On my system when I single click the file I see it in preview. When I double click the file I see the assoicated program launched.

I tried this with PDF, Excel and Word.

What happens when you double-click?

PowerDesk 8 launches Windows Explorer, which displays the User's default documents folder.

I guess I don't understand.. let me ask did you when you install ask PowerDesk to replace Windows Explorer?

Can you start talking to someone in support so we can collect some specific information -- I'd like to see a series of screen shots.. one of PowerDesk. one of the file you are double-clicking and then the resulting action.

What happens for me is that I browse in PowerDesk to the folder I am interested in. I double-click the file and Word starts or Excel, etc. I don't see Windows Explorer launch.

What OS are you running?

I dd NOT install PowerDesk to replace Windows Explorer ("Use PowerDesk to open My Computer and Folders" under Options/Preferences/General Settings). I thought this SoftCity forum was PowerDesk support. And. as I said above, I'm using Windows 7 Home Premium, 32-bit.

Same problem

I am seeing the same problem as Lawrence. I upgraded 8.1.1.31 with the patch and found this problem.  Downloaded the complete program and installed clean and the same thing.  Called tech support and the man was extremely nice and he tried but still no go.  Started to experiment and found that powerdesk is now very picky about directory names and file names.  I had coma's in a directory name and all files in that dir would not open as they should.  Example: (dir) my test data 1,4,10  (files) Test1.txt  Test1.jpg test1.nfo test1.doc test1.pdf    Double click any of the files and off to windows explorer.  Rename the directory to my test data 1 4 10 and all is well and they open in powerdesk as they should.  I can rename the directory anything else and the files work. (well I haven't tried all cases but it seems as if powerdesk does not like coma's in file and directory names at least in my case.  I reinstalled powerdesk 8.1.1.31 and problem is gone.  Install patch and it is back.  I just started this today so wiill continue playing with it.  The problem is repeatable and consistant here as far as dirctory's are concerned.  I have noticed it with files naming but haven't played with that much.  Oh by the way OS is Win 7.

Can you verify that with the patch installed you are at 8.2.1.9?

What happens if you put other special characters in your folder (directory) name?

I will add this to the list of things to investigate.. it is odd.

Yes, I did verify that with the patch I was at 8.2.1.9.

Have not tried other special characters in the folder names. but have tried file names some more since I posted last.  Same thing happens with coma's in file names.  Repeatable and consistant. If you try to open it goes to Windows explorer.  I even looked at my menu and my links, Windows doesn't have a problem with coma's in the links name but powerdesk does.  IE "Powerdesk 8,2,1,9.lnk" works fine from the start button but if I try from powerdesk I go to windows explorer.

I will play with it more and see if other special caracters also show this. I do know that "_" and "-" work fine and do not show the problem. 

This is a legacy thing--in the "old" days commas were not allowed in filenames. I am sure that the path handling code is not handling the situation correclty when a comma is found. I am curious if the original poster also had special characters in the folder name or filenames in question.

Thisi s really useful information--thank you so much Daniell. It will get added as something we look at for Patch 2.

Thanks for the reply! I have been using Powerdesk since it first came out.  I used PCtools file manager and when they were bought by Norton I had to find something that was like it and found Powerdesk.  There is one other thing that bothering me a little. Maybe you could check into it.  In Powerdesk 7 and 8 refresh after file operations doesn't always work.  Version 8 is worse than 7. 6 was fine under XP but Vista with 7 and now Win 7 and Powerdesk 8 is getting bad.  I have to sometimes close Powerdesk and reopen to see changes in the file structure. 

Just a thought.  Would be nice for patch 2. 

Oh and something else Ross Winn is a plus in your tech support.  Really nice guy and patient.

Thanks again.

I concur with Daniel Eberhart: The culprit is the comma. Semicolons, ampersands, underscores, hyphens, parentheses, and brackets all work just fine. If there is a single comma in the file name or in a folder name on the path, Windows Explorer will launch.

I just got the update to 8.2.1.9 this afternoon and now I'm having the same problem as everyone else.  Prior to this update, the version I downloaded and installed (I don't know the exact # other than 8) worked fine with commas in the filename.  So obviously someone "fixed" something that wasn't broken.  So whatever that change was, unchange it!

For those of you using Windows 7, try Right-Clicking on the PowerDesk Shortcut on your Desktop and Run as Admin. This fix Does NOT Work for files in Folders that contain commas in the Folder Name. A workaround to this is either Remove the Commas in the Folder name or Right-Click on the File and Click Open.

We are aware of this issue and are working on a fix. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Thank you for your patronage and patience.

Francis M.

Technical Support Level 2

I've been using PowerDesk for through several versions on NT, 2000, and XP systems. I've never had a problem with double-clicking to open files that contained commas or any other character that has been allowed by Windows operating systems. The problem with double-clicking launching an Explorer window instead of the file's application appeared only in PD Pro 8 v. 8.2.1.9 when I purchased and installed it for a new Windows 7 64-bit system.

Dick O.

I have the same issue as Dick Osborne. Any file with a comma in it launches explorer. You can right click on the file and select Open With then the program, but that is not an acceptable work around. How in the world did a bug like this get into this code?