is it possible to not use explorer?

i've changed my shell and i've found a new file manager to use instead of explorer. is there a way to not use it at all? i've noticed that with litestep, explorer dosen't load at all and only loads when i open my docs or my comp. but is there a way to completely replace explorer with a different manager?

 

I found a good link with some sage advice as far as explorer.exe is concerned. The site is

Shell-Shocked

By and large, the author seems to indicate that you are correct in reasoning that explorer is not necessary, however he did have these words of caution:

"Windows 2K/XP:
I recommend having a main administrator-level account that uses explorer.exe as the shell for system critical driver installations and Windows updates. This insures that nothing goes funky because the default shell isn't loaded (MS isn't fond of third party software running at the core of the system and certain windows updates might get b0rked if explorer.exe isn't loaded as the shell). "

 

i figured as such. thanks for the reply. crazy ole' microsoft... i'm gonna try it out i guess, a non windows WindowsXP.

 

If you really dont want to use windows that much... then why do you? Dual booting is simple now, and a lot of good people have put in a lot of work into making linux usable.

 

i've used differnet distros of linux for almost a year now. i don't have the time to compile stuff and i'm having problems getting Photoshop and illustrator to run through Wine. i'm slowly turning windows into something like linux. my winxp has been up now for three full weeks without a single crash or even a hicup. changing the shell has made it quite a bit quicker, and everything seems to run smoother. but i'm tired of explorer...

 

Most file managers are really just new faces on explorer.exe, of course. But you may find one that is not dependent on explorer:
http://www.snapfiles.com/downloadfind.php?action=s&st=file+manager

You might get some ideas from the support for Aston shells, too:
http://www.astonshell.com/

 

.... your running XP, and you dont have the time to compile stuff? First off, what distro are you running, Gentoo? Though i feel for you on wine: Its a little rough still, but getting better. I'd reccomend learning the GIMP though. Sure occasionally you may have to still use PS, but more often than not you can use the gimp just as fast once you get used to it. It can use 90+% of your photoshop plug-ins too. I seem to remember running into an illustrator alternative, but i didnt like it as much.

Dropping explorer, your main bets are Litestep (i didnt mind it, but it seemed to have a memory leak: 60+mb on occasion, Aston shell (See above link. Havent used this one yet) and hoverdesk (http://www.hoverdesk.net/). Hoverdesk isnt free, although you often hear good things about it.

 

i've used mandrake for a while, and gentoo. also, i have to use photoshop and illustrator for school as they are the classes that i'm taking. i've been used to dual booting but it's getting old. and thanks for the tips whiteskin.