"Desktop" not showing at top of folder list(left side) on WinXP Pro system. "Recycle Bin" not showing at the bottom in folder list on WinXP Pro system, although "Recycler" does show within the tree. "Save Settings Now" in options does not work on Win 7 system. Thanks, Greg T

On Win 7, 64-bit, with PDP8 (with and without Patch 1) pinned to taskbar, I get erratic starting behavior.  Often requires 2, 3 or 4 clicks before PDP opens.

Thanks keep them coming!

OK - here's another - I think it's happened since Patch 1.  For filenames that contain a comma, double-clicking in PDP8 opens Win Explorer (in My Documents folder) instead of launching the associated app (such as Word). 

By the way, is this a better forum to put this stuff rather than Technical Support?  Do you pass these bugs on to Tech Support.

Technical support read these forums as do I. The comma thing is definitely going to be looked at for patch 2.

Thanks.  BTW, I just discovered that the = sign in a filename has the same effect.  I haven't checked other symbols... I just happen to have some strange filenames!

PD 7 had a View - Refresh option to refresh the content of the file pane(s). I still have the button in my toolbar from after the upgrade to PD 8 (8.1.2.9), but it doesn't do anything anymore. In fact, ideally, I would not need the refresh button, but when deleting a file or creating a directory, I often don't see the screen refreshed. I'm using Windows XP Pro SP3.

Here is a PD User with similar issue .

I agree about the refresh option. The "Force refresh after file operation" under menu item Options-Preferences-General Settings does not operate very well.

Just tried to add items to Launchbar but they don't stick. If I close PowerDesk and reopen they are gone. I tried "Save settings now" under Options but that didnot work. OK just checked "Save settings on exit" under Options and that worked so it appears "Save settings now" is not working correctly.

I have the same problem as Greg.  The "Save Settings Now" selection is not working anymore after Patch 1.

WinXP Pro SP3

I mentioned this first one in "PowerDesk 9 - What feature would you add or change?"

1. Right click on Taskbar icon then "Close Window" does not work as per all other applications. The only option is File --> Close or the close button 'X'. PD7 was the same.

2. Under Preferences -> General -> "Double click on Desktop to load PowerDesk" is not holding it's valve; Uncheck / disable. I just checked to make sure I have the labelling and spelling correct and I, again, find it checked? I unchecked it and closed PD8 then launched it again. It remains checked. "Save settings now" does not help. It interferes with another application, Fences Pro from Stardock, which uses double click on the desktop to hide / unhide the icons. Why does it not remember my choice? Can it be set to disable by default and power users, or the inquisitive, can turn it on if they choose?

3. Rather than "Double click on Desktop to load PowerDesk" or, in addition I would like to see Double click on background (in PD8 pane) to Go Up One Level. This would save the time and, to me, the inconvenience of constantly moving the mouse up & down to the up arrows (I added an extra up arrow at the end of the Tool Bar for convenience. Backspace works too but that's moving back and forth from mouse to keyboard. I use this in Explorer (only IF I really need to) with a plug-in "QTTabBar" (Adds Tabs plus many other options). I set "When background double-clicked: Up One Level". It is a real handy time saver.

4. Display large icons in Explorer does just that. In PD8 this is not the case, the icons remain the same size i.e. Thumbnails view. I can provide images if needed but you probably know what I mean. At least PowerDesk handles the new Vista / Windows 7 icon format with embedded PNG's (256 pixels) which I use exclusively.

5. I'll think about it some more.

Stability!!!! I've used PD for many years, and the combination of PD8 on Win7 is really the worst it's been. Two major problems:  PD crashes many times per day (let's say, 20) when I browse to a mapped drive over a wireless network to a Linux-based NAS. This never used to happen on my previous WinXP computers. Second problem: speed. Many times, PD "stalls" when displaying the folder contents. It takes 20-30 seconds before it becomes responsive and finishes displaying the folder contents.

Another one that I've started seeing in the last two weeks is that some subfolders are displayed with the wrong icon in the details view. In other words, they receive a "document" icon instead of a "folder" icon in the details view. (I have View > Show Generic Icons enabled). 

Using PD 8.2.1.9

BTW - just discovered this forum. Hooray!

I'm having problems with PD8 locking files.  If, for example, I double-click on readme.txt, notepad opens as expected.  If I then close notepad, select readme.txt and try to delete it, I can't because PD8 has locked the file.  (I use an app called unlocker.exe to unlock the file and then can delete it.)  I need not necessarily open a file to run into this problem; sometimes simply expanding a folder in the left pane so its contents show in the right pane will cause the files in the right pane to become locked. 

This problem didn't occur in previous versions of PD; just PD8 and PD8 Patch 1

I've got a small problem with PD8 both before and after the patch.  I'm using Stardock's WindowsBlinds program.  With some of the pull-down menus in PD8, the list appears blank until I mouse over it.  Then each option appears as I go over it.  This was never a problem with PD6.

I have the same 2 gripes as the previous 3 gentlemen.  Speed, stability and the skins thing is cool...but not all that important.

However, as long as we're wishing...I'd love to be able to add different 'categories' for files/folders and then be able to search based on those categories.  I think xplorer2 has a function like this...and it's about the ONLY thing missing from this program.

otherwise I love it!

Further to my previous comment, instability is linked to the Layout Manager. If I browse directly to a mapped drive on the Linux NAS, then PD8 works properly. If I create a layout using the same mapped drive, then invoke the layout, PD becomes unstable. It usually appears as files/folders being shown twice in the Details view, or with the incorrect Type (e.g., folders are shown as various file types). Once that happens, PD is sure to crash, and the only recourse is to shut it down gracefully before it crashes.

After creating a new entry in Layout Manager and repositioning the link on the Launchbar PD8 does not remember the new position. It reappears as the last link on the Launchbar where it started. The work around is to manually 'Save Settings Now' from the Options Menu. But the end user must know this otherwise it has to be repeated as above. I got this tip, indirectly, from another post here.

Ian

PowerDesk 8 Pro Issues for Patch 2

1. PD8 will not delete (fully) an entry on the Launchbar. It reappears when PD8 is closed & opened again. I have tried a combination of 'Save Settings Now', 'Save Settings On Exit' and turn off 'Save Settings On Exit' and then 'Save Settings Now'. Close & open and the entry returns. Update to this; I could delete the original (duplicate) and it would not return. But, I cannot reposition the new(er) shortcut to the old position?

2. 'Save Settings On Exit' cannot be disabled. It returns with the tick checked as active every time when PD8 is run.

3. Mentioned previously but the updating of the Panes when deleting or moving files is now very annoying. Attempting to delete a folder results in a popup saying it is in use and cannot delete it. shutdown PD8 then launch then allows the user to delete it. This must be sorted.

4. USB devices will not eject after copying files to them. Windows reports it is in-use. Close PD8 and it is 'Safe to remove".

5. Slow start-up and slow performance.

6. Hasn't been a lot of activity on the blog here recently i.e. updates on progress.

I believe that if some other drive is clicked on in PowerDesk 8 then the USB drive can be removed safely...you should not get a prompt that the drive is in use. At least that has been my experience.

Sorry folks.. I have not posted lately as we have been busy.

We are just finishing our localized relase and soon to be released trial versions. We are also working on the estimates for Patch 2--hopefully capturing this thread and other threads here on SoftCity's reuqeusts.

I'll post more inforation soon.

-mark=

@Greg T.

Thanks for commenting mate. I always return to my default dual panes (usually via Layout Manager icon on Launchbar) which are internal hard drives. I always exit a USB drive and don't try to remove it while it's still displayed in PD8 (or any other file manager).

Not one to waste a potential tip for PD8 (And we need them unfortunately) I retried the steps you mention. Unfortunately I confirmed it doesn't work.

I tried a couple of others; Windows 7 Explorer, Explorer++, Cubic Explorer & Easy Explorer and they all work. They all work as expected; copy a file from HD, paste to USB, exit USB (still visible in Computer / Tree list), use Safe Remove -> Eject and all good.

This is definitely an issue specific to PD8 where it will not allow me to dismount (Eject) a USB connected device while it is running.

Ian

Ian - my experience with USB drives dismounting is variable.  Sometimes I can eject it when PD8 is running, sometimes not. (Win 7, 64-bit).  I haven't been able to track the exact circumstances for either experience so far.

Also, I'd like to not have to re-install.

I have a post on here about PD8 asking for the MSI file after a reboot for some files....it's REALLy annoying

If I have accessed a USB drive with Powerdesk 8, I cannot get get permission to remove the drive as long as PD8 is still running.  It doesn't matter that I've got a different drive selected in PD8.  As long as the program is running, Windows still thinks I'm using the drive.

I am going to put this issue with USB drives in the Patch 2 list of things for us to look at. Clearly it doing this is an annoyance and we need to look at it.

-mark=

A bug that I have encountered several times (although I cannot reproduce it at the moment) is when I have been creating new directories (working from the top menu rather than right-clicking the mouse) the File > New menu will go blank. No choices appear. I can still right-click to create the directory, but the menu choices go away.

ETA 10/29/2010: Bug occurred again. I have a screen capture if you will tell me where to send it. I started out to create two new subdirectories in a directory that already had 205 entries. I was able to create the first directory and move files into it. When I attempted to create the second directory, the menu went blank. I was tracking the steps involved and nothing else took place. Wonder whether the large number of subdirectories is related to the issue?

And, of course, there is the "cannot open .CAB file" bug in the Sync function. That problem went away after I switched to Win7 x32, reinstalled PD v 8.2.1.9 from scratch, and refused to accept updates. I believe it may have been introduced in Patch 1.

I have had Powerdesk for some time and I am happy with it.
I am glad you are making these fixes. I have Powerdesk 8 Pro on
Windows 7 64 bit and I have applied the Patch 1. I am having the problem
where the Powerdesk module is being left in memory on exit and when I try
to start it up again later, it won't start. It is a nuisance. I have looked
at the web for other folks having this problem and I am not alone. One person
suggested which I am using is to create a bat file to kill the modules before
starting up Powerdesk. Is this somethihg that can be fixed?

@John B.

Further to my previous message, PDP does not play well with Win7x64. Many of my problems went away when I switched to Win7x32. I do not think Avanquest will be able to successfully port PDP to a 64-bit environment, nor do I recommend use of PDP on a 64-bit OS. There are other file managers with 64-bit support that are not as good as PDP but better on a 64-bit OS.

I have Powerdesk Pro 8, patch 1 installed.  Whenever I do a search and look for files over a certain size, I have problems moving those files to another drive.  Whenever I move the file and want to also create a directory at the same time, let's say to f:\newdirectory\, the file will be moved, but also renamed as newdirectory, without an extension.  This does not happen in the regular part of Powerdesk, just doing things from the File Finder results window.

Fix file sorting preferences. For example, I choose Arrange by Name, and then choose Save Settings Now. However, when I reopen PD8, the files are sorted in reverse name order. I had this same problem in PD7.

1. I'm getting concerned about a lack of progress. I'm concerned that end users are losing interest. Developer feedback appears to be waning.

2. Several seconds can pass before a copy or move function registers in PD8. Not so in other file managers (FM). This is very frustrating.

3. A move or delete leave the folder (sub folders) intact minus the contents. Closing then opening PD8 does not clear this issue. Opening another FM (e.g. Explorer++, Cubic, others) and the folders are not present.

4. Attempting to delete the folders after the above (as others have also mentioned) generates an error message; "Do not have permission" etc. Sometimes opening another FM they still appear but can be deleted, if PD8 is closed.

5. "Save Settings", Now or ON Exit appears to be broken. It is a hit-n-miss outcome. I'm assuming this is a registry entry that is either not saved or, for some reason, is lost at the next restart.

6. For some tasks I find myself hovering over the PD8 icon but then choosing another (free) FM because I'm in a hurry and just want the job done. This is not what I paid money for. For 90% of the time I use PD8 because I'm pretty much addicted to it. It's functions are unmatched but when free a FM performs faster that's a worry.

Ian

Ian

I agree - it's becoming an exercise in frustration using PD8. I've experienced most, if not all, of the items that you describe. I often wonder if the frustration of using PD8 is worth it -- years ago it was far superior to Windows Explorer. Now I am much less certain.

Ah the natives are getting restless :(

Please do not think developer interest is waning - there has been a lot of work going on and I have not yet been able to talk about our progress. We are actively working on Patch 2 and once I see things firm up a bit more as to what will be in the next patch I will post details. 

We have been doing a lot of work on internals the last month or so and that has taken a lot longer than we had hoped. 

I will have an update soon. 

-mark=

This issue has been around for several versions.  I love to use "Edit->Copy Path as Text".  Maybe one out of three times, it fails to copy anything.  When I go back and try it again it will succeed.  I use this feature all the time when writing documents and frankly it is frustrating that this bug has survived this long with apparently no attention.

Greetings Loyal one...

Do you see any pattern to when it doesn't work that can help us nail it down? I tried messing around with this myself and didn't see an issue.

What OS are you using?

I have used it on XP SP3 and Windows 7 64 bit.  I have used version 6-8 and each version has the same problem.  I am a software developer too and I have tried to look for patterns but have seen none.  One possibility is that I usually have a LOT of applications open.  Word, Excel, a telnet program, Oracle Forms developer, PL/SQL developer, Visual Slick Edit, etc.  Maybe it is a resource or memory issue.  That said, all of my recent machines (over the last 3+ years) have had a minimum of 4 GB (XP) and 8 GB (Win 7, 64 bit).

Ok.. we will put this one on the list to be looked at. Let us know if you do realize anything that might help.

-mark=

Why are we even discussing PD9 when it is obvious PD8 is not ready.  I felt burned on the last two upgrades (getting beta versions instead of release versions) and will think twice before buying PD9 if PD8 is not fixed first.  I have been using PD Pro since version 3 (I think) and it is going to take a lot to get me to switch, but it has crossed my mind more than once lately.

Recommendations:  SDK; Customizable arguments for programs on the launch bar, e.g. the ability to include current selected file(s) on the command line as arguments; ability to replace the Standard Buttons.

Question: Is the PDF Viewer supposed to work without Adobe Reader installed?  I use Foxit and my PDFs don't display correctly.

Others have contributed some excellent ideas. My thoughts:

1. With two panes displayed, could you add compare folders to the context menu? Then clicking on each pane would do the trick, instad of going through the compare folders dialogue.

2. As long ago as PCShell I could compare files? Byte by byte. Any chance of this once again?

3. Comparing files and folders, could you expand the selection to include selectable date, size, name, content? Also masks to filter the selection?

4. In the drivebar, selectable hide/unhide drives?

5. Default viewer pane to "fit to window".

6. File synchronizer, show a moving indicator to show it has not got stuck. This is important when synchronizing across a network.

7. Give us a choice of pastel or classic icons. Personally I find the new pastel icons poor, and always replace yours with the old PD5 icon of hand-of-cards.

8. PD8 fails to install with message "the expected dll has encountered a problem" or something like that. Even with the latest windows installer.


I certainly subscribe to the possibility of beta testing. I am very fond of certain programs that are well written, bullet-proof and intuitive. I wholeheartedly agree that PD8 should be brought up to scratch before you move on to new styling or advanced features for the latest and greatest Bill Gates products. But I can accept anything you do providing it is well-supported and provides enhanced functionality in a solid product.

Thanks for allowing us to be part of the process.

ian

Speed, Speed, and more Speed.  On a machine with XP SP3 with 4 GB RAM (yeah I know, 3.5 GB) I was running Word 2010, Excel 2010, and Acroread as well as PD8.  Any time I switch to PD8, it takes 5-7 seconds just to repaint.  I have 5 network drives mapped, not all of which are available at any given time.

Another bug in version 8.  I assume this has something to do with the dialog helper.  After installing PD8 on a dual core i3 laptop with 4 GB, Outlook 2010 would freeze every time I tried to save an attachment.  To confirm that was what caused it, I uninstalled PD8 and went back to save attachments in Outlook 2010 and everything worked fine.  I then installed PD7 and everything STILL works fine.

PD 7 doesn't have the email search feature that is in PD 8. We tested against PD 8 and Outlook 2010 and saw no issue--and this is the first report we have heard of an issue. I don't think it is dialog helper. That said--we will have a look.

Thanks for the report.

Didn't get an answer, so I will re-post the bug/question.

My PDFs do not display correctly in the viewer.  I am not running Adobe Reader but Foxit.  Is that the problem and, if so, can I install an Adobe Reader DLL to fix this issue?

Troy -  PDF's used to not display properly on my PD7 and PD6. However they do display properly in my PD8 on Win7. I also use Foxit. (FYI)

Greetings all,

I just wanted to give everyone an update.

I am going to post a new article shortly that tells users how to download a test version (full build) of PowerDesk with the updates we intend for Patch 2. The key word is "TEST". Truthfully my division has never done this before and it will be an experiment on my part to see if this helps our cause or not. :)

What I am doing is taking a qualified beta of Patch 2 that has already been through a few rounds of QA and making it available for you to download and test. Sorry--you do need to own the product in order to participate in the test. This means you will need your serial code in order to install. If you do not like the patch of course you can re-install your original binary.

Please note this update has not completed our internal process and thus it is likely you WILL run into problems.  Also do not bother to contact technical support by phone or here as they ONLY WILL SUPPORT THE RELEASED VERSION OF THE PRODUCT. Also I will not be answering tech support questions here. I will read and track your general comments here and also the ones we will collect from the email account we will set up just for this test. Don't bother expecting a reply via the email as this will be for collection of data and not for technical support. I hope everyone understands this. We just can't support beta software. So please only download this if you are willing to put up with whatever issues you find.

Here is what I am trying to accomplish:

1. I want to give you the ability to get a preview of the update so I can get feedback for the team.

2. This gives you an additional opportunity to have a voice. I have said before and will say again that we truly do care about this product and the users and I am trying to be more open so you have this opportunity. I think it is mutually beneficial.

The plan going forward is that we intend to release this as a  patch before Christmas and post another TEST full build in mid to late January that will add additional fixes.

So here is what we believe is fixed:

- Add Files to Zip... function will crash the application

- USB devices will not eject after copying files to them

- There needs to be a way to enter a serial if the existing number is invalid

- "Convert Picture File..." and "Convert Pictures..." menus should be disabled when non-image files are selected

- 'Save Settings Now' does not work

- FTP should use a minimize button instead of Hide

- Hex Editor needs to be in the Tools menu

- FTP Hide on Connect setting is not working

- Doc files in desktop cannot be displayed in thumbnail view and will display the file name in the wrong font

- File Finder: Options/ Save Settings on Exit does not function

- Selecting folder of zip file in tree pane and clicking 'Permanently Delete' button doesn't work

- Unchecking "Only displayed folders" in Size Manager checkbox will make application not respond

- UI issue when renaming file in thumbnail view

- Size manager: help on customize toolbar dialog links to incorrect help content

- Selected files for extract is always disabled

- Display wrong app shortcut's properties value in PDPro for app in "C:\Program Files" (Win7 64)

- PDWizard no longer works in PD8

- Date & Time columns are empty on CD/DVD in PD8

- Cannot open a zip file from an email

- PDF preview does not resize with Preview Pane

- Batch rename files doesn't work if file extension is hidden

- PD8 causes problems with Win7 backup

- Option/Save Settings on Exit does not work when it is unchecked

- App crash when preview html file then click 'Fit to window'

- The Favorites items shown in right pane are not correct

- Open control panel through PD then change tree pane to physical view, right pane will not display folders/files any more

- Application crash when click rotate button after open mp3 file

- App will crash when preview an animated cursor (.ani) file then click 'Fit to window' or Rotate button

- Three buttons of "Dialog Helper" were not displayed on open dialog when open a *.txt document via PD

- Cannot arrange items in Libraries

- Right pane 'Create Date' and 'Note' column display wrong info in Library item

- Double click on desktop to launch PDPro in logical view shows an empty right pane

- Batch file rename needs to be named differently in the menu

- Folder path displays incompletely in properties

- Properties tab should display nothing when no object is selected

- Thumbnail or toolbar buttons status do not change when select a picture and then click the picture's folder

- 'Fit to Window' button or 'Original Size' button should be shown as pressed when selected

- Files on desktop can't be opened by Edit | Hex Editor

- Help file on Customize Toolbar dialog cannot be opened

- Edit File Notes window does not have a scroll bar for the horizontal line

- Right clicking a link (IE) then adding a Note to the link then selecting file Edit Note... opens a different file

- Adding a note to a file then showing the Note field in the main UI will not display the Note text

NOTE: We are still working on the issue related to special characters in paths and file names not opening the correct application. We do intend to add this fix for this update.

Thanks all. Have a good weekend!

This is great Mark - thanks.  My 60 days are almost up and I was still a little undecided if I was going to keep PD8.

Now, I am.  I appreciate the effort and look forward to helping.  To me, this is like an early Christmas.

I'm not sure if this has been reported but I just discovered this issue ...

If a filename has one or more leading spaces in the name, the file cannot be renamed to removed the leading spaces.  PD8 thinks the file name already exists.

Nearly a month later....

Tick, tick.

Here are more problems:

Date and time not shown on memory cards (SD 2 GB). I tried the built in card reader and via an external card reader. Maybe related to the CD/DVD problem?

The File View does not read any graphical formats, only shows the code. Only plain .txt works. 

Now and then Power Desk freezes och crashes. No idea why.

Windows 7 64 English version. Powerdesk 8 with patch 1.

We ran into some problems with the build and thus we sent it around for another round of QA. We should post a build this week.

We are probably going to post a patch instead of a full build as this will be easier for you guys.

Hope everyone had a nice holiday.

Thanks Mark,

Hope your holiday was good too.

I am committed now and rather wait than have it rushed out and more buggy than it needs to be.  Though my patients can run thin, I know the difficulties of a major programming project.

PATCH 2? Where is it?

Coming! :)

too late for the patch I'm sure, but the file type colors do not all show properly when accessing folders through the libraries.  If I go to the folders in the tree the colors do show.  Actually when I tried it again now, there is one color that shows up in the libraries - the color I have set for system files.

Win7 32bit

I had issues extracting files  from a zip file.  What PD8 did was destroy the entire content of the folders and the folders themselves  before extracting the files. I hope patch 2 has it otherwise I need to wait for 3. 

I even bought 2 licenses the very next day PD8 was out....    :(      had to go back to PD7 after losing my office files (27 GB).

Greetings all,

I have posted an article describing how you can get the TEST build of Patch 2. Here is the link.

Anthony--I think we fixed your bug :)