HOWTO: Replace Nautilus with PCMan (4 Steps, No Fuss).

[SilverWave]

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PCMan works great as a drop in replacement for Nautilus.

PCMan works well with GNOME and has options to "Open Current Folder as root" and also "Open Terminal" .
Its fast, uncluttered and has tabs!

http://pcmanfm.sourceforge.net/
Features:

* Extremly fast and lightweight
* Can be started in one second on normal machine
* Tabbed browsing (Similiar to Firefox)

Original idea from: http://lifehacker.com/software/linux...ger-288616.php

OS: Ubuntu 7.10
Architecture: 64bit.
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1.
Install pcmanfm from the package manager.

Applications > System Tools > PCMan File Manager

2.
If you find that you like PCMan and want to have "Places" use it instead of nautilus do the following:
Start the PCMan File Manager and go to:

/usr/share/applications

In PCMan "Open Current Folder as root"

Tools > Open Current Folder as root.

3.
Make a backup copy of the files below (copy and paste and add "_bak" on the end of the file name.

/usr/share/applications/nautilus-computer.desktop
/usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop

4.
Change the line in each with starts with Exec=
e.g

For nautilus-computer.desktop: Exec=pcmanfm /
For nautilus-folder-handler.desktop: Exec=pcmanfm %U

Done

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Note: You can go quite a bit further in replacing nautilus if you wish (see gsiliceo's post below) but the steps I have detailed above give the most change for the least effort.
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[UPDATE]
Old tip - See this post for latest NEWS

[gsiliceo]

To completly replace nautilus follow this steps, they all are reversable and not harmful at all, as long as you make the backups.

First we need to backup some files

sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop.backup
sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop.backup

Then open these files

sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop
sudo gedit /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop

and replace every nautilus word with pcmanfm (delete the arguments after the word pcmanfm since some are not supported)
And save

And these changes are for gnome session manager(so ubuntu stops trying to load nautilus)
Backup this file

sudo cp /usr/share/gnome/default.session /usr/share/gnome/default.session.backup

Then we need to delete a few lines an change some numbers

sudo gedit /usr/share/gnome/default.session

Then open it and delete the lines that have at the beggining the same number as the nautilus line
something like this:

2,id=default2
2,Priority=40
2,RestartCommand=nautilus --no-default-window --sm-client-id default2

Then rename the other lines so the numbers dont jump from 1 to 3.
And from the line

num_clients=X

Change the number to the new number of process you just changed.
And save

If you don't understand i added my file to this post as an attachment so you can compare.

And the most important step to kill nautilis you need to do this :

sudo cp /usr/bin/nautilus /usr/bin/nautilus.backup
sudo rm /usr/bin/nautilus
sudo ln -s /usr/bin/pcmanfm /usr/bin/nautilus

Finally, you need to open a PCMan window and go to edit, preferences, desktop, to configure the desktop.
And dont forget to restart the session doing ctrl+alt+backspace

Doing this ubuntu wont ever load nautilus, saving the precious ram and reducing boot time.
I wish you could just uninstall it, but the package is tied to many other important packages.

[SilverWave]

Your forgot a few files that you ...

I was about to make a how to my self, but i don't like duplicate posts, so i hope you can update yours =D

Updated the howto pointing to your post for the advanced stuff

If you get a chance add in a couple of screen shots to your original post.

[quina]

gsiliceo you make a small mistake:

sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop.backup
sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop

should be:

sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop.backup
sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop.backup

Luckily, I've made backups using commands from SilverWave's post, so have no problems, when returning to nautlius.
A few things, which annoing me most, are:
-no posibility to arrange icons(they are organised automaticaly, from left to right, top to bottom etc)
-problems with HAL(?!)(my phone card was mounted as read only:/)
-doesn't support drag&drop(beetwen aplications, eg. Totem)
-can't using RBM(right mouse button, is this correct form?), elsewhere than on icons...
But, i've been realy suprised how fast is PCManFM!!!
If someone would like to return to nautilus from PCManFM, should do(in terminal of course:

sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop.backup /usr/share/applications/nautilus.desktop
sudo cp /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop.backup /usr/share/applications/nautilus-folder-handler.desktop
sudo cp /usr/share/gnome/default.session.backup /usr/share/gnome/default.session
sudo cp /usr/bin/nautilus.backup /usr/bin/nautilus

Then alt+ctrl+backspace
Hope, it will be helpful for some newbie

[yosemite610]

Am really loving the increase in speed, but when I use the 'Places' menu, pcmanfm can't open files (dbl-click on a text file and it doesn't open in Text Editor).

However, if I start pcmanfm from the command line, it seems to open files ok.

[noahTHEpurdy]

Hey all.

I'm looking to replace nautilus completely with pcmanfm on 8.10. This is on a netbook, so I want the lightest of light, and I want to rid myself of the bloat.

My end goal is the complete removal of nautilus, however the process seems a bit different on Ibex.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Bruce M.]

Hey all.

I'm looking to replace nautilus completely with pcmanfm on 8.10. This is on a netbook, so I want the lightest of light, and I want to rid myself of the bloat.

My end goal is the complete removal of nautilus, however the process seems a bit different on Ibex.

Anyone have any ideas?

{shhhhhhhh don't tell anyone I said this...}
Try Xubuntu.

[Izek]

I find it annoying that I can't make launchers in PCMan.

Dragging a folder to the desktop copies/moves it. I want to create shortcuts.

Why do I want to create a shortcut? Because when I insert a CDRom, it doesn't show on the desktop!

Also created a new bug: Click Here

[tad1073]

I followed the steps in the first post but nautilus is still opening computer and home from the desktop icons

[gsiliceo]

you have to follow the second post instructions to get rid of nautilus.