Essential PC file and info management tools
Without the right tools, navigating the files on your PC is like trying to navigate a rowboat across the Atlantic Ocean. There’s simply too much information, too many files and too little time to find what you’re looking for using the built-in file management tools that Windows provides (ever tried using Explorer’s “search” function to find a phrase within a file? Might as well take a lunch break while it’s processing!).
I have two software tools that I use every day to help me manipulate files and find information: VCOM’s PowerDesk and Google Desktop Search.
PowerDesk’s single most useful feature is its dual-pane folder manager…
The dual-pane folder manager enables me to view two different sets of folders at the same time and, more importantly, to perform any type of file operation (copy, move, delete, etc.) between the two panes. I often move files from a folder in one pane to another folder in the second pane…a much easier and more intuitive process than the process required by Explorer.
PowerDesk provides all kinds of other features as well, including the ability to zip/unzip files with a couple of clicks, determine the size of files contained within each of your folders, and print out directory trees and file lists. PowerDesk also has a handy FTP mechanism that enables you to set up FTP sites as if they were additional drives.
You can find out more about PowerDesk at their website. It’s a $40 tool that has served me well for several years.
Google Desktop Search is the second tool that I use on a daily basis. My mother-in-law – a Harvard-trained librarian – recommended this tool about a year ago. When you install the tool, it creates an index of all content residing on your PC. It adds a little “overhead” in the form of the disk space utilized by the index, but the cost of the extra overhead is well worth it.
Desktop searches are just as fast as Google’s web-based searches. Within a couple of seconds after clicking the search button (really!!), I get a Google-style listing of all documents and emails that contain information matching the search criteria. I can then click through to the specific emails or documents that I want to view. I find Google Desktop Search especially useful to search for emails that I’ve sent or received, as most of the emails that I receive and all of the emails that I send are uncategorized within my Outlook (i.e., most of my emails sit in either the Inbox or the Sent folder).
The Google toolbar that resides within my Explorer and Firefox web browsers takes search functionality an additional step further. Within either browser, I enter my search criteria then click the Search drop-down button. If I simply choose “Search” – which is the default – it will search both my computer and the web. I can also fine-tune my search to only look on my desktop, in image databases, on the current web site (which I use quite often) as well as several other options.
Google Desktop Search and the Google browser toolbar can be downloaded at http://www.google.com/downloads/. Both are free and highly recommended!