Completely replacing Explorer (as a file manager)

[pissant]

I've seen the FAQ on making XY the default file manager, and I've followed that advice. However, it's not a complete solution.

What I'd like is for XY to open in all cases where Explorer would otherwise be used as a file manager. For example, although I've followed the aforementioned advice, when I double click a folder under the Start menu, Explorer opens, not XY. When I right click a torrent in µTorrent and select "Open Containing Folder", Explorer opens. When I press WinKey+E, Explorer opens. These are just a few of many examples. (I have seen the XYwiki advice on having XY open with WinKey+X.)

Is there currently any way to accomplish what I'm after?

[j_c_hallgren]

Is there currently any way to accomplish what I'm after?

AFAIK, no...because I believe some of these are via the "folder" entry in Registry and based on the note in http://88.191.26.34/XYwiki/index.php/FAQ which states:

Note that we do not use Folder here because it would make XY being used for "special folders" as well, such as Desktop or Control Panel, but opening these is currently not supported. Using it with Folder would result in XY opening a new tab to "My Computer" instead.
You could still access your Control Panel and other unsupported "special folders", but you'd have to manually start Explorer and go there, or use this "Explorer" command on the context menu

it would cause other undesired issues...

[pissant]

I had actually gone ahead and changed HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Folder but it hasn't accomplished anything; Explorer still opens.

I guess this would require internal changes to XY.

[admin]

Is there currently any way to accomplish what I'm after?

No. There are a number of reasons for it, some of them are insurmountable technical difficulties.

[blewis999]

I have seen other applications open XYplorer instead of Explorer when a file location is required, therefore it seems like Windows is playing by rules they do not make available to everyone else. My guess is that this subtrafuge is an active X object that only windows knows about stuck in a dll. Does anyone know how to track which dll is fired up when the 'open file' is called? I guess we could try to find it with process explorer (I thinking out loud here). But it would be a major win to dump that lame windows interface and I bet there would be a large movement to XYplorer if it could be done. Everyone I know and have read about, hates this windows piece of code that dumps you in folders that windows tries to force you into using rather than the last folder you wanted to use.