I use Win + R a lot on my own computers, so when a customer's machine comes in with a crippled explorer interface I get a little irked.

Thankfully, I discovered RunMimic to help me get around that annoying little issue. The 21k portable executable looks almost exactly like the regular Windows run box and it's just as functional.

All of the commands I normally need to issue worked without a hitch: services.msc, compmgmt.msc, control, appwiz.cpl, regedt32, cmd. RunMimic also had no problem getting Explorer to access my network file shares.

Since it's portable, this is a nice little app to keep on a flash drive in case of emergencies. RunMimic is not the kind of program I need often, but I tend to work by the old Boy Scout motto: "Be prepared."