alternatives to file manager (image manager?)

So lets face it. whoevers bright idea it was to merge the file/image manager with the listing page to list items was an idiot. it doesnt work and creates all kinds of problems. there seems to be no fix available. So i need an alternative. I need a way to load images and not have to use file/image manager at all. is there one that will for example let me load pictures straight from my computer. i.e i click the image or data tab on a new item listing. i click on browse and instead of file/image manager taking the top third of the screen and flat out not letting images stick it brings a seperate window that alows me to pick an inage from my c drive directly bypassing the file/image manager altogether. I need ideas people please. we have tried everything including scrapping the store and starting from scratch with a fresh copy but alas its a waste of time. the file/image manager is just plain broken.
thanks

not sure what you're looking for, but try here: http://www.opencart.com/index.php?route ... /extension

i dont see anything to help there. i need a way to work around having to use the built in file manager to load a picture to a product listing.