Software Review of:
PowerDesk
4 Pro 

PowerDesk is a file management utility, similar to Windows Explorer, but with many significant improvements. Like Windows Explorer, PowerDesk allows you to view your desktop, drives, folders, and files using a tree view and a file list. If you are using the Windows 95, 98 or NT 4.0 Explorer, you will find that the powerful file manager in PowerDesk gives you greater control over your files and drives and makes file management and navigation easier and more intuitive. PowerDesk provides the following key features: Optional dual panes to let you work in two folders at once; Zip/Unzip compression and decompression; An integrated file viewer (enhanced from earlier versions and now recognizes over 200 formats); A customizable toolbar of file commands; A drivebar that provides quick and easy access to all system drives; A customizable applications launchbar from which you can launch applications; Archive support in the following formats: ZIP, Z, GZ, TAR, TAZ, LZHILHA, ARJ, ZOO, CAB, ARC, ARK, PAK, DWC, RAR; A command line in the PowerDesk window.

PowerDesk 4 Pro is touted as the ultimate desktop enhancement utility for Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000, and NT 4.0, providing the power and features you need to get more work done in less time. PowerDesk 4 Pro comprises a group of utilities that is reported to immediately increase your productivity in Windows. PowerDesk features include the following:

• The PowerDesk file manager is a Windows Explorer type file   management and navigation utility. It includes many powerful tools such as a toolbar, drivebar, launchbar, and compression support for many formats. The file manager features multiple display panes that you an use to work between folders, and it also features a file viewer that can display and print the contents of dozens of types of files. The interface, buttons and commands are similar to Windows Explorer, so you do not have to learn a totally new interface.
• FTP (File Transfer Protocol) is available in an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface that lets you view FTP sites as though they were ordinary folders. Once you have set up your favorite FTP sites, connecting with them is one click away.
• File Finder is similar to the file finder utility in Windows but it provides extra functionality. File Finder features a customizable toolbar of file operations, a viewer pane to see the contents of most files, and superior search capabilities.
• Dialog Helper enhances Open dialog boxes and Save dialog boxes by adding separate menus of previously opened files and folders.
• The Coolbar is a powerful utility that places one or more floating, customizable toolbars, each containing one or more tools, on your desktop. Different tools give you access to your applications, files and folders, various kinds of system information, printer control, the command line, start menus, and much more. You can create any number of Coolbars and display them independently of each other, if that is your desire.
• Folder Synchronizer can be used to compare and synchronize the contents of two folders. This is especially useful for those who work on files that are shared between two computers, but it is also useful for backing up files, and many other uses.
• Size Manager is a powerful utility designed to show you where and how the space on each of your drives is being used. Using Size Manager makes it easy to efficiently manage storage space on your disk.

When I ran the program through it paces. Although it is Windows-based, it had some familiarity to it in a number of places. The familiarity seemed to be with an old program (XTree Gold, copyright '89-'90, version 2) which I launch almost every day, from a desktop icon, to help me manage my files and their locations. It can't provide "bytes" information (total bytes used, free, etc.) above 1 GB, but in 1991, a big drive was about 40-60MB. That is okay, because it does everything else I want it to do. PowerDesk has a few additional features, so I will probably "upgrade" since the program was Free and I can configure my keyboard.

If you need to manage files daily (or often), I believe you will like the capabilities of PowerDesk 4 Pro. It may turn out to be the "best utility you have ever experienced." You may still be using it 10 years from now. (It could happen!)

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