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Software Description
The following is a description of PowerDesk 8 Professional as per the developer:
6 Powerful File Utilities for the price you’d normally pay for 1!
The winner of numerous awards and sparkling reviews from PC Magazine, Windows Magazine, and PC World, to name a few, PowerDesk® 8 Professional completely replaces Windows® Explorer with a wide array of File and File Management tools that let you organise, search, edit, delete, move, sort, view and copy files, including those found on digital cameras or MP3 players.
- FTP – Access PowerDesk FTP in an easy-to-use, drag-and-drop interface and view FTP sites as though they were ordinary folders! Once you’ve set up your favorite FTP sites, connecting with them is just 1-Click away. PowerDesk now supports Secure FTP!
- Sync Manager – Compare and synchronise the contents of two folders. Especially useful for work on files that are shared between two computers, it’s also useful for backing up files and much more!
- Size Manager™ – A powerful utility that shows you where and how the space on each of your drives is being used. Using Size Manager makes it easy to efficiently manage drive storage space.
- Dialog Helper – Enhances Open dialog boxes and Save dialog boxes by adding a selection list for previously opened files and folders. It also provides a file viewer pane that supports over 150 file formats. Dialog helper also allows fixed dialogs to be easily resized.
- Archive Manager – Easily compress and expand files from over 30 popular compression formats. See within archives to view entire file lists, selectively view the contents or extract selected files with a simple drag and drop operation.
- File Finder – Quickly locate forgotten files with a powerful “search engine” type tool. Search by keyword, file type, size, or date range and see the “hits” displayed in a single-line reference. Search inside Zip files, archives, emails and attachments too!
Great File Management you won’t want to live without!
- Dual pane operation – Easily drag and drop files between folders and drives.
- Layout Manager – Single click icons save complete layouts or add layout icons to your desktop, so PowerDesk starts up exactly where you want it to!
- Add File Notes – With a right-click of the mouse, add notes to help organise your files – displayed in a mouse-over window or details view, easily be reminded what’s in a file without having to open it!
- Colour Customise Your File Folders – Easily customise and prioritise your file folders with eight distinct colours.
- File Info Column – Display specific details about each file in the file pane viewer. MP3 files will show a song title and run time. Images will show the size and resolution. Word documents show document title and more.
- MP3 Collection Management – Create and control portable MP3 playlist files as well as multimedia applications. Randomise feature ensures a complete random play order. Plus, cool tools to preview MP3 files, search for files, as well as rename and edit files groups in a single action.
- File Viewer – Open the right file the first time! Improved file preview options allow users to view the contents of a file in a preview pane or as a thumbnail image. Browse files from digital cameras, whole directories of images, or MP3 players – where you can even view by artist name, album title, or your own personal notations!
Energise Your Desktop!
- View file formats and convert images without the original software
- Secure encryption to keep your documents safe from prying eyes
- Folder synchroniser for easy sharing with other PCs, with your laptop, or for backups
- Playlist Editor to play/manage your audio files
- Plus- customisable toolbar, super search engine, zip compression, file annotation, mouse-over file summaries and lots more!
Privacy Protection
- Encrypt files using PowerDesk encryption or DES encryption
- File Shredder completely removes all traces of a file
- Password protect your zip files
dotTech Quick Glance
PowerDesk 8 is a program that aims to be your go-to program for all your file management needs; it is a 137 MB bahamut that has many, many features ranging from FTP manager, archive manager, file finder and everything in between. In regards to functionality, PowerDesk 8 doesn’t provide anything groundbreakingly unique; there are many other programs – often freeware – that provide the functionality of individual components of PowerDesk 8. For example, 7-zip is an excellent archive manager; FileZilla is an excellent FTP client; there are many viable Windows Explorer replacements out there, such as QDir; Heidi’s Eraser or East-Tec Eraser 2009 delete secure files well; AxCrypt and TrueCrypt are go-to programs for encryption; GFI Backup has a sync component to it; Disk Space Fan is a “Size Manager” alternative; IrfanView is an excellent file viewer; FormatFactory can convert images; for desktop search, the built-in Windows Search is actually an excellent tool, and there is Everything for people that desire more; etc. The main attraction of PowerDesk 8 is not unique or special features but rather the fact that it provides multiple features in one package; an all-in-one, if you want to call it that.
That said, PowerDesk 8 will be attractive to people that like all-in-one programs; everyone else can save yourselves the headache of downloading a 137 MB program. (On a personal level, I prefer specialized software over all-in-one utilities.)
Freebie Details
To get PowerDesk 8 Professional for free, follow these simple directions:
Version being given out for free: v8.2.0.18 “Professional”
Free updates: Unknown
Supported OS: Windows XP/Vista/Win7
Download size: 137 MB
Note: Unless specifically stated otherwise, dotTech has not conducted a full, comprehensive review of PowerDesk 8 Professional. The content under “dotTech Quick Glance” is some quick, to-the-point advice to help advise dotTechies on PowerDesk 8 Professional. Please don’t take the “dotTech Quick Glance” as a know-all, be-all regarding PowerDesk 8 Professional – it is only quick advice gained by giving PowerDesk 8 Professional a quick look.
- Visit the Avanquest promotion page and register:
If you don’t understand German, here is a rough translation of the registration page:
If you do it properly, you should get a confirmation message similar to the following:
- Check the inbox of the e-mail address you registered with. Look for an e-mail from kontakt@avanquest.de with the subject of Ihr PowerDesk 8 Pro seriennummer: E-Mail-Bestätigung?. In the e-mail there will be a link you must follow to confirm you registration and get your serial key:
Once you follow the link, the webpage that opens displays your registration code to you:
- Download and install PowerDesk 8 Professional. (The program is in English.) During installation you will be asked to register the program. Enter the serial number you received:
- Enjoy!
If you have any trouble getting PowerDesk 8 Professional for free, post below and other dotTechies or I will try to help.
Thanks krumpelt!
Just today, after working for since I installed it on 12/15 is has done the same, opened up, a few seconds later I get the German Dialog box about a serial number and all I can do is close that box…
What goes?
Even if I had a different serial number I can’t enter it?
Irv S.
I also had the problem of the program not starting, and instead a German message coming up. I translated it in Google and is basically says, “This serial number is not allowed because it was already used.”
That’s weird, since it was Avanquest who gave us the serial number. So I went to their tech support site and asked for a new serial number. After a bit of email conversation (very polite, and never trying to weasel their way out), I got this reply:
=============
Hello,
Thank you for contacting Avanquest Technical Support.
Here is a new serial number for the software: [I won't put it here. - Bruce]
=============
You can try it too. There is no need to be rude or insulting in your message. Just describe what happened, and ask for a replacement serial number.
Here is what they need [taken from an email from Ivy at their customer service]. This is the email address: Support1@AvanquestUSA.com.
===================
In order to provide you with a serial number and download link to install the software, we will need the following information sent to us.
Complete First and Last Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
Email Address:
Software Title:
Version:
Purchase Date:
Store Where Product Was Purchased:
SKU No:
(The product SKU number is found printed in the center of the CD and is 4 digits long.)
Once we receive this information we will reply to this email with a new serial number for you.
Thank you,
===================
Obviously, I had not purchased the software nor did I have a physical disk, but obtained it for free directly from Avanquest as a download. I explained that as follows:
===================
Following the instructions at the Avanquest website (see next paragraph), I asked for and received a legal serial number for PowerDesk Pro 8. This was not a pirate site or some other scam; it was a legitmate Avanquest promotion. Filling in the form on this site led me to another official Avanquest page which gave me my serial number. I DO have a copy of that webpage, but don’t see any way to include attachments with this message. That was on December 10, 2010, well within the 90 day limit.
Website: http://register.avanquest.com/ABSOFT/produits/Promotion/enregistrement_presse/register_cov_gd.cfm?idcgd=517.
That promotion has now disappeared, and one is redirected to the general Avanquest page. But you can still see a cache of the promotion page here: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:i6i3CjIwxhEJ:register.avanquest.com/ABSOFT/produits/Promotion/enregistrement_presse/register_cov_gd.cfm%3Fidcgd%3D517.
The program worked well for a few days. But now whenever I try to start PowerDesk Pro, I get an error message (in German), telling me “this serial number was already in use.”
So, please send me a new working serial number. Thank-you very much!
===================
That’s it! Sometimes all you need to do is a little leg-work, and be polite.
- Bruce Fraser
Oddly enough, I did get 2 copies and 2 licenses, BOTH the same. My machine is the only one putting up the error, my wife’s still works? I wonder if they check each time to see if it is being used at more than one IP Address on the LAN with the same S/N?
I sent them e-mail, we’ll see I guess?
Thanks,
Irv S.
@Bruce Fraser:
Not much luck so far, I got a reply for Avanquest US telling me to contact Avanquest DK… sigh…
Still confused why it still works on my wife’s machine? It must ‘call home’ and then see 2 uses on one IP Address?
Irv S.
Well, I got 2 answers, support@avanquest-uk.com :
———————-
Thank you for your email.
The website where you downloaded Powerdesk 8 from below was hosting the file illegally. This file has now been removed and the offer terminated. The serial number will no longer work.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Kind Regards,
Craig
———————————
and from the German one (avanquesttecsupport@softwarehelper.de) :
—————-
Sehr geehrter Avanquest Kunde,
vielen Dank für Ihre Anfrage!
diese Problem stellt sich, wenn die Software auf einen anderm oder dem gleichen PC
ein zweitesmal installiert wird.
Laut Lizenzbedingen darf die Software nur auf einem Arbeitsplatz genutzt werden.
Falls sie im Zuge einer Neuinstallation eine Ersatzseriennummer benötigen erhalten
sie diese gegen Nachweis einer Rechnug oder einer Bestellnumer im Falle eines
Downloadkaufes.
Erstellen sie bitte auch noch einen Screenshot aus dem hervorgeht, daß die
Seriennummer als ungültig abgelehnt wird
Falls Sie noch weitere Informationen wünschen, sehen Sie auch in unseren
FAQ Lösungen unter folgendem Link nach:
http://softwaresupport.at/3.html
Achtung: Bitte unbedingt die Ticketnummer in der Betreffzeile der
E-Mail stehen lassen und einfach auf “Antworten” klicken.
Sonst ist eine weitere Bearbeitung Ihrer Anfrage nicht
möglich.(Nur wenn sie weiter Hilfe benötigen bitte antworten )
Vielen Dank für Ihr Interesse an unserer Software.
Hans Kiemer
Avanquest Service Center
Tel. 09001/000386
(Mo – Fr 9 – 17 Uhr, €1,50 pro Minute aus dem dt. Festnetz)
————————————
It seems it can’t be used twice in the same house?
Irv S.
@Irv Spalten: Illegally hosting it my ***. The file is hosted on Avanquest servers; the registration page is hosted on Avanquest servers. All dotTech did was tell people about it, not “illegally host” it ourselves. If the promotion of PowerDesk 8 Professional was only for a select group of people, like may be a magazine, then Avanquest should have put that information on the promotion page – I wouldn’t have posted about this, then. However, there was no such information on the promotion page so one can only assume this promotion was available publicly.
I should sue them for libel; that is how pissed I am right now. It is a good thing I don’t have an army of lawyers are my disposal.
Ashraf, I do NOT for a minute think they were talking about you. It is the German arm of Avanquest. It is quite confusing to me who is running the show and doing what? It seems I am dealing with 3 entities. The USA (where I’m located) arm, that appears to be a subsidiary of the UK company. The German arm appears to be the same type of deal, a subsidiary of a UK company.
I first wrote to the German site that hosted the program. I got back in German the answer that I can only use it on one machine. I then posted to the Avanquest web site support page, and got back and answer that I should contact the German page. Meanwhile Bruce gave me an e-mail address to write too, and that is the one that called it ‘illegal’. I gave all that I wrote to the web link and my confirmation message.
Like anything else, the support people probably have NO CLUE what is going on, especially in other countries as far as promotions and offers I’m afraid.
I had just gotten another e-mail from German Avanquest asking me to send confirmation e-mail. I’ve sent both mine and my wife’s, we both applied and got the file for our computer. Hers is STILL working, my closes immediately.
I used PD Explorer 6 on my old XP system. It had problems on W7 x64 handling some folders, so I stopped using it. PD8 ‘worked’ like a charm. I had paid for PD6 but they had no upgrade to 7, and now 8. I was thinking of buying 8 when I saw the free offer. Got it, liked it, for 10 days and it shutdown. Now they want me to buy it. With the support like this, I don’t think so.
I’m pretty sure since my wife’s is still running, the license that it seems is the SAME for everyone, is NOT closed off. What probably happened is the program reported back to Avanquest an IP Address and some info for my system and my wife’s. Who ever got there last was disabled. I assume a check is done when opening.
You know, I just checked that with my ISS suite. I blocked the program from going OUT… it stays open. Nasty program calling home…
I’ll probably just delete the thing if they don’t mail me a new license. Why they used the same one for everyone I don’t know, but it can cause problems. Nothing said ONE INSTALL per location. You can’t use it on more than one computer, but two people getting 2 copies in one location is NOT the same.
Irv S.
@Irv Spalten: Oh. I thought they were talking about dotTech. LOL! My bad… See this is why I don’t have lawyers at my disposal.
My guess is that Avanquest found out that PD 8 Pro got posted about on websites – thanks dotTech for spreading the news more than wildfire – and they blacklisted the registration key they sent to everyone. However, I am not sure why some people can still use it while others cannot.
Well stopping it from going out doesn’t keep it up it seems, just delays it. I guess it then times out and closes. Oh well, no new license, off it goes, and I’ll NOT buy it.
Irv S.
Ashraf, could be a country specific thing, but I bet it had to do with those on a LAN environment where others on the LAN also have it.
I’m sure it is going to their servers too, I see 2 or 3 blinks when it first opens on the file list. When I stopped it from going out, it closed once the TCP/IP call timed out I think?