These are my most favorite threads in any forum anywhere on the internets!
/t/column-to-display-the-number-of-pages-in-pdf-files/55872/10
/t/pdf-page-counts-appear-in-explorer-but-missing-from-dopus/52984/2
These are my most favorite people in the world!
@Leo
@Hardkorn
@errante
@dasota
@bssmith
@lxp
I had successfully written to ADS (Alternate Data Stream) with python and then in PowerShell I could use PS> Get-Content to successfully return it, but then lost soooo many hours trying to get evaluator and script columns to work with it. 
# Read the entire stream as a single string
$pages = Get-Content -Path "C:\path\to\your.pdf:Pages" -Raw
Write-Output "Page count: $pages"
I'm glad I returned to this forum to fully digest every character of every post about PDF page counts that I could find.
BTW, in a rush to just make PDF-XChange Editor Free work I was at first discouraged after installing it and then removing it from the initial Blocked state at Preferences / Miscellaneous / Shell Extensions / Blocked, that it didn't show me the pages I had hoped for. 
Lesson learned, slow down! I apparently allowed it and then just closed the window. Evidently you have to click 'Apply' after Allowing something that is blocked or it doesn't take.
I am THRILLED to announce that you fine folk have solved this for me. This even works when browsing PDF files on my NAS via it's hostname which is a Dropbox folder.
I'm going to make this page my browser's start page. 
THANK YOU ALL ! 