The Remote Explorer application has combination of features similar to Remote
Desktop and Windows Explorer. You can explore the local computer, or a remote
computer on the local network or over the internet, in the exact same way. In order to be able to explore a computer you need to have
the Remote Explorer application installed and running on it, and one port open for
communication. This application is both - a
client and a server, and it can work in parallel with several remote computers,
and it can perform several operations, at the same time. If a remote computer
connects to the local computer, you can explore it the same way, as if you
connected to it. The following is a list of what you can explore on the remote
computer, and what operations you can perform on it:
File System - similar to Windows Explorer. You can browse through the drives, folders, and files
on the remote computer. Just like with
Windows Explorer, you can copy, delete, and rename files and folders on the
remote computer. You can, also, rename multiple files and folders at once, and
you can use c# code for even more powerful way for editing the new names for the
objects to rename. 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. 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
and text. 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. 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.
Registry - similar to Registry Editor. You can browse through the
registry hives and keys, but you cannot modify or delete them. You can delete
registry values.
Running Processes -
similar to Task
Manager. You can see information about the processes currently running on the
remote computer. You can kill a process.
Services - similar to Services in Computer Management. You can see
information about the services on the remote computer. You can stop, start,
pause, and resume services.
System
Information - similar to System Information. You can see information
about the hardware and the operating system on the remote computer.
Devices - similar to Device
Manager. You can see information about the devices installed on the remote
computer.
Capture Devices - you can see the capture video and audio devices
on the remote computer. You can stream content from those devices. 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.
File Transfer - you can download and upload files from and to the remote
computer. 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.
Capture Screen - you can see the screen of the remote computer as an
image.
Search - you can search the file system or the registry on the remote
computer. The results will be displayed on forms similar to the File System and
Registry forms.
Performance monitor - similar to Task Manager. You can see a visual representation
of the CPU, memory, disk, and network activity.
Activity Monitor - you can monitor the file system on the remote computer
for events, like creating,
deleting, changing, and renaming files and folders.
Command prompt - similar to 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.
Chat - you can chat with somebody who is using the remote computer.
The Remote Explorer application functions as a web server, as well. Its web
interface can be accessed by using the address of the computer, on which it is
installed, and the port on which it is listening to, and which is specified in
the Options form. For example, you can use the following URL for the local
computer - http://localhost:10000 . The web
interface has a similar functionality to the Windows application, but it can be
accessed with any web browser, and it doesn't require the Remote Explorer
application to be installed. You can use the full functionality of the web
interface, if you log in to it with the credentials of a user, which is not a
Web Only user. The Web Only users are restricted to access only certain folders,
which you can specify in the Web Shared Folders tab page of the Options form. If
you don't specify any users for a web shared folder, then the folder is public,
and it can be accessed by anybody, without the need for logging in to the web
interface.
The web interface has some additional functionality, like geotagging folders,
and displaying .gpx files. There are two modes for exploring the file system of
a remote computer in the web interface - files mode similar to the File System
form, and Media mode, in which only audio and video media files are displayed,
and image files are displayed as thumbnails. In Media mode, if a folder is
geotagged (a location file location.gpx exists in the folder or any of its
parent folders), then a map with the folder location is displayed, as well. You
can enlarge the map by clicking on the Map link, which opens the Map page for a
folder. In the Map page of a folder, the displayed map is centered on the
location of the folder, and all locations of its subfolders are displayed as
pushpins, and all .gpx files in all subfolders are displayed, as well. If a .gpx
file contains waypoints, they will be displayed as pushpins on the map. If it
contains tracks or routes, they will be displayed as polylines on the map. At
the bottom of the Map page, there is a Save button, which allows you to geotag a
folder (save its location to a location.gpx file in the folder). If a folder is
not geotagged, in Media mode there is no map displayed for it, but you can still
open the Map page, so you can geotag it, or browse its subfolders' locations and
.gpx files.
