PowerDesk 4 Pro by Ontrack Data International Reviewed by Jerry Levine

If you are a serious computer user, Windows Explorer leaves much to be desired as a file manager. Microsoft, for some reason has never included a decent program for handling your files. This left an aftermarket for other companies to create other programs to fill the void. When I received a copy of PowerDesk 4 Pro, I had some doubts about its compatibility with Windows ME. I currently use a Dell 1 Ghz. Pentium 3 running Win ME. My existing "add on" file-managing program was not completely compatible. My fears were correct as soon as the PowerDesk installation started. A message popped up saying that it was not compatible with this version of Windows but their website had a fix which would make it OK.

I went to their website and found two free files to download. One file addressed the ME problem and the other was an update to increase the program's features. These fixes will only work with the paid version of the program. There is a free stripped down version available for people who want to try before they buy but it won't work with ME. I downloaded the two files, then installed the program and finally installed the upgrades. Everything turned out fine and I was ready to explore the features of PowerDesk 4 Pro.

PowerDesk 4 Pro is a very powerful program and is easy to use. Unlike Windows Explorer, you can use two windows simultaneously without opening up two versions of the program. You can "tile" the windows horizontally, vertically or cascade them. You can also open a viewing window so you can see the contents of many files without opening the program used to run them. PowerDesk 4 Pro probably has more "viewers" built into it than any other file-managing program. You automatically can see graphic formats, spreadsheets, word processing files and much more. It's amazing how many viewing formats that they have included.