Since we're name twins, I feel like I really have to try and answer this one.
It's not a perfect solution, but I'd suggest installing AutoHotKey and creating a shortcut key which toggles the navigation pane on and off. In Windows 8 This can be done with the keys Alt,V,N,Space
. In Win7 it should be very similar.
After installing AutoHotKey, you can create the following script
F12::
ID := WinExist("A")
WinGetClass,Class, ahk_id %ID%
WClasses := "CabinetWClass ExploreWClass"
IfInString, WClasses, %Class%
{
Send !vn{Space}
}
return
This maps F12 to toggle the Navigation Bar, only when in Explorer. In any other app F12 will continue to do whatever it does in that app.
If it turns out the shortcut keys in Win7 are different then it's easy enough to discover and change them. Just press Alt in explorer and see what comes up!
It's not a perfect solution of course. As you switch between windows you'll probably need to continually toggle it on and off, but it's a lot faster than running .bat files off the desktop.
Another alternative, as some mentioned, is using an alternative explorer. I couldn't work without xplorer2, I'd highly recommend it.
Sort of a hack, but I ended up using mklink to create Directory Junctions with the names I wanted, since they took away my beloved Favorites.
So, if I have a directory "c:\dir1", which I want to be named "Directory 1" in the Quick Access list, I would run:
mklink /J "c:\whatever\Directory 1" "c:\dir1"
Then you'll see "Directory 1" in "c:\whatever", which you can add to Quick Access, and it will be named "Directory 1".
Best Answer
To Hide Quick Access,
To Turn the Quick Access Feature Back On
This solution worked for me, and was found here at betanews.