View PSD, DWG, TIFF, MDI, XLS, PPT files in Windows

Posted on July 12, 2008 at 5:18 am

Having difficultly viewing certain files on your computer? Maybe someone has sent you a picture that is in Photoshop format? Or you are trying to view a Visio diagram, but don’t have Visio installed?

There are programs that open each file type, such as Adobe Reader for reading e-books in .PDF format, Foobar2000 for .MP3 files, WinRAR for .RAR compressed files, Hexeditor to edit .EXE files…the list goes on.

This is fine if you have all of these programs installed on your computer, but unfortunately, not all of them are free and hence not on our computers. Also, if you have to open one PSD file every year, is it really worth installing Photoshop on your computer?

That’s why there’s a great program, a nice little hidden gem, which lets you preview 100 different file extensions, without needing to have the original program or software installed! Just think about it – MP3s without Foobar2000, PDFs without Adobe Reader, even RAR files without WinRAR. Amazingly handy and shockingly good!

The program is called Explorer View. It’s an instant file viewer for over 100 different extensions, which can be a life saver if you are on a computer that doesn’t have the correct software installed in order to view your files.

I’ve also found it quite handy to just quickly view pictures, without having to wait for Paint Shop Pro X or Photoshop to load up every single time just to view one picture. It also makes everything look very neat and tidy, which is a nice bonus.

It also tells you the size of the file, so you can anticipate the lag you’re going to get hit with, before it actually happens.

One of my favorite functions of this nifty program is the little Preview Screen, which you can use to preview entire file contents, without having to open up the files. It works not only with pictures, but with all of the 100 file types the program supports.

There are other nice features thrown in there as well, like the options to Zoom In/Out and Flip/Rotate the image, and even print it off quickly if required. So, that means you can view Word, Powerpoint and even Excel files without having to load up the program! No more crazy lag! It’s safe, quick and effective to use it, and I honestly think it’s one of those programs actually worth buying.

Yes, it’s not free. I rarrely write about software that is not free, but this program I really liked and it’s not that expensive for the benefits. At the moment, you can only get 30 days for free, and then you must purchase the program, but it’s so useful, personally I think it’s worth the money.

To get the 30 day free trial, go onto http://www.explorerview.com/.

Once installed, open Windows Explorer and press the “F8″ key to open the Explorer View file viewer window. I really like how well this program integrates with Windows Explorer, making the process of viewing files seamless. Enjoy!

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