I need a Windows file explorer that can view/modify FTP files?

Hi everyone, I recently setup an FTP server using this genius little piece of hardware called CloudFTP (now called iUSBport as of today, LOL).

Anyways, I can access my CloudFTP just fine through my smartphone, using a file explorer app w/FTP ability.

My question is, is there a downloadable Windows 7 file explorer freeware/software app that can do exact the same thing as my Android? Currently, I am only able to access the CloudFTP via Windows through the Google Chrome browser, but the interface is.... dismal, to say the least.

I like the built-in Windows 7 explorer just fine, but I'm not sure I can access my FTP server using it. I may not even want to, even if it could.

type in an FTP address in Explorer's address bar. ftp://ip-address-here/

logicearth said:

type in an FTP address in Explorer's address bar. ftp://ip-address-here/

Wow, it worked! It looks like I managed to get in through the use of Internet Explorer :)

I found one major problem though, no image thumbnail previews

Is there a file explorer out there with a built-in image viewer?

No...it order for thumbnails to be created it would have to download the file...you don't really want that to happen.

Just little previews is all they are. If my smartphone can store them, Windows definitely can.

Besides, wouldn't that data just be thrown into a cache of some sorts? I could always empty it later, no problem.

doing that stuff via FTP is... let's put it like this, a creative way of using it. (FTP was supposed to be used on servers whose only job is letting people download files, not to share photos between mobile devices) You cannot blame Windows devs if they couldn't predict this particular (weird) device/program.

I did some Google searching around and found this that allows you to have it your way, but ain't free. This is another one, not cheap either.

I also found this that explains how to code one application that does that yourself.

I can only offer you dropbox, which should solve your problems by changing the whole system you use to exchange files between your devices, but oh well. It's free.

bobafetthotmail said:

doing that stuff via FTP is... let's put it like this, a creative way of using it. (FTP was supposed to be used on servers whose only job is letting people download files, not to share photos between mobile devices) You cannot blame Windows devs if they couldn't predict this particular (weird) device/program.

I did some Google searching around and found this that allows you to have it your way, but ain't free. This is another one, not cheap either.

I also found this that explains how to code one application that does that yourself.

I can only offer you dropbox, which should solve your problems by changing the whole system you use to exchange files between your devices, but oh well. It's free.

Nice finds! FTPVoyager looks exactly what I'm looking for. It's too bad the cost is so high, but I'm sure it would be well worth it. I did some Googling myself, but I never found the kind of results that you found. It might have been the terms I was using.

Dropbox is a good suggestion, but I actually use Google Drive. The only issue I have with using cloud services is privacy. Using an FTP server prevents services like Google from using my files any way they see fit, and still gives me the wireless freedom I need to do what I want. I can upload anything I want to FTP, and I don't have to worry about my information being stamped on every file I upload.

The first time I became concerned about privacy was when I had uploaded a picture of my dog named Lightning to their Picasa image service. The exact image actually pulled up in Google Images when I searched near the term Lightning.jpg. Yikes! Of course, the image was set to "private" and is only viewable from my account, but I still think that is way too close for comfort. If you can help it at all, you definitely avoid things like that.

My google-fu is strong.

Sadly the only other thing I found is this tutorial that allows you to permanently map it in your PC, but I don't think it's fundamentally different from that the guys above suggested, so no thumbnails.

Dropbox is a good suggestion, but I actually use Google Drive. The only issue I have with using cloud services is privacy.

hmm, you complain about privacy issues and use Google services? I mean Google is the obvious Big Bad Wolf as far as using your data in wonky ways. Close second is Facebook.

Stuff on Dropbox is not accessible at all from the net unless it is placed in the Pubblic or the Photo folder (which have features for sharing, but don't go directly to Google search results).
Their words on the subject.

But I'm pretty sure most other file syncing tools are safe as well (I'm ready to trust MS's Skydrive more than Google Docs even at just face value). You just chose the Big Bad Wolf and got burned imho.

For "safe" i mean "safe from other users on the net", of course dropbox team have full access to everything in case of legal issues and can hand your files to police if asked (no, scanning through stuff and delete illegal things ala youtube is completely out of question, they have so much data of so much different kinds that it would be ridiculous to even think about it). But this is required for any such cloud service storing data on servers you don't own.

Hm, there are wireless neworked battery-powered HDDs that claim they "Stream to almost any device that has Wi–Fi connectivity and a web browser—including laptops, most smartphones and tablets".

bobafetthotmail said:

Stuff on Dropbox is not accessible at all from the net unless it is placed in the Pubblic or the Photo folder (which have features for sharing, but don't go directly to Google search results).

You make a good point here. But as a longtime Gmail/Android user, I like to have all my data in one place.. namely my Google account

bobafetthotmail said:

But I'm pretty sure most other file syncing tools are safe as well (I'm ready to trust MS's Skydrive more than Google Docs even at just face value). You just chose the Big Bad Wolf and got burned imho.

hmm, you complain about privacy issues and use Google services? I mean Google is the obvious Big Bad Wolf as far as using your data in wonky ways. Close second is Facebook.

I don't necessarily look to Google as the Big Bad Wolf, Skynet maybe? Other than being known as one of the largest search engines in the world, it's also becoming its own hardware/digital media service.. which, if the advertising industry ever decided to cripple, Google would have another foot to stand on, albeit a rather small foot at the moment.

Throughout the many years that I have used Google products, I have never been burned by them in any shape, way or form. I just feel that their Picasa service puts its technology a little too near-and-dear to Google's search results, that's all. Looking at the bigger picture of things.. Picasa wasn't really built for personal image storage anyway (mainly social media), that's where Google Drive comes in.

bobafetthotmail said:

Hm, there are wireless neworked battery-powered HDDs that claim they "Stream to almost any device that has Wi–Fi connectivity and a web browser—including laptops, most smartphones and tablets".

I have looked at these before I decided upon CloudFTP, but these external HDDs have less-than-stellar reviews. They are not as flexible as FTP, and the provided mobile apps are rarely updated, if not already bugged to the core.

It's hard to ignore the convenience of FTP, even with the thumbnail drawback. If Android's highly acclaimed ES File Explorer app can view thumbnails on my 8GB smartphone.. I know Windows can do just the same, if not 50x better.