What’s Happening with the OneNote Desktop Version?

How to View a File in Windows Without Opening It

With the right tools, you don’t need to open a file or its application to view it.

You may work with a lot of different files in Windows — Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, OneNote notebooks, PDF files, graphic files, video files, audio files, and more. Sometimes you need to check out one file after another. That can be time-consuming since it means you need to launch each file’s native application to view it.

Well, not necessarily. There are ways you can view a file without having to launch its application. Here are the five options we’ll be looking at:

• Windows itself offers a preview pane in File Explorer through which you can view a variety of file types.
• A free program called File Viewer Lite can display more than 150 different file types.
• If you need even more options and don’t mind spending some money, File Viewer Plus can display more than 300 different file types at a cost of $39.95.
• Free File Viewer is a simple and free program that can display more than 200 file types.
• Quick View Plus is a robust file viewer, one that can display more than 300 file types. The only downside is the cost: it carries a price tag of $99 a year.

File Explorer

Let’s first check out File Explorer in Windows 10 and 8.1, or Windows Explorer in Windows 7.

• In File Explorer, select a file you wish to view, such as a Microsoft Word document.
• Click on the View Ribbon if it’s not already open.
• Then click on the icon for Preview Pane.
• In Windows Explorer, select the file. Click on the icon on the menu bar to Show the Preview Pane.
• Scroll down the document to read it in full. You’ll see any graphics or other inserted objects, colors, attributes, and special formatting just as if you were viewing the document in Word.

• Preview other types of files, such as Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, PDF files, and graphic files.
• If you want more space to view the file, move your mouse cursor to the separator bar between the file list and Preview Pane and drag it to the left.
• Next, use the Preview Pane to listen to certain types of audio files, such as MP3s. And you can play specific types of video files, such as MP4s.

File Viewer Lite

Download and open the free File Viewer Lite program.

Now, let’s get started.

You can drag a file on top of the File Viewer Lite window to view it. One way to do this is to open File Viewer Lite and File Explorer or Windows Explorer side by side and then drag the file you want to view.

Another way to drag a file on top of the File Viewer Lite window to view it is to right-click on the file in File Explorer or Windows Explorer and select the option to Open with File Viewer Lite. Beyond the file types that the Windows Preview Pane can handle, File Viewer Lite can play more types of audio and video files, such as iTunes M4As and M4Bs, AVIs, and WMVs. You can peek at the contents of ZIP files.

You can control your file viewings by zooming in and out, changing the font and other attributes for text documents, and applying certain effects to image files. You can drop more files on top of the File Viewer Lite window one after another to view each one. You can also print each file.

File Viewer Plus

To view more file types and gain additional features, purchase File Viewer Plus for $39.95 with a free 14-day trial. The Plus version works the same as the Lite version but can display more than 300 files types.

You can also convert and save many types of files from one format to another, which you can’t do with File Viewer Lite. If you find that the Lite version can handle all the file types you require and you don’t need the additional features, stick with that. If not, check out the 14-day trial edition of the Plus product to see if it better meets your needs. After taking it for a test drive, you can decide whether to pay the $39.95 to continue using it.

Free File Viewer

To view most Office file types, PDFs, and image files, and to play many audio and video formats, take Free File Viewer for a spin.

As the title indicates, the program is completely free. You can view Word documents and Excel spreadsheets (but not PowerPoint presentations). You can view JPGs, PNGs, GIFs, and other types of images. And you can play MP3s, MP4s, and other audio and video files. To display a file from the program, click on the Open File button and select the file you want to view or play.

Alternatively, right-click on a supported file type in File Explorer or Windows Explorer and choose the option to open with Free File Viewer. You can zoom in or out, jump from one page to another in a document, and print the file. You can even associate any file type with Free File Viewer. Double-click on that file, and it automatically opens in the program.

Quick View Plus

If you need a file viewer than can tackle more than 300 files types, check out Quick View Plus, or QVP. You’ll pay a hefty price for it as the going rate is $99 per year. You can opt to integrate QVP with File Explorer or Windows Explorer as well as Microsoft Outlook and Internet Explorer. That’s a handy option as it means you can right-click on a supported file and choose options to view, print, or compress the file, all through QVP.

Though you can view files from File Explorer or Windows Explorer, you may find it easier to open the QVP program, which offers its own file navigator. Using just QVP, you can easily jump to any folder on your computer or elsewhere and click on the file you wish to view. The QVP interface displays thumbnails for every page in your document or file, so you can quickly hop to any page. Depending on the file type, you can resize the viewer window, zoom in or out, and search for specific words or phrases in any kind of text file.

QVP supports an array of file types, including Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PowerPoint presentations, Microsoft Project files, PDFs, graphic files, and more.

It doesn’t support the playing of audio or video files; it’s strictly a static file viewer. But if you can live with that limitation and don’t mind the annual cost, QVP is a solid choice.

A Nostalgic Blast from the Past: Windows File Explorer Version 3.0 Open Sourced

My first version of Microsoft’s fledgling operating system was Windows 3.0. I had spent the previous years learning BASIC banging on the keyboard of my Commodore 64.

This past week I got to go back in time: The original File Explorer program that was part of Windows in the 90’s was open sourced by Microsoft under the MIT Open Source Software license.

Note: The MIT OSS license retains all original copyright and license notices but allows the code for commercial and private use, modification, and distribution.

The WinFile source code is being hosted on GitHub and anyone can contribute and make pull requests. You can download the latest stable release, which runs as an x86/x64 desktop app.

When I heard about this being available, I went to GitHub and downloaded the latest stable release, marked as version 10.0, and extracted it into a directory on a Windows 10 desktop PC.

When you first click on the winfile.exe file you are going to get a modern warning about the safety of this software because it is unsigned.

Just click on More info to continue.

If SmartScreen has accurately identified that you are running the winfile.exe, then you can click on Run Anyway to use File Manager 3.0.

Note: This choice will be remembered for future use of the program if nothing has changed or updated on the code side.

You will now be treated to an immediate stroll down memory lane, well at least for those of you who used Windows in the 90’s, as you see File Explorer 3.0 in all of its 16-bit looking glory.

However, it has also been modernized for compatibility with all supported versions of Windows as mentioned earlier.

Among some of those updates are:

1. Drag and Drop
2. Control Characters
3. Cut and Paste file moves
4. Left and Right arrows navigate ion tree view/collapse folders
5. Context Menus in both panes
6. Sorting option when using View command
7. Long filename support

It has been a lot of fun poking around the old File Explorer that so many of us used back in the 90’s.

When you look at File Explorer as it appears today in Windows 10, the same basic design and premise remains a proven formula. It makes you wonder is there anywhere else to go with this tried and true process of file management beyond dressing up the UI itself?

Maybe a future generation will ask the same thing in 20 or 30 years when they see what we used in the early days of Windows 10.

Windows 10: The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Part 2

In this second in a series of articles I continue my in-depth examination of some of the features in Windows 10. Part one of this series appears in the March 27 issue.

In a complex operating system like Windows 10, there are obviously features Microsoft got right and then some that still need tweaking. Now that we have lived with the various versions and updates of Microsoft’s OS, isn’t it time we conduct a sort of postmortem of all that Windows comprises?

In this second installment of my feeature-by-feature overview, I examine what’s good and bad (or just plain ugly) about the Microsoft Store, the Command Prompt, and that mandatory, take-it-or-leave-it, Microsoft account for Windows 10.

As in the previous installment, these assessments will be based on both my experience with the OS since its first release, plus composite of opinions from other users.

The Microsoft Store

When Microsoft first started their app store media pundits and consumers weighing in online were not too kind, rightfully calling it a “too little, too late” copycat of Apple’s tremendously successful App Store.  In its first years the Microsoft Store displayed a puny selection of familiar games and productivity apps and seemed to be just begging to get developers to submit more.

The Good: The inventory in the Store has vastly expanded as it has evolved since its Windows 8 days. As it has matured, the Store has added sales of hardware and loads of third party and in-house apps and Edge browser extensions. While still not equal to Apple’s vast inventory, it’s worthy of more than just casual window shopping. Unsurprisingly, much of the way the Store operates seems to be modeled (copycatted?) on exactly the way the Apple App store intelligently handles app descriptions, sales and download functions, and even account settings. You can’t go wrong copying success.

The Bad: The Store’s home page is a jumble, sort of a catch-as-catch-can basket of disparate apps, games, and movies. Although the Store is also the home of Edge browser extensions, which are totally free, they are not as extensive at this point as those available for Chrome and Firefox.

The Ugly: Remember, this is as its name proclaims a store and like any retailer, it is designed to take your money, hence bright graphics designed for impulse purchases and the aforementioned and purposeful, unorganized jumble display of apps, movies, sale items, all to make us comb around this labyrinth, sometimes even forgetting why we came to the Store in the first place. It reminds me of Ikea which itself is like the Roach Motel:“You can get in, but you can’t get out!”.

Command Prompt a.k.a. the DOS Prompt

All those command line programs still worked, as they do now, by leaving the pointing device capable Windows shell for the no-mouse DOS land.

The Good: When Windows can’t or won’t perform a command task, the DOS command line, do-it-yourself, typed-in command functions are still a quick way to perform dozens, maybe hundreds, of housekeeping and utility tasks. The command prompt is still the place to take advantage of original, native commands and the powerful, Sysinternals suite of advanced system utilities and technical information which were created in 1996 by Mark Russinovich who later sold them to Microsoft. Because they function as a more direct level in the core (DOS) operating system, these one line commands return express results that similar Windows utilities (if they exist) cannot compete with.

The Bad: There is a bit of typing drudgery in taking advantage of command line utilities. First you need to get to the Command prompt. Windows+R or typing CMD in the Start search bar are the quickest routes. Once at the DOS, type CMD to leave the Windows shell and see the actual DOS screen which usually defaults to the Users directory. Now you can type the command, complete with modifying switches.

You are definitely in geek or nerd territory with what can be a baffling language with little help and where one mistyped character can have consequential results. Typing command line code is a high wire act without a net.

The Ugly: The barebones c:> with the blinking cursor was the norm in the days when Pong was the most sophisticated computer game. But in the glitzy, rainbow colored HD Windows environment a encapsulated black display with a blinking cursor is just plain antediluvian. It just reveals that Windows is still propped up and is an OS layered on another, more primitive OS.

Mandatory Microsoft Account

Whether you are upgrading your existing PC to Windows 10 or you are purchasing a new PC with Windows 10 pre-installed, you are buying a software license to use the operating system. You can use the computer without actually activating the Windows 10 license but you will quickly experience the limitations Microsoft built in — along with its constant, irritating nags, to get you to activate and create a Microsoft account.  If this does seems reminiscent of Big Brother, that’s because to some degree it is.

The Good: Compared to previous versions of Windows, this version gets a 10 for its security features. With a Microsoft account and an online connection, potential online threats are monitored 24/7 and updated as needed in the background. Security starts with the required login when you boot up your system. With an account, you can use the Store. With an account you can use the built-in email services. And of course, with an account, you have a fully functioning operating system with its robust features, including periodical feature updates and improvements.

The Bad: Those periodic feature updates and improvements cannot be turned off. Now, ‘updates’ good and bad are automatically downloaded. In addition, Microsoft can monitor your activity (for “analytic and quality control” purposes, of course). And get a load of Microsoft’s Service Agreement. I think the Bible may be shorter…and easier to understand.

The Ugly: There is the good big brother and then there is the bad Big Brother. Both go by the name Microsoft.

Ask @WinObs: What's Happening with the OneNote Desktop Version?

Q. I heard that Microsoft is going to discontinue the desktop version of OneNote! Is this true? If so, what will take its place?

You did hear correctly. This announcement was made within the last 24 hours by OneNote Program Manager William Devereux. He confirmed that active development of new features and capabilities is ending for OneNote 2016.

This was the last version of OneNote built for the standard Windows desktop.  It is compatible with the currently supported versions of Windows (7, 8.1, and 10.)  Later this year, when Office 2019 is released as the last stand alone version of Office, there will not be a desktop version of OneNote included.

However, there are still options for those of you who are fans of OneNote 2016 on the desktop.

According to an FAQ posted by the OneNote team, this announcement does not mean the end of OneNote 2016 is imminent.

• OneNote 2016 will be under mainstream support until October 13, 2020, and extended support until October 14, 2025. You’ve got a little over seven years left with this product as-is.
• Installing Office 2019 when it is released later this year will not remove OneNote 2016 from your system.
• OneNote for Windows 10, a Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app available for free with Windows 10, will be installed by default with Office 2019. If you have previously used OneNote 2016 then you can continue to do so with Office 2019. However, if you have never used OneNote before installing Office 2019, you will be directed towards the OneNote for Windows 10 UWP app.
• More details will be provided closer to the release of Office 2019 on how you can download and use OneNote 2016 with Office 2019 or Office 365.

Ultimately, since it is the only version being actively developed, the OneNote team would like to see you move to the OneNote for Windows 10 UWP app. It is included for free with every copy of Windows 10 and syncs your notebooks across any Windows 10 device that uses your Microsoft Account.

(I have been using the OneNote for Windows 10 UWP app since it was first released, and I must say, it is one of the most powerful UWP apps in the Microsoft Store.)

According to Devereux, more than 100 popular features from OneNote 2016 have made their way into the UWP version over the last 18 months, and team plans to continue that development. There are also versions of OneNote that you can use on Android, iOS, Mac, and even access your notebooks via the web. Easy, quick, and convenient access to your notes anywhere at any time.

The bottom line is that OneNote 2016 fans still have seven years to use their favorite version of the program. And if you have never tried OneNote and are curious about its capabilities, then head into the Windows 10 Microsoft Store and make sure the OneNote for Windows 10 app is installed and get started using the service. You will be amazed at what you can do to go paperless these days.