by Joyce Kohl
August 14, 1998
Feature-rich and intuitive, PowerDesk Utilities 98 by Mijenix is the best, the greatest, the most superb enhancement utility for Windows 95, 98, and NT I've seen to date. With its incredible integrated programs, PowerDesk outperforms any other similar product; PowerDesk is spectacular; PowerDesk is perfect; PowerDesk is the epitome of Windows utilities; PowerDesk is peerless.
Instant Affection
It isn't often that I register software from
a trial use of only a few minutes, but PowerDesk was obviously the royalty of third-party
programs for Windows 98. I checked the modules, tried most of the features, created some
trial archives then decompressed them, viewed and renamed image files files, and generally
used PowerDesk to accomplish a typical set of my daily chores within Windows 98.
My excitement didn't stop there. When I placed my order from Mijenix's Website, there was a choice to download the registered version AND have a CD shipped. For a mere $6.00 more I opted for the CD. The next surprise was the delivery: It was the full shrink-wrapped package of PowerDesk 98 with a User's Guide of 118 pages included! Now let me take you through a pageantry of this spectacular program with actual views of all the main features.
PowerDesk
There's no need to describe the installation. It's great, too, and leads you through it
step-by-step for a perfect setup. I'll cut to the chase and get to the guts of PowerDesk
and begin with what I think of as the "command center" where everything is
accessible when needed. It's the perfect replacement for Explorer; it's what Explorer
should be and what every user of Windows 95 or 98 needs.
The first things I noticed about PowerDesk: Powerful tools; multiple display panes; support of many compression formats; file viewer; ability to print files and trees; the similarity of ExplorerPlus to Explorer; the features available in each of the menu categories allowing me to select the type of file management and navigational techniques I prefer.
Clicking on the shortcut installed on my
desktop launched the default PowerDesk. I then set the preference for using PowerDesk to
open My Computer and folders. The PowerDesk main screen shows all the toolbars, the
command line below the toolbars, and the viewing pane below the split-screen views at the
bottom. Putting my cursor on a graphic automatically launches it in the viewing pane. If
the graphic is one which is animated, the view will show the animation.
Default PowerDesk User Interface With Graphic Selected
and Preferences set:
If you select a MIDI or WAVE file, a music control panel replaces the viewing pane. Any file not viewable can be dumped as HEX or text into the viewing pane through setting your preferences.
PowerDesk User Interface With MIDI Selected
You aren't limited with just one PowerDesk! You can open multiple instances either manually or from the Window on the Menu bar. Then easily manage open windows by cascading them or tiling them horizontally or vertically. You can close all the windows at once or close all the windows except the active one. And, of course, you can refresh the contents of a PowerDesk window.
Clearing The Desktop
I systematically cleared my desktop by adding all my most-used programs to the Launchbar.
If I didn't know where the program was located for sure, I right-clicked on the shortcut,
made a note of the location and the name of the executable file. Customize the Launchbar
by opening Options/Launchbar, then click on edit or add. I edited the default NotePad icon
to open TextPad, then added all the programs I like to have handy. Remember to save
settings before exiting PowerDesk! I was thrilled to discover none of my Launchbar
settings are saved unless or until I choose to save them. They will show up on the
Launchbar, but exiting PowerDesk will not keep them unless you select Options/Save
Settings Now. The Options/Save Settings on Exit is for saving the pane settings.
The editing dialog box also allows you to type in a label so when you hover your cursor over an icon, the label will pop up telling you what that particular icon launches.
Once I had all my shortcuts added to the Launchbar, I put them all into the Recycling Bin, set my preferences in my PowerDesk to View the panes as Large Icons, which resemble shortcuts, tested each of them, and then emptied the Recycle Bin. Result: Clean Desktop. Except, of course, for a couple of icons which I cannot delete or move (My Computer, Network Neighborhood, and Internet Explorer). There's a trick for to keep those hidden, too. Move them all to the center, and cover them with either PowerDesk or Toolbar.
TIP: You don't HAVE to use the Launchbar menu to add new programs to Launchbar. A simple, normal Windows operation of dragging and dropping works, too! Then use the Options/Launchbar dialog box to edit the label or select a different icon.
If you don't like the default organization of the icons, select Options/Launchbar and then highlight a program's icon, click and hold the left mouse button. Hold the button down, and drag the program to where you want it to be, then release the button.
Here's a screenshot of my first fully customized PowerDesk. Note the Launchbar with the label for Netscape Communicator generated by moving my cursor over the icon:
My Customized PowerDesk
The panes can also be changed - narrow or widen them and if you prefer, the viewing pane can be on the side like this screenshot:
Customized PowerDesk with Viewing Pane on Right Side
The Menu Bar
File and Edit Pulldowns
Besides including all the normal activities of Windows, you can send a file with your email client, convert picture files from one format to another, encrypt and decrypt files, and even completely remove files. The "Destroy" option will totally erase and file and make it impossible for anyone to restore it or recover it. The Destroy command is very different from moving files to the recycle bin or erasing them. Normally erased files CAN be recovered by almost any advanced computer user. If you have sensitive files you want erased, use the Destroy command to eradicate them permanently from your system.
My preference settings for keyboard commands were configured to mimic XTreeGold, the DOS program I've used from "day one." I no longer feel I have to work from a DOS window to launch my old DOS program in order to have a file management system with which familiarity allows me to work by a long-time rote method. PowerDesk is TERRIFIC!
The edit menu contains the usual options to copy, paste, select, tag and untag. Again, my rote method of tagging all files has been a keyboard Control+T. Maybe I should mention my keyboard has an extra set of F-Keys on the left which enables me to use my touch-typing skills without looking at the keyboard or taking my hands from the home keys to manipulate the mouse. There are two other preference settings for keyboard emulations you may like better. Here's the screenshot for selecting one of the three emulations:
Archive and View
Just look at all the View options! Mijenix doesn't expect you to work they think you should; they have given us the option to work the way WE want to work, and with unlimited choices.
The Archive abilities are all built-in. You don't need to register a ZIP program . . . or any other archive program. You can make, view, extract, and add to Zip archives. PowerDesk also displays and extracts files from these other archive types: Z, GZ, TAR, TAZ, LZH/LHA, ARJ, ZOO, CAB, ARC, ARK, PAK, DWC, and RAR. And if you want to backup to diskettes, and the Zip would need to occupy more than 1.4 MB diskette, you have the option of telling PowerDesk to span over multiple diskettes. You can also span diskettes in other larger capacity drives such as an Iomega ZIP drive which uses 100 MB storage diskettes. This is what I use.
TIP: To display the contents of an archive: If the archive is in the tree list, click it. If the archive is in the file list, double-click it. Now you can add files to it or extract files from it. You cannot add files to any other archive types, but you can extract them.
One of the most important features is being able to compress/archive files
using the world's standard method, ZIP. You don't need to buy any third-party
zipping/archiving program.
PowerDesk Utilities 98 has all you'll ever need. They've made it easy, and they've included enough options for the most advanced user.
If you want advanced options, press the Options tab. Maybe you want to require the user of your zipped file to use a password to decompress it or maybe you want to or need to zip several directories into one file. You can do it all, and more. Here's the same dialog box showing the options available:
Archiving Files With Options Selected
You can add, view, or edit comments in Zip
files. Each Zip archive can have a comment. Comments are plain text messages and can
contain anything you wish such as a message to the recipient(s) of an archive, a catalog
of the files which should be included in the archive, a message about the contents, a name
and address of the creator, or whatever may be needed or wanted.
You do not have to add comments. However, adding a comment to your archives can help you identify the archive later. If you're sending the file to someone, it's nice to have a full description of the contents available for them. Most shareware authors include comments in all their archives as a "signature" or even a reminder to register. The uses for the addition of comments is limitless. Comments add to the size of the archive, too.
PowerDesk can also test a Zip file's integrity, add a password which would be required for decompressing a file, and even remove a file from an archive without needing to decompress the file. Being able to view the contents of one of your Zip files is a big plus! Many times I've included some temporary file unintentionally and had to delete the entire Zip file and start over. PowerDesk allows me to check the files in my Zips for correct case, correct number of files, and even view any image files I've included.
TIP: When backing up files using Zip, turn off the archive flag when you're finished. Then the next time you wish to back up anything, you only need to back up any new files indicated by the archive flag.
A simplistic explanation for the archive flag: When you see an "a" think of it as an indication the file is new or hasn't been backed up. Once you have compressed files for backup, the archive flag should be turned off.
The "a" (archive/attribute) flag is to the right of each file under "Attr?"
In this screenshot, the archive (attribute) flag has been turned off:
Here's the status bar showing the progress of archiving/Zipping a directory:
And, of course, PowerDesk has UUEncoding or UUDecoding which is a method of converting or coding data other than text to a text equivalent for sending through email. Step-by-step instructions are in the User's Guide and from Help.
Go and Favorites
From the Go menu, change levels, drives, or quickly return to the most recent locations you've been to previously.
Favorites can be customized by adding folders, files or programs. Since my favorite programs were added to the Launchbar, I found this menu option to be an ideal place to add my seldom-used programs. I had a folder on my desktop containing most of my programs and sub-categorized into other folders. When I moved all my shortcuts to the recycle bin when customizing PowerDesk, I purposely did not empty it. At this point, I restored my work folder from the recycle bin back to my desktop. Then I opened it and began adding all the programs which I had not added to Launchbar into Favorites.
To assure I had them all, I also added my work folder to Favorites by first highlighting the folder (Windows\Desktop directory), the selecting Favorites/Add/Current Folder. When I have time, I'll gather up other little-used-but-keep programs and add those, too.
TIP: If you make an error, or would like to delete one of the newly added favorites, or change the label name, go to PowerDesk's directory, find the folder or program link, and change it.
Options and Tools:
Did you ever see so many options? Perform actions on diskettes or your hard drive, create a bootable diskette (if you don't have one of these, create one NOW with whatever operating system you use); format a diskette; and if you have a network, there's options for it as well.
Almost all of the options in the Tools category has already been discussed. As the name implies, it's a set of tools for customizing PowerDesk and selecting global preferences. Screenshots of some of these:
Setting Preferences Screen
Select Your Choice of Fonts and Sizes
Customizing The Toolbar
Submenu for File Manipulations
Like everything else in this powerhouse package of utilities, even a simple
thing like copying a diskette has special boxes allowing even the most basic of new users
to be visually aware of what's taking place.
The information on the screen changes according to whichever process is taking place. This is SO much better than staring blankly at the A-Drive to be sure it's working, or watching the generic instructions from the DOS window when copying diskettes by typing the command at the DOS prompt. Besides, not many of today's users of Windows are familiar with the DOS prompt command line.
Mijenix has incorporated even the smallest of features into PowerDesk Utilities 98. Too many of the other utilities for Windows overlook the basics in favor of bells and whistles which soon become annoying and useless fluff.
Window and Help
Control old or new windows from the Windows menu. At the same time you're creating a window, you can decide to have it cascade, horizontal, or vertical.
Change your old windows, too. Refresh windows any time with the Refresh option.
Help is, to repeat a cliché, just a "click away." Like Windows, PowerDesk contains a plethora of help. Another unique feature seen in only a few programs is the ability to click on an option to be taken directly to the author's or manufacturer's Website.
Yet another is an option to go online and automatically let PowerDesk check for updates. PowerDesk includes both of them in two locations: Under the Help menu, and again on the About screen. The About screen has the URL on a clickable tab to the Mijenix Website:
PowerDesk About Screenshot
The Awesome PowerDesk Toolbar
Organized
into tools, tool groups, toolbars and configurations, an "all-in-one" command
toolbar is a familiar sight to anyone who remembers the once popular Dashboard. PowerDesk
has a Toolbar Wizard which is run automatically if Toolbar has not been used yet, or can
be run whenever you want changes made. If there's more than one person using a computer,
each person can have a personalized Toolbar. Or perhaps you have various ways to work and
would like a specific Toolbar. Easy! Design a new one any time you wish.
Select from three basic styles of Toolbars
Selectable Tools for Your Toolbar
Small Toolbar
Taskbar Toolbar
Floating Toolbar
My Customized Floating Toolbar
Folder Synchronizer
You can copy or move one or more files between two entirely different folders. One of the
best uses for this utility is working on files between a laptop computer and a desktop
computer, and updating files on either of them. Another use is between local and network
files.
Backing up files to floppy disks is much easier, too. I was able to back up this review to my ZIP drive by first comparing files, and then tagging only the files which needed to be backed up. Actually, what I did was simply add the new files (with the archive attribute set) to my previously created Zip file.
You can also compare folders to find those illusive duplicate files. I keep a huge supply of images on my system, and sometimes several directories will have the identical image file. Using the Folder Synchronizer (after first creating a special directory), I deleted all but one copy of each image, and moved the one remaining into a new directory. Wow! I wonder if Mijenix will soon add a way for the program to bake a nice dessert for dinner? Of course not - but darned if this program doesn't do almost anything else.
Size Manager
What in the heck is this? Well, how often have you wanted to install a new application on
another partition but you had no idea if there was enough space? I recently installed an
update for my Cable Modem access requiring 100 Megabytes for the installation alone and
around 80 Megabytes for permanent storage. I knew I had plenty of space, so this wasn't a
concern - THIS TIME.
Many times I've wanted to install a program but had to check remaining space on two or more drives. Size Manager let's me see all drives at once and exactly where disk space is being used. The status bar shows me the total size of a drive plus the remaining space.
If you're networking, Size Manager can handle cluster sizes, too, through specifically setting them. Here's a cut-away view of Size Manager - note the resemblance to Explorer:
Screenshot of Size Manager
Preference Settings for Size Manager
Preference Settings Find in Size Manager, Advanced Options
File Finder
Note the tabs on the screenshot for setting search criteria within four categories,
General, Attributes, Details and Contents.
Finding files we've "lost" on today's huge multi-gigabyte hard drives isn't an easy task, and most of the time I find myself downloading a file again rather than look for a file that got downloaded into a directory other than my regular download directory. This happens when I've downloaded images, or other files I've categorized into new folders, and then forget about it when I start a new download. The new file ends up in the last directory in which I was sending files. Of course, I can't remember which one.
File Finder finds any file based on any combination of path, attribute, date creation, modification date, access date, on size and on contents. The minute I saw what this superior utility could do, I immediately tried copying files of a particular date to a new directory for archiving and then backing up to a removable media. Fabulous!
I also "discovered" I could print a list of any set of files I wanted either to the printer or to disk or to both.
Dialog Helper
The smallest and the simplest of all the utilities lets you change and enhance
most of the standard open and save dialog boxes for most of your applications. Dialog
helper does this by adding histories of previously accessed folders and documents and adds
the ability to resize the dialog box as well as clearing and closing dialog boxes.
Load Dialog Helper by Start/Programs/PowerDesk Utilities 98/Dialog Helper. You won't see anything pop up on your screen, but it's there in the background and most applications will make use of it. To see the Document History or Folder History in an application, select the Open or Save dialog in that application, then click on the Document History icon or on the Folder History icon. A list of files or folders you have accessed previously will appear. You can then click a document in the document list to immediately save to or load or click a folder in the list to make it the current folder in the dialog box.
For folders or lists that no longer exist, you can select the option to remove them from the Folder History menu or from the Document History menu.
Unload Dialog Helper by Start/Programs/PowerDesk Utilities 98/Dialog Helper, then click on the Unload.
The Document Icon and the Folder Icon generated by loading Dialog Helper can be seen in the screenshot in the upper right corner and left of the context sensitive question mark icon. This example was captured from my word processor, Microsoft Word.
Recap of Unique Features
Among the many selectable functions from the Menu which I found to be, if not unique,
certainly better than any of PowerDesk's competitors:
• XTreeGold Keyboard Commands (Optional)
• Print any file (must have an associated program) from the file pane
• Print the contents of a tree
• Email a file
• Destroy a file - making it impossible to recover
• Erase a diskette
• PKZIP file compression and decompression
• Command line in the PowerDesk Window
• Unlimited ways to customize
• Keyboard Emulations
• Customizable Toolbar and Launchbar
• File Synchronization
• Size Managing
• File Finder
• Dialog Helper
• Online Program Update
Your personal opinion of what is unique will vary from mine. And THAT is the beauty of PowerDesk Utilities 98! Personalized, incredibly easy utilities for each of us.
On a scale of one to ten, these two are my top two "tens:"
1. The ability to be able to print a tree list is invaluable for having a hard copy list of what programs are installed on each of my hard drive partitions. The same can be said for a listing of the files in a specific directory. PowerDesk is the ONLY utility I've found since I first installed Windows 95 that will do all of this for me. I used to be able to print a listing from DOS or from my favorite DOS utility, XTreeGold. Neither of those methods works now. Or if it does, I haven't found the way. Perhaps you do? If so, please speak up and I'll include the instructions in my next Windows 98 Tips article.
2. Being able to set my keyboard command preferences to clone those of XTreeGold (DOS version) which is as important to me as breathing when it comes to navigating around any computer. Now that XTreeGold is no longer for sale (hasn't been for a number of years) even through Symantec who purchased it from XTree, my copy of it is literally worth its weight in gold (pun intended). Not long ago I saw a plea posted on the Internet requesting a copy of DOS XTreeGold and begging anyone who had a copy the bargaining price to acquire it would be worthwhile. Mine isn't for sale at any price.
On a scale of one to ten, PowerDesk Utilities 98 is easily a twenty!
Conclusion
There are many programs claiming to the best set of tools for Windows or the best
extension to Windows or the best replacement for Explorer. The only program I've found so
far which IS the best tool for Windows, IS the best extension to Windows, IS the best
replacement for Explorer, is PowerDesk Utilities 98 by Mijenix
and if you aren't using it, maybe you haven't heard of it yet. Mijenix will let you
download a trial copy. Get it quickly and see for yourself why I sincerely believe
PowerDesk Utilities 98 is a "must-have" for easy and productive use of of
Windows 95 or Windows 98 or Windows NT.
Never before have I bothered to keep such things as themes or wallpaper on my desktop, nor have I ever kept a third-party "take-over-my-system" utility or menu installed on my system because they always operate as the programmer wants them to, and not the way I want them to act or appear. I have learned through trial and error to keep my system as a plain "vanilla" layout. Why? Too many pieces of this and that (or chocolate sauce and nuts) are the culprits of many crashes and incompatibilities with an operating system. PowerDesk changed everything! I no longer need shortcuts or folders cluttering up my desktop. PowerDesk is all I need, and together with my Go Inside toolbar, my desktop is clean, functional, and I seldom bother with the Windows Program menu except for seldom used programs. PowerDesk will not take over your system.
My latest PowerDesk, customized and tweaked, is my command center; my menu; the place from where I now accomplish almost all my computer activities. It has never before been easier to prepare an article for Go Inside. I endorse PowerDesk Utilities 98 with enthusiasm.
My "Final" PowerDesk
Is anything ever final when there's so many features and options to customize?
PowerDesk Utilities is truly an earth-shaking program of integrated components which has increased my productivity and has enhanced my system in the most remarkable ways. PowerDesk Utilities 98 is so feature-rich that even this long review cannot begin to include examples of all the multitude of management activities which can be done in my Windows 98 operating system without writing a manual or complete tutorial.
You can purchase PowerDesk Utilities 98 for only $39.95 USA. For another $6.00, Mijenix will send you the shrink-wrapped package AND permit you to download your registered file from their Website. My total cost was $45.95. I've never spent my dollars more wisely.
This is a spectacular, peerless program and I give PowerDesk Utilities 98 five out of five Go Inside Review Lights!
Copyright © 1998 by Joyce Kohl
"Go Inside" is a David Boles Trademark