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You do not need a second file manager to open different windows on the same or different desktops. You must be missing one of the adjustment tools. I have pcmanfm launchers on taskbar, main menu and openbox menu. Single click on any of them brings a new window up on whatever desktop I'm in.

Yes. That is the normal position. The OP's install does not do that. I'm not too sure what your problem is but recommend that you start a new thread.

I have similar problems to OP. When I have folders on my (one, single, non-multiple) desktop, I double click a folder to open it. If I then double click another folder on the desktop it opens in a bloomin' tab. It is incredibly annoying to have to modify the source code to make pcmanfm default to the sane behaviour of opening two windows instead of two tabs every time the program is updated.

Does anyone at all actually like their file manager to open tabs by default? And if such people do exist, surely the option should exist to disable this ridiculous behaviour. Without hacking the source, that is...

Sorry if the ability to change this already exists and I missed it somehow.

I'm sorry. I cannot reproduce the reported problem. I am now using Lubuntu 12.04 which of course uses PCMan FM and I have found it behaves the same as it did in Lubuntu 11.10. You can open it on two separate desktops. You can open it twice on one desktop. Of course you can open multiple tabs on a single desktop but that is not in question. Is this a common problem and I am just lucky?

Let me restate my personal problem exactly (read carefully, now...)

Create two folders on the desktop, how about calling them "test1" and "test2"

Double click the first folder --> pcmanfm opens the folder

Double click the second folder --> pcmanfm opens the folder in a (insert swear words) tab.

I'd like it to open two pcmanfm windows when I do this. Not one window with two tabs.

I agree this is not quite the same as the OPs problem. It is similar though.

Quasiwango, your problem seems to be pretty much the same as mine when I began this thread. I never did solve it, and switched to Xubuntu. Seppalta, on the end of page one of this thread, describes a possible solution, but more information would seem to be needed.

I can imagine reasons some people might like the function of opening folders as tabs, but I agree, such unusual behavior should be easily customizable. This is one of the reasons I ended up switching away from Lubuntu -- it has also kept me away from Bodhi, which also uses pcmanfm.

seppalta wrote:http://lxlinux.com

Yes, this works. Think I'll stick with editing the source though. Only have to modify one line to make it open windows by default. Don't have to undergo therapy to make me remember to make launchers instead of folders on the desktop either.

sorry to revive an old post. It bugs me when people write "SOLVED", and there solution is to use another program. that doesn't help anyone.

for the real solution:
open a terminal, and type
in the documentation, you will see the option "-n, --new-win open directories in new window"

find out wherever your OS hides the file pcmanfm.desktop, and change the exec line at the bottom to use the -n option.
be sure to change any hotkeys you may have made.

Hi Ssgross, thanks for posting a real solution, and its also good to hear that there is one. Though I don't think this thread was ever marked as solved (I started it and I don't think I marked it that), I suppose it could be now...

Generally, only the original poster (OP) will close a thread and then only after he is satisfied that the solution(s) received genuinely solve the problem. If there are only work arounds offered, we like to leave the thread open for people like yourself who do apparently have the real answer and will post it, helping others who may have the same problem. Thank you.