This is one feature of Windows 7 Start menu that I haven't been able to replace in OS X ML. In Windows:
- Press Windows key
- Start typing, for example: H:\folder\phot
- Use arrow keys to highlight the "search-complete": H:\folder\photos
- Press Enter and voila, the folder is opened in Windows Explorer. Similarly for files.
I know that Alfred Powerpack can navigate by keyboard-only, but it is not as intuitive and fast (it doesn't have "search-complete", and it's cumbersome for mounted folders e.g. typing out \Volumes\H\folder\photos).