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REMOTE EXPLORER 3.0

FEATURES:

This application has combination of features similar to Remote Desktop and Windows Explorer. The main purpose is, as the name says, to explore remote computers. The remote computers can be on the same local network or over the internet. You can explore your local computer as a remote one, as well, by using its IP address of 127.0.0.1. This application contains two executable files - RemoteExplorer.exe and RemoteExplorerListener.exe, which can be considered as client and server. In order to be able to explore a computer you need to have the Remote Explorer application installed on the remote computer, the Remote Explorer Listener (RemoteExplorerListener.exe) running, and one port open for communication. The following is a list of what you can explore on the remote computer:

File system - allows you to browse through the drives, folders, and files on the remote computer, very much like in Windows Explorer. Just like with Windows Explorer, you can copy, delete, and rename files and folders on the remote computer. You can create new folders, and you can view the properties of selected files and folders, for which detailed information can be displayed for the number and size of the files and subfolders they contain. You can search for files and folders, but more reliably than Windows Explorer, and you can also remember previous search queries, and each search query has its own file system interface. Unlike Windows Explorer, with Remote Explorer you can compare files and folders visually, and you have the option to synchronize them locally, remotely, or both (merge). Also, you can open files in the application itself without the need to transfer the entire file. All files can be viewed as bytes. Audio and video media files, like .wma, and .wmv, can be streamed (you can select which media files to stream and you have to have appropriate DirectShow filters installed on the remote machine, in order to stream certain types of files, like .mp3 or .divx). Text files can be viewed, just like in Notepad. If a file is larger than 100 000 bytes, only the first 100 000 bytes will be displayed, which will give you an idea of what data the file contains, without transferring the entire file. The version information of executable files can be displayed, as well. Image files are shown as thumbnails, first, and the whole image can be displayed from a thumbnail, if desired, with the option of reducing the size of the image, so it will be faster to transfer. This way, you can easily view images on a remote computer even if they are very large in size, without the need to transfer the whole files. You can download and upload files and folders from and to the remote computer, too. In a way this functionality is similar to an ftp client/server communication, but in a more reliable and efficient way. With Remote Explorer when a file exists on both the local and the remote machine, the files are compared first, and only the parts of the files that are different are transferred. This way, if the communication is interrupted, you can reliably resume it later without the need to transfer parts of the files that have already been transferred. You also have no limits on the size of the files to transfer or their names. With ftp transfer smaller files can slow down the process due to an overhead in the protocol for each file, and the way the network layers are designed. Remote Explorer combines smaller files and parts of larger files in packets of a specified size (10 MB, by default), so even thousands of files can be transferred efficiently and fast, and if the communication is interrupted, only the data in the last packet will be missing.
Registry - similar to browsing the registry in the RegEdit application. You can browse through the registry hives and keys, but you cannot modify or delete them. You can search for registry keys, values and data, but unlike RegEdit and similarly to the files system searches, you can remember previous search queries, and each search query has its own registry interface. You can also specify registry keys as favorites for easier navigation.
Running processes - similar to browsing the running processes in the Task Manager application. You can also open the location of the main module for a process in the file system.
Services - similar to browsing the services in the Computer Management application. You can also open the associated process of a service in the running processes.
System information - similar to viewing the system summary in the System Information application.
Devices - similar to browsing the devices in the Device Manager application. You can, also, check the status of a device.
Capture Devices - captures and records content from the capture devices on the remote computer. If the remote computer has a TV tuner capture device, you can use it to watch live TV remotely, to change the channel, and to schedule recordings on it. The recordings will be saved to a specific folder on the remote computer, and you can watch them remotely when they are finished, or while they are still in progress. ATSC Digital TV (BDA) tuners for clear QAM digital cable content can also be used.
Activity Monitor - monitors for file system events, like creating, deleting, changing, and renaming files and folders.
Screen - captures the screen of the remote computer, and transfers and displays the image on the local computer. You have the option to save any image displayed as a file.
Command prompt - similar to using the Command Prompt. You can type any DOS command, and the command will be executed on the remote computer, and the results will be displayed on the local computer. This gives you even more power and flexibility to what you can explore on the remote computer.
Performance monitor - similar to performance monitor in the Task Manager application. You will have a visual representation of the CPU, memory, disk, and network activity.

In addition to these features, you also have the option of making a reverse connection, and a chat session. The reverse connection can be helpful in cases where the remote computer is behind firewall, but you will need to have either a person on the remote site or another way to connect to the remote computer, like Remote Desktop, so you can initiate the reverse connection. The chat functionality is very basic, but it gives you an option of exchanging messages between the computers, if there is a person on the remote site.

In general, Remote Explorer can give you a lot of information about the remote computer. Unlike Remote Desktop, you don't use the graphical user interface of the remote computer, so you are limited to what you can do with it, but the information you can browse above can be delivered much faster.