What is jsFolderView+ ?
jsFolderView+ is an "Explorer Bar" that adds a left-side panel in folder windows.
An example of an Explorer Bar is the "Folders" Bar that shows a folder tree when folders are opened by launching Windows Explorer. Other
examples are the Search, History and Favorites bars, but those are only relevant to Internet Explorer.
So Windows has the ability to display these specialized panels in folder windows, but Microsoft
never created any options, other than the Folders Bar.
In general, when no Explorer Bar is displayed, folder windows show a standard left-side panel,
known as "Common Tasks" on Windows XP, which displays selected file information and a thumbnail for images.
In Windows 95/98/NT4/2000/ME there is "Webview" as part of "Active Desktop". Folder windows are actually webpages
that can be extensively customized and new functionality can be added to the left-side panel (or
anywhere else in a folder window). But all that was removed in Windows XP, leaving no options to
improve or add to the limited functionality of the "Common Tasks" panel.
jsFolderView+ was designed to bring flexible, customizable folder
functionality to all Windows versions, including XP, by providing a new, customizable
left-side panel. (In Windows XP jsFolderView+ actually sits on top of the "Common Tasks"
panel.) jsFolderView+ brings a custom WebView
plus several other features
to Windows folders for all versions of Windows.
What does jsFolderView+ do?
jsFolderView+ has four separate views, like tabs, in the one panel. In addition to providing numerous
useful functions, one of the views is a customizable Webview panel which derives from a webpage that can be edited, rewritten, or
replaced. In other words, the Custom View brings back the customizing options that were lost when Webview folders were
removed in Windows XP.
jsFolderView+ Features
•
Displays in all folder windows or only when desired.
•
Control the size of all folder windows.
(Except XP. See
XP Folder Fix to control folder window size on XP.)
•
Auto-arrange feature prevents "folder icon sprawl".
(Windows ME, in particular, has a bug that results in folder
icons often not staying in rows.)
•
Add up to 10 custom links in all folders, to jump to any other folder.
•
Information displayed about currently selected file.
•
Sample displayed for currently selected file:
- Thumbnail for JPG, GIF, PNG and BMP files.
- Text sample for most plain text file types.
- Version and company info. for EXE files.
- Dependency and export function list for DLL files.
•
Specialized functions for JPG files:
- View camera info.
- View and edit JPG image file comments.
•
Functions for Alternate Data Stream (ADS) files:
- Displays ADS files in any open folder.
- Options to view, delete, or save a copy of any ADS file.
•
Custom View can be customized with any functionality.
Notes:
The
default Custom View that comes with jsFolderView+ includes buttons
to 1) show a calculator, 2) display a list of all files in the folder, and 3) display all images in the
folder as thumbnails. These are all generated through the use of webpage HTML and script. If
you know how to use webpage scripting, you can add any other function you like.
Alternate Data Streams (ADS) are hidden files that can exist on Windows NT
systems (2000/XP) when they are installed on an NTFS file system. A full explanation of ADS
files is not feasible here. In a nutshell, they are secret files that can be attached to any
other file or folder. Windows Explorer hides them from you. ADS files constitute an entire
secondary, hidden file system. Microsoft sometimes uses ADS files for benign reasons like
storing file Summary comments, but they can be used for anything and have been used by
computer "malware" in order to hide from anti-virus programs. ADS files, in other words, are a grave security risk that
most people are unaware of.
Screenshots
Basic File View
|
JPG Comments View
|
Camera Info.
This image shows a typical display when camera information
is available for a JPG image. It's available via the "Camera Info." button in
the JPG Comments View (left).
|
ADS Files View
|
Custom View
|
|
Requirements and Compatibility
Cost: jsFolderView+ is free software.
Compatibility: Windows 95/NT4/98/2000/ME/XP/2003.
jsFolderView+ is only
tested on Windows 98/ME/XP with Internet Explorer 5/6. It should
work without notable problems on the other systems, though each version of Windows has had at least minor
changes to folder windows.
Windows 95/NT4 must have the Active Desktop package installed.
Internet Explorer 7 is not specifically supported. If you have installed IE7 you may find limitations in the
functionality of the Custom View.
jsFolderView+ installs and uninstalls like a normal software program. By default it shows
in all folder windows, but you can also use it "passively", so that it only shows if you go to the
View ->
Explorer Bar menu and select
jsFolderView Plus.
For all people using any Windows version earlier than XP: Windows 95/NT4/98/2000/ME
with "Active Desktop" uses a special configuration file (the hidden file Windows\Web\folder.htt) which determines
folder window appearance. When you install
jsFolderView+ you will want to enter the Settings and select the option to "
Use custom folder.htt".
Otherwise the normal Webview folder decorations will get in the way of jsFolderView+. The original
Webview configuration is replaced when jsFolderView+ is uninstalled.
Windows Vista is not supported and there are no plans for Vista support.
jsFolderView+ is free software. People are welcome to send an email if they need help using it, and an attempt
will be made, within reason, to answer those requests.
But Windows Vista has vast compatibility problems of all kinds. The requests for support
would almost certainly be unworkable if jsFolderView+ were made available on Windows Vista.
For a thorough explanation of lacking Vista support,
see
here.
A Word About Security, Privacy and BHOs
jsFolderView+ is not adware or spyware. It has no ability to make online contact.
There is an embedded browser window used for the Custom View, but that will not cause any
online contact unless you yourself write web links into the Custom View webpage. However, the Windows
functionality that makes jsFolderView+ possible is important to understand if you ever use
Internet Explorer online.
jsFolderView+ installs a Browser Helper Object (BHO). Isn't that a security risk?
BHOs do constitute a possible security risk if you use Internet Explorer online. Actually, Internet Explorer
(when used online) is one big security risk, and BHOs are just part
of that. BHOs are one type of plugin for Internet Explorer (IE). Custom browser toolbars from online
companies like Google or Yahoo, custom IE menu buttons, and even Explorer Bars, are all examples of
browser plugins. Plugins can also be installed without your knowledge when you install software. In
Internet Explorer,
BHOs and similar plugins are,
indeed, a security and privacy risk. Plugins piggyback on IE and have the ability to
access webpages displayed in the browser.
Plugins such as custom toolbars, therefore, have the
ability to track your actions online and even change the webpages that you see.
So why does jsFolderView+ use a BHO? In Windows, Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer
are closely linked. One is a browser for webpages. The other displays folder windows. But Microsoft treats them as
the same program and links their operation. BHOs and other Internet Explorer plugins work in both. (That is a big
part of the reason that IE is such a security problem.)
The BHO part of jsFolderView+ is necessary to make
Windows Explorer load jsFolderView+ when a folder window opens. It enables jsFolderView+ to
display in all folder windows. When the window opening is Internet Explorer
rather than a folder window, jsFolderView+ does nothing.
jsFolderView+ does not monitor your Internet activity and it does not conduct
any kind of online communication. But it theoretically could.
A brief explanation of Windows history may help to
understand the situation...
Remember the "browser war" with Netscape? And remember how
the Microsoft leadership supposedly realized, in the late 90s, that the Internet was the next big thing? Active
Desktop/WebView and the linking of Explorer with IE came from that. Bill Gates and Co. wanted to show that
Microsoft was "hip to the Web". They also wanted to avoid being forced, via court decree, to separate IE
from Windows. With IE entangled into folder windows,
Microsoft could claim that IE was integral to the operating system and therefore could not be removed. At the
same time, showing "web content" in folder windows and on the Desktop showed that Windows was hip, cool,
cutting edge, and all that good stuff... even if Microsoft's idea of "Web content" was really just advertising
links for the likes of Disney, displayed in a billboard that was stuck to the Desktop.
So, with Active Desktop/WebView, folder windows became more flexible
and customizable than they had been, but Internet Explorer was ruined as a browser.
Linked directly into the Windows operating system, IE became an irreparable security nightmare.
Any Internet Explorer browser
plugin has the ability to compromise your privacy, whether it is an add-on toolbar that you installed
willingly, or a hidden plugin installed without your permission. While the access that plugins provide to both
IE and Windows Explorer provides a wonderfully flexible way to add new, custom functionality like jsFolderView+,
and Internet Explorer is a useful tool for extending Windows usability, by the same token,
IE should not be used online if you care about privacy and security, and browser toolbar add-ons
should not be used online unless you are content to have Google, Yahoo, etc. tracking all of your online
activites and having the power to decide what you see on a webpage.
A Word About Data Execution Prevention (DEP) and Windows XP SP3
The latest version of jsFolderView+ has been updated to be compatible with
XP SP3 changes to DEP functionality. The earlier version was not compatible with SP3, resulting in crashes
when folders were opened. While you do not need to be concerned about DEP in regard
to jsFolderView+, DEP itself is a problematic, poorly documented "feature" worth knowing about.
Data execution prevention means blocking executable code from running in areas
of memory that are marked for data. The reason for DEP is to help prevent some kinds of online
attacks, such as buffer overflow attacks. The idea is good, except that many legitimate programs
run afoul of DEP. To complicate matters, Microsoft has provided different default DEP settings
on different systems. On Windows XP DEP is optional and must be deliberately selected. But
on XP SP3 that was changed in such a way that Windows Explorer is subject to DEP no matter
what settings you choose. This is another maddening case of Microsoft "lying to you for your own good".
If XP SP3 was installed while using the former version of jsFolderView+ then Windows would
suddenly start to crash Windows Explorer when a folder was opened! Windows would display a DEP
message, but no explanation as to the cause of the crash. Likewise, SP3 itself provides no
notification of the change to DEP settings. And if you happen to know how to set DEP settings
yourself, that still does no good because the DEP setting for Windows Explorer is not under your
control, and you are not told about that. In other words, the clever planners at Microsoft
decided that you would only be confused by an explanation of DEP and clear DEP settings. So instead they
just designed DEP to crash programs with no explanation.
DEP may provide slightly improved online security, especially if you are prone to risky behavior, like using Internet Explorer
with script enabled. If you have problems with DEP you can exclude specific programs: Go to System -- Advanced -- Performance -- Data
Execution Prevention and select the option to apply DEP to all processes, then exempt any programs that DEP crashes. If DEP is still
problematic with that setting, add the following to the boot string in C:\boot.ini to disable DEP altogether:
/noexecute=AlwaysOff
For more information
about DEP options see here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/875352.
Download
Download jsFolderView+ installer (fv2setup.exe - 333 KB)
Looking for Folder Tweaks Galore?
"Folder Tweaks Galore" is a package of scripts that was designed for helping
people to customize Webview folders in Windows versions prior to XP. jsFolderView+ is
meant to improve upon and replace Folder Tweaks Galore. The Custom View in jsFolderView+
provides a way to add custom web scripted functions to folder windows. For anyone who would still
like to use Folder Tweaks Galore, it can be downloaded
here.
