PowerDesk Pro 8 released

PowerDesk Pro 8 has been released !

http://www.avanquest.com/USA/software/powerdesk-pro-138876

http://www.powerdeskprofessional.com/

Now also Vista and Win 7 (32 and 64 bit) support.

Registered users 50 % discount (tells the email I got).

 

I used to be a fan of PowerDesk in the past, but is now a fan of Directory Opus.

The new features in PowerDesk 8 it not attractive enough for an upgrade.

http://www.powerdeskprofessional.com/Whats_New.aspx

What's more, after sales support from Avanquest is poor. If they released something like 8.05, you will have to pay for another copy if you want it. They won't provide updates free of charge.

 

Hi Chubb,

Thanks for your reply.

I was a fan too of PowerDesk. Actually, I am still, but maybe not of this new version 8. I tried it for only a very short while on my XP-home SP3. I was not happy that I saw no option in it to disable the new function "hard drive indexing", but maybe I didn't look good enough.... I don't want that feature. I saw also a new service called something like PDHookService.exe (I forgot to put the exact name on paper).
I tried it for a too short time due to circumstances. I have put back a backup-image (with PowerDesk 7, with which I'm happy) for now. Maybe I'll try it another time, maybe it is time to look for other utility.

 

I have used both PowerDesk and Directory Opus in the past but I have ended up with Q-dir. I'd like to try these software again sometime in the future.

 

Has any of you tried Total Commander?

 

PowerDesk 8 is not written in unicode and does not display non-English filenames correctly. This a major weakness.

 

PowerDesk Pro 8 BUGGY

I've used PowerDesk since forever and have been well pleased - until now.

Version 8 crashes ALL THE TIME. Especially when clicking on a zip archive.

I sent this problem to Avanquest Tech Support over a week ago, but no help yet.

 

Re: PowerDesk Pro 8 BUGGY

I am having the EXACT same issues. Does anyone know if there has been a "fix" or "patch" for this?

I've used PowerDesk for over a decade and this is the first version that has me thinking that I need to look elsewhere for a file manager.

 

Re: PowerDesk Pro 8 BUGGY

Avanquest has been a poor steward of several good products, so over time I've given up on SystemSuite and PowerDesk. I assumed the replacement for PowerDesk would be Directory Opus -- until I actually gave it a trial. It is something of a bloated pig, so I started trying various alternatives. In the end, I opted for an often overlooked program, dramatically simpler than the usual suspects: a43. It's a portable program you can easily try out without mucking up your machine. It has built-in zip/unrar that doesn't hijack file associations, and useful quicklaunch and folder shortcut features that are elegant in their simplicity. It has been pared down even more in recent versions, losing features like graphics preview and a hex editor, but it still serves our purposes well.

 

Re: PowerDesk Pro 8 BUGGY

I had the same problem. I tried online chat for technical support, with little expectation of a fix.

They told me under the 'view' menu in PowerDesk 8 to disable the 'show generic icons' selection. Lo and behold, no more crashes on zip files. I was impressed that they helped me fix the problem for now.

Mike

 

I changed from PowerDesk Pro to UltraExplorer
http://www.mustangpeak.net/ultraexplorer.html

Never had any regrets (except I should have done it earlier )

If you're missing the Dialog-helper: Direct Folders is a nice replacement:
http://www.codesector.com/directfolders.php

Saved the best for last: They're all free!!!!

 

The only advice I can give is "Forget Powerdesk Pro 8" it will take up more of your time than you can possibly imagine, and this poorly designed File-Manager will still fail to give anyone any satisfaction.

I have been at this PC game since DOS and the good ole days of Xtree/Gold which is basically what Powerdesk tries to emulate, but fails.

I will now try other brands

“Directory Opus,” ___ “Q-dir,”___”Total Commander,”___ “UltraExplorer,” ___ “Direct Folders,”
“Explorer Universal,” ___ “ J-Explorer” ___ “Universal Explorer,” ___ “Free-Commander,” ___ “Explorer-xp
and of course Powerdesk-6, not V7 as it was a little unstable, and Pro 8 simply does not work.

Please will members write to me at, arny@helios-electronics.com and let me know of any other File Manager
type software that is equel or even better than anything I have mentioned above

Best Regards

Tony

 

With regard to the comment above about a43, if you need a file viewer you may like to instal a separate viewer - I use Universal Viewer.