As I wrote, the application log indicated about 15 extensions initialized and the further messages were initialization complete and application ready. No errors/problems indicated at all. I was wondering about simply reinstalling and appreciated your mentioning that. All is well after a re-install.
In fact, better: Before, while FTP appeared to be available, clicking on it just kept returning me to the root of Drive C. So it must be one of those that never really initialized.
So the application log is incorrectly reporting initializations--at least after an update. (By the way, if it might matter, I am using the Windows compatibility view.)
Unrelated: I also discovered that desktop shortcuts to MC may not work as desired. Post-update, I kept altering my display but MC didn't seem to remember anything on exit. When I unintentionally started the program from the Win Start Menu (poof!), everything was as I had previously configured it. Lesson learned. It's not hugely important, but worth noting that a new shortcut may be in order after any changes.
Thanks for so many wonderful features, altho I will never use many. I've found it very difficult to adjust to MC but keep returning to try because of all the frustrations that Win File Explorer produces and you are very familiar with. For example, I don't know when you added highlighting all parent folders in the tree--in color, no less!--but I just about cried with joy when that showed up. That alone means I will not easily give up on MC again.
But BTW, could you not update this document once a year or so and make it easier to find:
http://multicommander.com/files/MultiCommander_Doc.pdf ?
If I'd found this a few years ago, I would have stuck with MC much more and told more of my friends about it.