Take Ownership

[Larkspur]

Hello,

I've been using the free version of Xyplorer for about four months now.

I downloaded a registry hack a while back (from How to Geek) that should have put "Take Ownership" into my right-click context menu. Although I have checked my registry to make sure the necessary keys were correctly created, "Take Ownership" still does not appear in my context menu.

I like XYplorer and am considering acquiring the paid version. But I would need to know whether that would solve the problem of this item failing to show up in my context menu.

I am accustomed to doing a lot of Windows hacks to get it to perform the way I want it to (I'm running Windows 7 Pro) and I really need this context menu command to work.

I've tried unchecking the Shell Integration feature that makes XYplorer my default file manager, but the desired command still does not appear in my context menu.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Larkspur

[jupe]

To test this for you I just downloaded the registry files from this website:

https://www.howtogeek.com/howto/windows ... -in-vista/

and it displays fine for me, but I am on the full version of XY, but I don't see any reason why it shouldn't display for you, so my advice is to download the zip file from the website again to make sure we are trying the same versions, then 1st run the remove reg file, then run the add reg file, and see if it works, otherwise try holding Shift when you right click and see if it displays then, because the extended flag might have been included in the reg file you merged, and make sure you are right clicking a file/folder not a drive.

All I can say is reg hacks like this work no problem in XY full version, I use them regularly, and AFAIK they should work in XY Free although I have never used it.

[Larkspur]

I re-downloaded, uninstalled; then reinstalled the registry hack as you suggested. Still does not appear in my context menu, even when I hold down Shift key.

The very first thing I do when I get a new computer is replace Window's pathetic notepad.exe with my own notepad replacement; then I get rid of the ribbon version of Wordpad, replacing it with the old version. My usual method is to find all instances of the executables, rename them, and then replace them with the renamed versions that I want. Only problem is, everytime I download and install a Windows update, Windows puts back the original files and I have to go through the operation all over again.

In XP, I had no problem doing this, but Windows 7 denies me permission. So I'm forced to use a program called "Unlocker," which kind of uses brute force to effect the name change I desire. But I really do need the Take Ownership feature for multiple other uses I haven't mentioned.

I've noticed that my context menu changes depending on whether I'm in a 32-bit or 64-bit version of a file. I'm wondering whether that may not be part of the problem. "Take Ownership" does in fact show up when I right-click a file that resides in my 64-bit Programs folder. How do I gain access to both context menus when I need both?

Addendum: While waiting for my post to show up I downloaded a free program called "TakeOwnershipPro." It has installed the Take Ownership command in all my context menus, so I think I may be in business.

I will however probably get the paid version of Xyplorer. I looked long and hard for something that would give me back the Windows Explorer I'd grown to love, and XYplorer is the closest thing I've found thus far.

What I miss most about XP's Explorer is the fact that I could choose the size and view settings for each folder. Being able to set a small size for certain folders was crucial when I needed to see the contents of the folder over what appeared beneath.

Does the paid version of XYplorer let me resize certain folders and have it remember those settings?

Larkspur

[jupe]

You should check out Image File Execution Options, for Notepad replacement etc, instead of renaming files, then you can just merge a registry file to perform your changes when they are reverted (or as a login task), or if you buy the very valuable and definitely worth the money XYPlorer full version you can use this instead: https://www.xyplorer.com/highlights.php#pfa

I've noticed that my context menu changes depending on whether I'm in a 32-bit or 64-bit version of a file. I'm wondering whether that may not be part of the problem. "Take Ownership" does in fact show up when I right-click a file that resides in my 64-bit Programs folder. How do I gain
access to both context menus when I need both?

That sounds like bizarre behavior, but to invoke either menu specifically use the Ctrl+Menu keyboard key, or Shift+Menu Key, if you don't know what that means more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menu_key

Does the paid version of XYplorer let me resize certain folders and have it remember those settings?

Yes: https://www.xyplorer.com/tour.php?page=fvs

Since you are on the free version, you can find answers to most of your feature related questions here:
https://www.xyplorer.com/product.php#features

[Larkspur]

Hello Jupe, (is that a Dutch name?)

Thank you for the helpful links and the tip about the Menu key. Just got a new computer with a new keyboard and hadn't yet discovered the use for that key.

Now I do have one more question. When I installed (as per instructions I found on one of the pages you directed me to) a portable version of XYplorer on my thumb drive (since I shall be traveling soon) I noticed that the bar just below the Address Bar is a lovely shade of blue. I went into the Colors section of Options, but I don't know what that bar is called. Is it the "Breadcrumb bar?" Breadcrumb bar 1 shows as blue, but Breadcrumb bar 2 shows has the brown that I've been looking at since installing XYplorer.

I've tried changing the color of Breadcrumb bar 2 to the blue that I would like, but nothing seems to take. I see the color change in the Color options page, but when I close out the program and reopen it, that bar remains that rather unattractive shade of brown.

Can you help me out with this?

Thanks,

Larkspur

[jupe]

Make sure you are saving settings via

File | Save Settings

You can set it up to save on exit via,

Configuration | General | Startup & Exit | Save Settings | Save settings on exit

When you close the configuration dialog after making color changes the new color should be visible immediately.

[Larkspur]

I don't think I expressed my question clearly. I'm going to try and attach two graphics, the first one showing what the main window of XYplorer looks like on my H drive; the second one showing what it looks like on my C drive.

What I want is to make my C drive installation look -- in terms of color scheme -- like my H drive installation. And exactly what I need to do to accomplish this color change.

Larkspur (yeah, I'm female and I'm choosy about matters of color )

(attachments follow)

[jupe]

Just set the colors you want here:

Configuration | Colors and Styles | Colors | Breadcrumb Bar 1
Configuration | Colors and Styles | Colors | Breadcrumb Bar 2

And OK the dialog. The blue color you want looks like the default color for Breadcrumb bar 1, so you can right click the "Active Back" field under the above heading to get the default color, or match the hex color code in the box with your C: installation, or click on the field to popup a color picker.

If you are in single pane mode, make sure you are not using pane number 2, otherwise you will get Breadcrumb-bar #2 colors visible.

[Larkspur]

I've gone through this exact same sequence multiple times, and I'm able to change the breadcrumb bar to the color I want. But every time I open a new instance of the program, it reverts to the brown color.

I've tried unpinning the program from the taskbar, thinking that may be the reason it continually reverts, but it makes no difference.

Stumped.

[jupe]

Are you definitely saving your settings?

I have no idea what you are doing wrong, but a fool proof way is to just copy your ini file from your h: install over the top of your c: install, you can get the ini locations from the titlebar of the configuration dialog (F9).

Beware though this will copy all settings ! if you are happy with that approach, then it would achieve what you want.

or you can manually match just these relevant ini file keys, between the 2 installs:

Code: Select all

clrCrumb1ActiveBack=14454094
clrCrumb1ActiveText=16777215
clrCrumb1InactiveBack=12367281
clrCrumb1InactiveText=16777215
clrCrumb2ActiveBack=4616373
clrCrumb2ActiveText=16777215
clrCrumb2InactiveBack=11646136
clrCrumb2InactiveText=16777215

for instructions on how to tweak:
https://www.xyplorer.com/faq-topic.php?id=tweak

[Larkspur]

I found the following files:
1) C:\Program Files (x86)\XYplorerFree\Data\XYplorer.ini
2) H:\XYplorer\Data\XYplorer\XYplorer.ini

Opened them up and found the keys you listed. Replaced the ones in the C ini file with the ones in the H ini file. Closed both instances of the program. Opened the C program. The breadcrumb 2 bar is still brown.

So then I simply copied the entire ini file from H drive over the ini file in C drive. For some reason it just won't let me do it. I click on "copy and replace" but when I look at the resulting file, it is never the same. Size is different (H version is 83 kb, C version is 82.3 kb), and FolderMatch verifies that the files are not the same. I think what's happening is that the C installation instantaneously recreates its own ini file, overriding the file I've just copied to it.

Still stumped.

[jupe]

If you are copying the file over, and then closing XY afterwards it will write over it again on closing.

In the instance you want the new settings in:

1. Use this menu item: Tools | Open Configuration FIle
2. Make the changes required
3. Save the file
4. Use this menu item: File | Restart without Saving

I can't see how it could go wrong.

[jupe]

I just noticed the paths you listed, I think it could possibly be because this path can't get written to:

C:\Program Files (x86)\XYplorerFree\Data\XYplorer.ini

Did you move it there manually? The Data folder shouldn't exist under Program Files, is that definitely the path that is shown in the configuration dialog title bar? Move the whole XY folder to

c:\XYplorerFree\

or alternatively, move the whole folder from H: install, to C:, forget about the stuff in ProgramFiles for now,

e.g:
Copy: H:\XYplorer\* >>>>> C:\XYplorer\*

if you do that it is impossible for that to go wrong.

[Larkspur]

The URL from which I originally downloaded the free version of XYplorer was this:
https://www.xyplorer.com/free.php

It came with an installer which automatically put itself into my Program Files (86) folder. Under Options, I instructed it on startup to open into C:

I did go ahead and uninstall this installation. I then took your advice and simply copied XYplorer from my H drive onto my C drive. At first it persisted in wanting to open into H drive on startup. But after resetting its startup folder several times under Options (and removing my thumb drive), it now seems willing to start up in C.

And it is blue, as I desired. Heaven only knows how it will behave when I stick my thumb drive back in, as I am bound to do in preparing for my planned trip.

Fingers crossed. Thank you for your prolonged patience with me!

Larkspur