone! I went to Maxthon - Firefox - IE8 route myself. I'm sick of all browsers - I simply cannot believe how resource hungry they are. At any rate, there is no super drag and drop feature built into IE 8. What it does have are accelerators, so if you highlight a word an arrow appears:
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clicking on it yields a context menu, populated by search accelerators:
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There are more options when you click on "All Accelerators"
I use this fairly often and it works well.
BTW, do you like StrokeIt? I tried it a few times and couldn't get it configured to work like Maxthon so gave up.
Oh dear, out of context the above sentence is a bit risque!
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hmm, i can see the use of the IE accelerators - but it's a click, click, click type method - totally the opposite of the appeal of the super drag 'n' drop (i suppose that's why it's "super"). oh well, Maxthon 2.1.5 and the Dopus issue will just have to do.
i've used StrokeIt before. probably installed it and uninstalled it several times over the years. this time it has stayed installed.
i do have it working "fine" with Maxthon (with Maxthon's own mouse gestures disabled). i've replicated the inbuilt maxthon gestures within StrokeIt (and added more, of course).
i did manage to mess up some of the gestures and so had to retrain StrokeIt but it seems fine now. probably, the only problem is that StrokeIt gestures lag a bit - sometimes. i'd expect that to be less of a problem with a faster pc - plus it doesn't seem to help when you've got multi-monitors.
if you were having trouble with StrokeIt, maybe it was just expecting you to be very precise. i've noticed that a "Down - Right" gesture often needs to be absolutely at 90 degrees. but, the learning mode would probably help allow for sloppier gestures. i do have to repeat gestures sometimes - which, i admit, kind of defeats the whole point of using gestures (in such cases it would have been quicker to click a button or key).
p.s.
i actually regained a couple of maxthon gestures that had stopped working. UP and DOWN nolonger worked for "Scroll to top/bottom" in maxthon, although they did for months/years. now those gestures work again because StrokeIt recognises them - plus it's across all browsers and other document based programs like Notepad++ and World.
i think you should give it another try, Darwin.
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Hmm... interesting about StrokeIt. I haven't tried in years, perhaps it's time to have another go. However, I'm so used to life without it, I'm not sure that I can be asked to iron it out on my system :-[
WRT IE8 accelerators, the blue arrow appears automatically. All you have to do is click on the accelerator that you want and it performs it. So the steps to search would be:
1. highlight the term/phrase with the mouse
2. click on the arrow that appears
3. click on the accelerator that you want
;D O guess that only saves on click!
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BTW, regarding Win 7 and the new taskbar, I love it! However, note that Bitsdujour (http://bitsdujour.com/) has TrueLaunchBar Pro (http://www.tordex.com/) on today for $9.95... It will provide all the functionality of the Vista and earlier Quicklaunchbar and then some. Of course, if you don't want a quick launch feature at all it's easy to remove the pinned items from the taskbar.
Just a thought... I love Loved LOVED Vista but find Win7 subtly superior, or at least more enjoyable, in many ways. Most notable of these is a reduction in RAM and CPU usage (not that I had any complaints about Vista). I also like things like Aero Snap. Thought it sounded ridiculous when I read about it, but use it all the time. The new gadgets feature is vastly superior as well. I disabled and did not use gadgets in Vista's sidebar but use them happily in Win 7.
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that accelerator thing sounds, almost, okay if you just want to have a quick search. i use the super dragndrop for searching and for quickly opening up links in a new tab (which is an instant click and drag and release). it's the way i browse - seems like only Maxthon allows browsing in this way so i'm forced to use it - and i can ignore the other problems with it (i think).
the win7 taskbar is something i've managed to tame with all the usual online recommendations. i admit, with a bit of consideration, it might be something i'll adapt to - but, out of the box, i think it's a massive backward step for someone that has lots of windows/programs open most of the time. i simply want instant click access to a window/program, i want to be able to identify it by name and icon, i want the old right click functionality. basically, i just want it to work like it always has - and the option to use the new features if i want to.
i'm going to have a look at True Launch Bar as it looks very interesting. i'd seen it in that past and not appreciated what it could do. but after windows 7 i can imagine how useful it might be.
really, i'm just not the typical windows user, i suppose. i've got too many programs open at once, too many monitors (sometimes), and i need to flick between them too often. if it wasn't for all that i'm sure i'd appreciate the minimal style of the new win7 taskbar - but, to my eyes, it looks like it was designed for low usage. and that is one thing i've noticed becoming a bit of a trend. a few programs i've used for years are becoming "dumber" with less features, less user customisations and more eye candy to replace functionality. examples are Windows 7, Maxthon 3 and ACDSee Pro 3. i'm assuming there will be others.
p.s.
another gripe: win7 aero snap doesn't work across multi monitors (not my setup, at least). how on earth did they manage to mess that up? i use WindowSpace instead - as it just works and does more. http://www.ntwind.com/software/windowspace.html (i probably ought to give GridMove another try after asking Jgpaiva to create it all that time ago).
i don't know. i want to love Win7. better ram management and other system improvements makes it sound like i'm a fool not to. but i just keep finding things wrong with it - today's problem is that my Adobe apps don't shut down correctly now. they work perfectly in Vista. all these gripes just make me believe Vista SP2 is superior to Win7 SP Zero. i just seem to find a new problem each time i turn it on.
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Strange - Aero Snap works perfectly across monitors on my setup (but then I've onlly a notebook monitor and one secondary to switch between).
Sounds like you should revert to Vista and try again when 7 Sp-1 comes out. As I've noted, I loved Vista, so I can certainly see the attraction of going back to it. Heck if it works, use it :Thmbsup:
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i use the super dragndrop for searching and for quickly opening up links in a new tab (which is an instant click and drag and release). it's the way i browse - seems like only Maxthon allows browsing in this way so i'm forced to use it - and i can ignore the other problems with it (i think).-nudone
I used to use Maxthon with the super DragNDrop feature exactly the way you use it. Now I use Firefox with the DragIt extension. It bills itself as "THE Drag and Drop Extension." One look at the options and you will never look at Maxthon the same way again.
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/10875/
Check out the screenshots. One is of one tab of the many options you can set to make drag and drop work your way for text, image, links, etc.
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Yeah... I'm almost ready to give Firefox another chance. I got REALLY fed up with its resource utilization and the fact that it (seemed to have) caused explorer.exe to crash with alarming frequency on my setup (no longer recall if this we under Vista or Win7, but suspect the former). IE8 seemed like a breath of fresh air, but lattterly it's hogging resources and freezing too... Maybe I have too many accelerators (99% of which I don't use anyway)... Hmm... for for thought!
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thanks, Innuendo. that drag extension doesn't look like the one i tried with Firefox so i will definitely give that a try.
can't find it at the moment (it's on the win7 boot up), i got the maxthon like extensions all from one page that someone had collected together as a "maxthon collection" - looks like they need to change their information and put this other drag thing in the list.
looks like i can try Win7 again now. but i agree, Darwin - Vista seems fine to me. i suspect a lot of complaints came from people that never even installed it.
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here we go, around and around again...
the DragIt extension doesn't work with the latest version of Firefox - so now i have to uninstall firefox, reinstall with an older version. reinstall the extensions i was already using. on and on and on.
it will all end in tears.
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the DragIt extension doesn't work with the latest version of Firefox - so now i have to uninstall firefox, reinstall with an older version. reinstall the extensions i was already using. on and on and on.-nudone
All is not lost, nudone. You need DragIt v0.7 in order for it to work with Firefox 3.6.4. You can get it from this mozillaZine forum. Direct link to the needed version:
https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/downloads/file/72341/-0.7-fx.xpi?confirmed
You can even download the 1.0 beta from there as well, but it's not compatible with 3.6.4 yet, either.
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ah, very good. thank you very much for pointing that out Innuendo. i'll try again, though, i had decided to abandon my win7 experiment. i shall try again...
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ah, very good. thank you very much for pointing that out Innuendo. i'll try again, though, i had decided to abandon my win7 experiment. i shall try again...-nudone
I moved from Maxthon years ago to Firefox when I thought Maxthon had lost the plot so I know your migration path. Here it is some time later & I'd never go back to Maxthon. My customized Firefox can do everything Maxthon did at the time & a lot of things Maxthon today still can't do.
If you need any advice on extensions let me know. I'm running 40+ extensions without ill effects.
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that sounds interesting. if i get things working then i'll be very keen to know what you are using.
but, one of the reasons i stuck with maxthon is that it loads in quicker than anything else. i'd have to get into the habit of keeping firefox running in the background to avoid the start up time. no big deal - perhaps.
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i'm glad you made me try again. i've now resolved the Adobe shutdown problem - seems there was a conflict with Actual Window Manager (just disabling it for specific Adobe apps made everything fine).
if you don't mind i'd like to hear which firefox extensions you are using, Innuendo. if you could just provide a list it would be helpful. thanks.
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Here's my entire list, nudone. There's a few that are disabled right now as I'm contemplating removing them entirely. Also, TACO 3.0 is supposed to supplant Ghostery so I need to make up my mind which one of those needs to hit the bricks as well.
Everything should be self-explanatory.
Generated: Sun Jun 20 2010 15:55:04 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)
User Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 6.1; en-US; rv:1.9.2.4) Gecko/20100611 Firefox/3.6.4 (.NET CLR 3.5.30729)
Build ID: 20100611143157
Enabled Extensions: [47]
- Ad Muncher Browser Extensions (http://www.admuncher.com/) 2.0 - Adds options to the right-click menu to quickly remove or report adverts.
- Adblock Plus (http://adblockplus.org/en/) 1.3a.20100618 - Ads were yesterday!
- Adblock Plus: Element Hiding Helper (http://adblockplus.org/) 1.0.6 - Helps you create element hiding rules for Adblock Plus to fight the text ads.
- AI Roboform Toolbar for Firefox (http://www.roboform.com) 6.9.98 - Allows the use of Roboform in Firefox.
- AutoPager (http://www.teesoft.info/) 0.6.1.12 - AutoPager is a Firefox/Mozilla extension to autoload the next page(s) in the background. You can also use it as an XPath generator.
- BBCode (http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/#bbcode) 0.5.3.1 - Adds Formating (BBCode/HTML/XHTML/etc.) to the context menu for Blogs and forums (PHPBB and others).
- Copy Link Text (http://blog.brett-zamir.me/?p=55&cpage=1) 1.4.9 - Right-click a link to copy its text
- Download Statusbar (http://downloadstatusbar.mozdev.org/) 0.9.6.8 - View and manage downloads from a tidy statusbar
- DownloadHelper (http://www.downloadhelper.net) 4.7.3 - Download videos and images from many sites
- DragIt (http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20DragIt) 0.7 - THE Drag and Drop extension.
- Extended Statusbar (http://kondor.etf.bg.ac.yu/~kustodian/mozilla/esb) 1.5.4 - A Statusbar with speed, percentage, time and loaded size (similar to Opera's one).
- FEBE (http://softwarebychuck.com/) 6.3.3.2 - Backup your Firefox data
- File Title (http://www.jasnapaka.com/mozilla/filetitle/) 1.3 - "Save as" title as default like in IE
- Findbar Basics (http://tom-cat.com/mozilla/) 1.5.7 - Adds a statusbar button, clear button, optional toolbar button, and Ctrl-F toggle for the Find Toolbar.
- FlashGot (http://flashgot.net) 1.2.1.26 - Enables single and massive ("all" and "selection") downloads using the most popular external download managers for Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and FreeBSD (dozens currently supported, see Extension's Home Page for details). FlashGot offers also a Build Gallery functionality which helps to synthetize full media galleries in one page from serial contents originally scattered on several pages, for easy and fast "download all".
- FxIF (http://christian-eyrich.de/mozilla/fxif/) 0.4.1 - View EXIF data in image properties
- Garmin Communicator (http://www8.garmin.com/products/communicator/) 2.9.2 - The Garmin Communicator is an Internet browser plugin that allows you to easily transfer data between websites and Garmin GPS devices.
- Ghostery (http://www.ghostery.com/) 2.2 - Ghostery identifies and allows you to block the 3rd parties (web bugs) that are hidden on the current page you're visiting. Web bugs include ad networks, behavioral data collectors and web analytics providers.
- Greasefire (http://skrul.com/blog/projects/greasefire) 1.0.4 - Automatically find Greasemonkey scripts on Userscripts.org
- Greasemonkey (http://www.greasespot.net/) 0.8.20100408.6 - A User Script Manager for Firefox
- Image Zoom (http://imagezoom.yellowgorilla.net/) 0.4.4 - Adds zoom functionality for images
- IMDb Preview (http://forums.mozillazine.org/viewtopic.php?t=408043) 0.6.3 - Preview movie & actor posters when hovering over their IMDb links. Also integrates MyMovies to the movie page.
- Java Console (http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20Java%20Console) 6.0.20
- jDownFF (http://jdownff.ath.cx) 0.2.2 - Sends links and passwords to jDownloader in an easy way via context menu
- Lazarus: Form Recovery (http://lazarus.interclue.com/) 2.0.5 - Recover lost forms with a single click
- Leet Key (http://leetkey.mozdev.org) 1.4.3 - Transforms typed or static text to L337, ROT13, BASE64, HEX, URL, BIN, Morse Code, DVORAK, Upper Case, Lower Case, DES.
- LinkmanFox (http://outertech.com) 7.80 - Linkman Firefox Extension
- Mozilla Archive Format (http://maf.mozdev.org/) 0.19.3 - Open and save complete web pages in a single file. Supports MHTML (MHT) files from Internet Explorer, and MAFF multi-page archives (based on ZIP).
- MR Tech Toolkit (http://www.mrtech.com/extensions/) 6.0.4 - MR Tech Toolkit power tools for all users. (en-US)
- NoScript (http://noscript.net) 1.9.9.87 - Extra protection for your Firefox: NoScript allows JavaScript, Java (and other plugins) only for trusted domains of your choice (e.g. your home-banking web site). This whitelist based pre-emptive blocking approach prevents exploitation of security vulnerabilities (known and even unknown!) with no loss of functionality… Experts will agree: Firefox is really safer with NoScript :-)
- NoSquint (http://urandom.ca/nosquint/) 2.0.3 - Manage site-specific zoom levels and color settings
- Open in Browser (http://www.spasche.net/openinbrowser/) 1.7 - Offers the possibility to display documents in browser window.
- OPIE (http://customsoftwareconsult.com/extensions) 1.2.3 - Import/Export extension preferences
- paypalinstanttransferzapper (http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20paypalinstanttransferzapper) 1.04 - v1.04 10/04/08 Win the battle over PayPal's "instant transfer" default
- PDF Download (http://www.pdfdownload.org) 3.0.0.1 - Allows you to choose what to do with a PDF file: download it, view it with an external viewer or view it as HTML.
- RefControl (http://www.stardrifter.org/refcontrol/) 0.8.13 - Control what gets sent as the HTTP Referer on a per-site basis.
- Rotate Image (http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20Rotate%20Image) 0.1.3.2 - Rotate images on webpages
- Session Manager (http://sessionmanager.mozdev.org/) 0.6.7.4 - Saves and restores the state of all windows.
- SiteDelta (http://sitedelta.schierla.de/) 0.11.1.20100123 - Hightlights changes made to a website since last visit
- SkipScreen (http://skipscreen.com/) 0.4.7amo - Skips unnecessary pages on sites like Rapidshare, Megaupload, zShare, Mediafire, and more.
Wherever there are unnecessary pages and superfluous links, Skipscreen will be there.
- SmoothWheel (AMO) (http://smoothwheel.mozdev.org/) 0.45.6.20100202.1 - Scrolls the document smoothly when scrolling the mouse wheel
- Tab History (http://www.penguinus.com/dev/tab_history) 1.0.6 - Links opened in a new tab retain their history.
- Tab Mix Plus (http://tmp.garyr.net) 0.3.8.5pre.100617a - Tab browsing with an added boost.
- TACO 3.0 with Abine (http://www.getabine.com) 3.02 - Easy and secure control over your personal information online
- Text Link (http://piro.sakura.ne.jp/xul/_textlink.html.en) 3.1.2009110201 - Allows URI texts written in webpages to be loaded by double clicks.
- Update Notifier (http://www.longfocus.com/firefox/updatenotifier) 0.1.5.5 - Notifies you when updates are available for your extensions and themes.
- Woot Watcher (http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20Woot%20Watcher) 1.0.7
Disabled Extensions: [5]
- Brief (http://brief.mozdev.org/) 1.2.5 - A feed reading extension.
- Cooliris (http://www.cooliris.com/) 1.12.0.36605 - Cooliris transforms your browser into a full-screen 3D Wall for searching, viewing and sharing the Web.
- CoolPreviews (http://www.google.com/search?q=Firefox%20CoolPreviews) 3.1.0521 - Browse Faster. Preview and share links and media without leaving your current page.
- Interclue (http://interclue.com/) 1.6.1.3 - The ultimate link augmentation multitool
- Snagit Firefox Extension (http://www.techsmith.com/redirect.asp?product=snagit&lang=enu&target=powertoyfirefoxhome) 1.2.1 - Captures images, scrolling web pages and more right from Firefox!
Total Extensions: 52
Installed Themes: [2]
- Default (http://www.mozilla.org/)
- Gradient iCool (http://gradients.web.fc2.com/) 1.2.0 - Light up your Firefox with this black and blue theme.
Installed Plugins: (10)
- Foxit Reader Plugin for Mozilla
- Foxit Reader Plug-In For Firefox and Netscape
- Garmin Communicator Plug-In
- Garmin Communicator Plug-In 2.9.2.0
- Internet Download Accelerator click monitoring plug-in
- Internet Download Accelerator click monitoring plug-in
- Java Deployment Toolkit 6.0.200.2
- NPRuntime Script Plug-in Library for Java(TM) Deploy
- Java(TM) Platform SE 6 U20
- Next Generation Java Plug-in 1.6.0_20 for Mozilla browsers
- Mozilla Default Plug-in
- Default Plug-in
- RealPlayer Version Plugin
- 6.0.12.448
- RealPlayer(tm) G2 LiveConnect-Enabled Plug-In (32-bit)
- RealPlayer(tm) LiveConnect-Enabled Plug-In
- Shockwave Flash
- Shockwave Flash 10.1 r53
- Silverlight Plug-In
- 3.0.40818.0
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fantastic. i've been messing around with just a few extensions and i've already forgotten about Maxthon - just as you said i would.
Maxthon was nice in that it does a lot straight out of the box. there's definitely a great deal of settings to adjust with Firefox but i, finally, see the benefits of FF now.
i shall have to go through you list bit by bit. looks like this is going to be this weeks labout of love.
thanks, Innuendo.
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i shall have to go through you list bit by bit. looks like this is going to be this weeks labout of love.
-nudone
You're welcome. That above list is the culmination of years of effort trying to find the best extension in each class & combining them all...and having them all still work.
Lots I consider essential. Others are more time-saving/effort-saving. And if you run across an extension that does something better than one in my list don't hesitate to mention to me. I'm always looking to improve my browsing arsenal.
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i'll let you know if i find anything that stands out (not gone through all of your list yet either).
so far, i'm impressed with Tab Mix Plus https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1122/ i had been using another Tab extension but TMP seems the best so far (maybe i missed something in your list).
one thing i've found very disappointing - the lack of hotkey extensions. i've found one so far - and that wasn't really an extension - i didn't even bother with it as people were moaning about it not working with the latest FF. (i suppose i should have tried it anyway).
am i missing something i wonder - how can FF have every extension under the sun and yet there appears to be no support for custom hotkeys. i could use AutoHotKey, and i will, but there ought to be hundreds of hotkey plugins for FF.
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one thing i've found very disappointing - the lack of hotkey extensions. i've found one so far - and that wasn't really an extension - i didn't even bother with it as people were moaning about it not working with the latest FF. (i suppose i should have tried it anyway).
am i missing something i wonder - how can FF have every extension under the sun and yet there appears to be no support for custom hotkeys. i could use AutoHotKey, and i will, but there ought to be hundreds of hotkey plugins for FF.
-nudone
@nudone:
keyconfig is what you want, and it works perfectly in the latest version of Firefox despite the dire warnings in the comments for that extension. I installed it recently so I could get hotkeys (see my post here (https://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=23073.msg209039#msg209039)) for DownThemAll (http://www.downthemall.net/).
First get Nightly Tester Tools (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6543/) or any other extension that lets you install Firefox extensions that don't pass the version check. (For keyconfig itself, it doesn't matter, but for the functions for keyconfig extension--which is highly recommended--it does.)
It is recommended you also install functions for keyconfig (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1537/) extension, this gives you a GUI for keyconfig. Follow these instructions to the letter, (http://pqrs.org/firefox/extensions/functions_for_keyconfig/howto.html) including clicking on the oversized link to the keyconfig post on mozillaZine. On the mozillaZine page, the download link is the first word of the first post. This will install keyconfig. Then install functions for keyconfig, go back to the instructions and follow them exactly.
Read the "How to use the configuration tool" section of the instructions very carefully. When you get the "UNSAFE" warning box, click Allow but DO NOT CHECK THE BOX. I read the instructions and I still clicked the box and had to follow the instructions to undo.
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First get Nightly Tester Tools (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/6543/) or any other extension that lets you install Firefox extensions that don't pass the version check. (For keyconfig itself, it doesn't matter, but for the functions for keyconfig extension--which is highly recommended--it does.)-daddydave
The Firefox crew doesn't want people using Nightly Tester Tools anymore & wants people to move to the more powerful Addon Compatibility Tester (I think that's what it's called).
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so far, i'm impressed with Tab Mix Plus https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1122/ i had been using another Tab extension but TMP seems the best so far (maybe i missed something in your list).-nudone
I use Tab Mix Plus myself, but do get Session Manager! It integrates with Tab Mix Plus & replaces TMP's session-saving functionality.
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The Firefox crew doesn't want people using Nightly Tester Tools anymore & wants people to move to the more powerful Addon Compatibility Tester (I think that's what it's called).
-Innuendo
Interesting, I'll check it out!
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okay, thanks daddydave for pointing that out. that was the keymanager i'd seen (keyconfig) and not even attempted as i assumed it wouldn't work - it does work.
as i only wanted to use F8 to focus the address bar (just a habit i created with Maxthon) i've now set that up with just the keyconfig extension (replacing the Ctrl + L hotkey). i probably won't require anything more.
@Innuendo, sorry for not scanning through the list to check if you were using that Tab Mix Plus. i think i'm getting lost with all of the extensions and settings i'm constantly running through. i'll try and be a bit more observant next time.
let's see what else i can get stuck with...
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nudone, no biggie. I know I typed out a huge list. Do try DownloadStatusBar as it will stop the Downloads window from popping open every time you download something. Also get Update Notifier to stop the Updates window from popping open every time you have updates to your extensions.
Extended Statusbar will add more info to your statusbar & make it actually useful.
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i'll be trying most of the things on your list i'm sure, it's just taking a while to look and try out all the options that come with each extension.
so far, i can't see myself going back to Maxthon, but i do still miss it. not sure if these are trivial things that i'll soon forget about.
i shall be trying the Downloadstatusbar and update notifier later today - the extended statusbar i'm already familiar with.
i wonder, is there an extension manager extension. something that would allow you to quickly swap between different extensions sets. at the moment, i've set FF up for general everyday browsing use - before, i had extensions simply for web design and testing. it would be nice to keep them separate so the interface doesn't become cluttered up, i.e. you just select a group of extensions for the way you are using the browser.
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...Maxthon is slowly fading from memory.
FireFox was really annoying me with the Findbar being stuck at the bottom of the screen, i'm used to seeing at the top (in Maxthon) and just don't want to get used to it being at the bottom.
Find Toolbar Tweaks provides the solution: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/2585/
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All this talk about add-ons reminds me I haven't updated this (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/search/?q=daddydave&cat=collections&lver=any&atype=0&sort=&pid=1&pp=20&lup=&advanced=) in a while.
For what it's worth, I found the Add-on Collector addon pretty useless and don't recommend it. Even with it, you still have to install the add-ons one by one (I expected to be an online version of FEBE/CLEO which it is not). Only tried it when it first came out, though.
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ah good. more to check out. thanks, daddydave.
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ah good. more to check out. thanks, daddydave.
-nudone
Pace yourself! Everyone has their own set of must-haves..yours may vary. Although I did attempt to separate the collections between ones I felt are generally useful for all, and ones that are useful for me in particular. I'll try to update it in a few days. (and Bookburro may have some issues lately and may fall off my must-haves, consider the BookInfoLine greasemonkey script or http://gettextbooks.com as an alternative).
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i wonder, is there an extension manager extension. something that would allow you to quickly swap between different extensions sets.-nudone
I haven't seen one, but that doesn't mean one isn't out there. Of course, in lieu of a better solution you could set up separate profiles for different extension sets.
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ah good. more to check out. thanks, daddydave.-nudone
After you get your extensions lined out we'll move on to must-have GreaseMonkey scripts. ;D
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FireFox has different profiles? i didn't know that. interesting.
whilst using Maxthon i'd always looked on the GreaseMonkey scripts as "cheating". i was obviously just jealous. so, yes, it will be good to see what i've been missing out on all this time.
i think i've just about got FireFox doing what my configuration of Maxthon was doing. there are still a few things missing but i'm sure it's just a case of searching a bit more for the right extension combination. all this has made me realise how good Maxthon was straight out of the box. if they get Maxthon 3 right then i'll probably revert back to it - just depends on how things go with the FF extensions.
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FireFox has different profiles? i didn't know that. interesting.-nudone
Just start Firefox with the -profile command line parameter to bring up the profile manager on launch.
i think i've just about got FireFox doing what my configuration of Maxthon was doing. there are still a few things missing but i'm sure it's just a case of searching a bit more for the right extension combination.
There's more than one thread here on DC about must-have Firefox extensions. You may want to dig them up for a good read.
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There's more than one thread here on DC about must-have Firefox extensions. You may want to dig them up for a good read.
-Innuendo
yes, good point. i will do that. i'll also post my "Firethon" (or could be "MaxFox") list when i think i've covered all the Maxthon operations. still not quite there, but yesterday's efforts managed to solve one of the more annoying FF traits...
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[... consider the BookInfoLine greasemonkey script or http://gettextbooks.com as an alternative).
-daddydave
Not to threadjack too much, but gettextbooks.com is pretty interesting. Reminds me of http://www.addall.com (http://www.addall.com) though they are much more general the your suggestion. Thanks for the info.
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It is recommended you also install functions for keyconfig (https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/1537/) extension, this gives you a GUI for keyconfig.
-daddydave
I was wrong. As nudone undoubtedly figured out, the GUI comes from keyconfig itself. Functions for keyconfig merely provides, well, functions for keyconfig.
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@nudone: here's a software (currently in beta) named Gunners File Type Editor (http://www.gunnerinc.com/gfteinfo.htm).
Take note I've no idea if this is a reliable extensions manager (ie. this mention is not a recommendation) as I haven't had a need for such software. In other words, don't blame the messenger if it's another dud. ;)
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okay, thanks, sajman99. i'll take a look in a couple of days (when back at main pc).
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Gunners File Type Editor looks promising. i've not really tested it yet as i want to do it when it doesn't matter if i break things in the process. i'll try and do it later in the week, with the extension changes that always seem to go wrong.
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@nudone
Here's a link (http://www.portablefreeware.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6503) to a forum discussion about GFTE. Hope it helps.
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i can't remeber if this has been mentioned already but that forum refers to Assox http://sites.google.com/site/assoxhome/ so this is probably worth a try too. thanks, PhilB66.
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Hi,
I can't recall if this small file types manager has been mentioned (and I'm too sleep deprived to read this entire thread).
Types http://izt.name/apps/types/
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i used to use Types. it isn't really up to the job on Windows 7. not for managing file type icons, at least.