'PowerDesk': A Swiss army pocketknife utility program

'PowerDesk': A Swiss army pocketknife utility program

By Omar Harris

JAKARTA (JP): Have you ever wished that you could manage your
files and folders in your overstuffed hard drive more
efficiently? There are literally dozens of desktop enhancer
software around that can help you to do just that, namely
Dashboard 98, Norton Commander 4, Windows Commander 3.52,
WinCommander 5 and PowerDesk 98. But I found one of them,
PowerDesk 98 from Mijenix, especially handy for finishing daily
chores of file-keeping management.

Like Windows Explorer from Microsoft, PowerDesk is a Desktop
Enhancer. It has more than all the features of Windows Explorer.
In addition to the usual features of drag and drop between files,
it also has forward, backward and undo buttons. You are not only
able to undo any previous file operations but it will help you
navigate through the last accessed or opened folders.

PowerDesk's windows-style interface consists of folder lists
that can be expanded into branches of sub folders from a sub menu
and a file list on a separate window. With separate windows (up
to 4 different windows can be viewed at once) file operations are
a breeze. For example, suppose you just want to see the contents
of a compressed file such as ZIP file format from Nico Mak
Computing without actually uncompressing it. With PowerDesk your
ZIP file will be treated just like any other folder. In fact,
PowerDesk has its own Zip utility function so you don't have to
buy a separate file compression utility program. And better yet,
it is even fully-compatible with WinZip, the most popular file
compression utility program around.

In addition to the usual drop-down menus, PowerDesk also adds
a launchbar, toolbar and drivebar with icons on them for easier
file opening and operations. It even allows you to customize each
toolbar with your own favorite settings.

And if you want your files to be saved from unwanted prying
eyes there is even File Encryption and File Destroy features.
File Encryption will encrypt and decrypt your files with a
password key. It is very important to remember the password key
because it not only serves as a password but it also codes your
data. For file deletion, File Destroy will not just delete your
file but it will literally "destroy" your file beyond recovery.
So it is impossible to recover your files even if you use Norton
Unerase from Norton Utilities.

Another useful feature from PowerDesk is called Folder
Synchronizer. I find this feature very handy mainly because I
often use it to update my sound card and video display card
device driver files, which I downloaded from the Internet. With
it I can skip copying files with the same name and version to
save time. And it could even offer to copy or move newer files to
replace older ones with the same name and extensions to the
selected folder.

Even if you are an avid computer user who uses DriveSpace 3
from Microsoft Plus to compress your hard drive you won't be
disappointed with another feature from PowerDesk, because the
compressed hard drive will be shown on the drivebar as host drive
and compressed drive.

But PowerDesk 98 is not without its shortcomings. Unlike
Windows 98 Explorer, PowerDesk 98 doesn't have a separate
thumbnail display for graphic (BMP, JPEG, GIF) file. This feature
would be quite handy if you wanted to preview an image without
having to open a separate graphic editor software. You could,
however, install another popular, all-purpose file viewer
software, Quick View Plus, as an add-on for PowerDesk 98. But you
have to dig deeper inside your pocket just to have this
functionality.

Beside that, PowerDesk 98 generates a message "D is not
accessible. The device is not ready", whenever you eject your CD-
ROM, even though you are viewing files in drive C. This message
is quite annoying if you are not fast enough in inserting another
CD-ROM to replace the one you have already ejected.

Now, we come to the interesting part. At this point, you are
probably wondering to yourself: Should I buy this software?
Before you dash to the nearest software shop to buy PowerDesk 98,
you should consider the other desktop enhancer software mentioned
above. Some of them are very good and some are just plain nice to
have. If you have an Internet connection, you could download a
trial version from their respective http address and try them out
before you make a decision. But if you don't, ask some of your
friends who have already them installed in their PC. You may get
a variety of answers about each product's superiorities and
weaknesses.

Just remember though that each of them has different
interfaces, functionalities and styles. Choose one that best
suits you.