jsFolderView+

Folder View Enhancement

Updated May, 2009 for XP SP3 compatibility

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.