---> UPDATE
I don't know why this happened, or if I'm crazy and didn't notice it before, or made some registry change but didn't test it, but Run -> has started opening 2xExplorer correctly, in the folder (except C:, G:, H:, etc. where it opens 2xExplorer at the desktop!), while lsxcommand -> uses regular old explorer.
---> END UPDATE

Hi all, this might be an interesting problem...

I'm a Litestep newbie who's read the basic introductions and played around some with the .rc's. (and done a lot of searching for the answer to this problem as well as others :) )

My problem is getting a replacement file manager to do it's thing properly. Right now, if I do a Run or use lsxcommand to enter "D:\downloads" or some other directory, the old windows explorer comes up. Since I have folders associated in the registry with 2xExplorer (my file manager, set in evars.rc as well), if I click on a folder from within that window, the D:\downloads explorer window, 2xExplorer comes up just like it should. But how to make it come up in the first place, and stop explorer from taking my command line folder-opening commands?

That's really the question at hand here, and thanks for any attempts to help me get it to work. Maybe it's something simple like changing a registry setting to get Windows XP to handle it correctly, or maybe I can tell litestep to pass all directory commands with a $FileManager " prepended. Something like changing:

OpenFolder "'$FileManager$' /e,"
to
OpenFolder "'$FileManager$'"

and then changing the

OpenFolder "$LiteStepDir$"
to
OpenFolder "$LiteStepDir

Those were changes made in austerity's (the theme I'm still using after the install) .rc's and I haven't found comparable ones somewhere else.

Based on the below information, it would seem that if I can only tell something to do something a little differently, things will be okay.

Note: By "run" I mean !Run (I use WIN R).

"C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe" "c:\program files"
WORKS: run
DOESN'T WORK: lsxcommand

"C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe" c:\
WORKS: lsxcommand, run

"C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe" c:\program files
DOESN'T WORK: lsxcommand, run (2xExplorer starts but it's folder is the desktop, and not program files)

lsxcommand only:

!execute ["C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe" "C:\Program Files"]
WORKS: lsxcommand

!execute ["C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe" C:\Program Files]
DOESN'T WORK: lsxcommand (2x has the desktop open)

!execute ["C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe" "C:\Program Files]
WORKS: lsxcommand (2x has the desktop open)

for the next few:

$FileManager$ is set to "C:\Program Files\2xExplorerZ1\2xExplorer.exe"
$LiteStepDir is set to "C:\LiteStep"
$ProgramsDir$ is set to "C:\Program Files\"
(they all have quotes around them in evars.rc)

In lsxcommand:

!execute ["$FileManager$" $LiteStepDir$]
WORKS

!execute ["$FileManager$" "$LiteStepDir$"]
DOESN'T (desktop)

!execute ["$FileManager$" "$LiteStepDir$]
WORKS

!execute ["$FileManager$" $ProgramsDir$]
DOESN'T (desktop)

!execute ["$FileManager$" "$ProgramsDir$"]
DOESN'T (desktop)

!execute ["$FileManager$" "$ProgramsDir$]
WORKS

So I can set up lsxcommand *aliases* to open those folders fine now I know all that. Still, what about Run C:\, G:\Downloads, etc. I could just make aliases for everything. I think that would fix this problem, but I'd like to know if there's another way.

Big post, but thanks for reading it through. Since, being a newbie, I won't be contributing to the community by helping people out with their questions, here's a very useful link that has served me well:

http://www.pricelessware.org -- the best freeware, with current links (maintained and voted for by people at alt.freeware.*)

Thanks for reading. :)