Can I make the side panel of Windows dialogs more like OSX?

October 23, 2007 11:13 PM

Can I make the side panel of Windows dialogs more like OSX?

I don't know exactly what the name is for the thing I'm talking about, but here's an example (the bit outlined in red).

On the left hand side of most of my dialog boxes there's a panel or frame which has shortcut links to various things -- various things I don't need. I don't even really know how they got there, presumably the corporate IT people set them up, as they relate to work?

Is there some kind of hack or utility to customise that area, so that it's actually useful to me?

The basic problem is, I use windows at work and I spend a lot of time navigating to and from the same folders in a complex structure, and at home on the Mac I just drag those folders to the left-hand pane for quick access.

So of course, any other answer which lets me tweak dialogs to make navigating easier would be good. I can't move the folders (they mirror a server structure).

posted by AmbroseChapel to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

TweakUI lets you customise this, however if you are in a work environment chances are you won't have permission to change it.
posted by jon4009 at 11:37 PM on October 23, 2007

Best answer: Not exactly the same, but I've been easing the pain with FileBox Extender. It doesn't change the sidebar, but it gives you a menu with "favorite" folder locations in every open/save dialog, as well as every Explorer window. The "add this folder" capability unfortunately crashes it on my machine, so I add locations through the program itself, not the pulldown menu.

I changed the sidebar with TweakUI, but it seems like several programs ignore it, so it didn't do much for me.

Also related: this post from lifehacker.
posted by O9scar at 11:47 PM on October 23, 2007

Even without TweakUI you can alter those settings from the Group Policy editor (assuming your administrator allows it).

Run gpedit.msc, drill down to User Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components, Windows Explorer, Common Open File Dialog. Double click on Items displayed in Places bar and you can customize your list of Places.
posted by JaredSeth at 9:01 AM on October 24, 2007

Which I now see is mentioned in the comments on that Lifehacker post.
posted by JaredSeth at 9:09 AM on October 24, 2007

Response by poster: I think everyone who answered deserves "best" but I'm going to give it to O9scar who gave me two links, both of which have proven very useful.

The thing I'm talking about is called the "Places Bar", for the record; none of the solutions let you just drag into it, and none of them let you have more than five, or allow the bar to scroll, but I'm way happier than before.

Thanks everyone.
posted by AmbroseChapel at 4:18 PM on October 24, 2007