Copyright: Copyright 1995, MicroHelp, Inc.
Citation: Copyright 1995, MicroHelp, Inc.


Understanding the File Viewer

Have you ever wanted to see what was in a file without having to launch an application and open the file? If you do, you are in luck. A class of utilities called file viewers allows you to view the contents of many common file types found on your system including word processing documents, spreadsheet files, databases, graphics files, text files, and more.

Windows 95 provides over 30 file viewers (called the Quick View viewers) that are available to any Windows 95 application. ExplorerPlus takes advantage of these viewers and allows you to view the contents of almost every file on your system.

ExplorerPlus builds its viewing capabilities around the Viewer Pane. The Viewer Pane, when enabled, is displayed in the lower portion of the ExplorerPlus window. You can quickly enable and disable the Viewer Pane from the Options menu.

Note:	The Viewer Pane uses the Quick View viewers distributed with Windows 95. These viewers are not automatically installed when you install Windows. See Installing the Quick View Viewersfor information about installing the Quick View viewers. ExplorerPlus also supports Quick View Plus, an enhanced version of Quick View which supports additional file formats.

Related Topics

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Setting the Viewing Mode

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Viewing File Contents

Opening a File for Editing

Displaying a Quick View Window


Installing the Quick View Viewers

Windows 95 does not install the Quick View viewers as part of a standard installation. Therefore, you most likely do not have the Quick View viewers installed on your system. You can quickly determine whether or not the viewers are installed on your system by opening ExplorerPlus and going to the Windows directory. Right-click on a bitmap file. If the popup menu does not contain a Quick View menu item, the viewers are not installed.

Note:	The Quick View viewers are only available on the CD-ROM version of Windows 95. If you do not have the CD-ROM version of Windows 95, you can download the Quick View Viewers from most of the popular on-line services or from the Internet.

To install the Quick View viewers, insert the Windows 95 CD-ROM into your CD-ROM drive. Windows 95 will automatically recognize the Windows 95 CD-ROM as the Windows 95 Setup disk.

From the Windows 95 CD-ROM window, choose Add/Remove Software. The Add/Remove Program Properties dialog will be displayed. Select the Windows Setup tab. Choose Accessories from the Components list. Choose the Details button.

The Accessories dialog will be displayed. Review the Components list and check the Quick View option. Click OK to close the Accessories dialog. Click OK again to close the Add/Remove Program Properties dialog. The viewers will be copied to your hard drive at this point.

Close the Windows 95 CD-ROM window, restart Windows, and you’re all set to use the Quick View viewers.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Setting the Viewing Mode

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Viewing File Contents

Opening a File for Editing

Displaying a Quick View Window


Displaying the Viewer Pane

ExplorerPlus provides the Viewer Pane as the primary method for viewing the contents of files. To display the Viewer Pane, select Options | Viewer Pane. The Viewer Pane will be displayed in the lower part of the ExplorerPlus window beneath the Tree List and File List.

Once the Viewer Pane has been enabled and is visible in the lower portion of the ExplorerPlus window, you can view the contents of any file in the File List. Whenever a file has the focus (as indicated by the dashed focus rectangle around the filename) the contents of the file are automatically displayed in the Viewer Pane.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Setting the Viewing Mode

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Viewing File Contents

Opening a File for Editing

Displaying a Quick View Window


Setting the Viewing Mode

The Viewer Pane allows you to view the contents of a file using any one of three modes: Viewer Filter, Text, and Hex Dump. The viewing mode is selected by right-clicking on the Viewer Pane and selecting the appropriate menu item from the popup menu.

The Viewer Pane uses the Viewer Filter mode by default. When the Viewer Filter mode is used, ExplorerPlus attempts to use the Quick View viewers. This mode ensures that you are most likely to get a meaningful, accurate description of the file.

When the Text mode is used, the Viewer Pane displays the contents of the selected file in text mode. If the file is a text file, the information displayed in the Viewer Pane is a good representation of the file contents.

The last viewing mode is Hex Dump. When this mode is selected, the contents of the selected file are displayed using a hexadecimal representation of the file contents. This mode is most useful to developers or system administrators.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Viewing File Contents

Opening a File for Editing

Displaying a Quick View Window


Hiding the Viewer Pane

If the Viewer Pane is displayed, you can easily hide it by selecting Options | Viewer Pane. This menu item will toggle the status of the Viewer Pane and hide it if it is currently being displayed.

As an alternative, you can right-click on the Viewer Pane and choose Close Viewer Pane from the popup menu. This hides (or closes) the Viewer Pane.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Setting the Viewing Mode

Viewing File Contents

Opening a File for Editing

Displaying a Quick View Window


Viewing File Contents

The Viewer Pane displays the contents of the file that has the focus in the File List. The file that has the focus is marked by a dashed rectangle around the file name. When a file has the focus and the Viewer Pane is displayed, the contents of the file are displayed if a viewer for the file type is available.

As you move the focus around the File List with either the keyboard or the mouse, the Viewer Pane will automatically be updated to display the contents of the file that has the focus.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Setting the Viewing Mode

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Opening a File for Editing

Displaying a Quick View Window


Opening a File for Editing

You can open the file whose contents are being displayed in the Viewer Pane for editing by right-clicking on the Viewer Pane and selecting the Open File for Editing menu item. When you select this menu item, the application associated with that particular file type will be started and the file will be opened. For example, if you are viewing the contents of a bitmap file, the PaintBrush program will be started and the bitmap file will be opened in the PaintBrush program.

If no association exists for the file being displayed in the Viewer Pane, the Open With dialog will be displayed. This dialog allows you to select an application to use to open the file.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Setting the Viewing Mode

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Viewing File Contents

Displaying a Quick View Window


Displaying a Quick View Window

The Windows 95 Explorer supports the Quick View viewers by displaying the contents of a file in a Quick View viewer window. Although ExplorerPlus is designed around the Viewer Pane, ExplorerPlus also supports the Quick View viewer window.

To display the contents of a file in a Quick View viewer window right-click on the file in the File List and select the Quick View menu item.

You can also open a Quick View viewer window by right-clicking in the Viewer Pane and selecting Quick View. The information displayed in the Viewer Pane will be displayed in a Quick View viewer window.

Related Topics

Understanding the File Viewer

Installing the Quick View Viewers

Displaying the Viewer Pane

Setting the Viewing Mode

Hiding the Viewer Pane

Viewing File Contents

Opening a File for Editing


Understanding File Compression

File compression utilities allow you to reduce the amount of space it takes to store your data. These utilities do this through complex mathematical calculations that reduce the size of your files without losing any data inside the files. Once a file is compressed, it is placed into a special type of file called an archive. An archive can contain one or more compressed files.

Over the years, one archive format has become the standard in the DOS and Windows world - the Zip archive format. ExplorerPlus allows you to view Zip archives, create Zip archives, add files to Zip archives, and extract files from Zip archives.

Related Topics

Viewing Zip Archives

Creating a New Zip Archive

Adding Files to a Zip Archive

Extracting Files from a Zip Archive


Viewing Zip Archives

The ability to view Zip-compatible archives is built right-into the ExplorerPlus Tree List and File List. Since Zip archives contain files, ExplorerPlus models Zip archives like a folder. In other words, you will find Zip archives in both the Tree List and the File List - just like folders.

Note:	Most Zip-compatible archives have the .ZIP file extension. ExplorerPlus will only recognize Zip-compatible archives that have the .ZIP file extension.

ExplorerPlus uses the icon for the Zip file association to represent Zip archives in the Tree List. To view the contents of Zip archive, select the Zip archive in the Tree List by clicking once on the archive. The contents of the archive will be displayed in the File List.

You can also open a Zip archive for viewing by double-clicking on the archive in the File List. When you double-click on a Zip archive in the File List, the Tree List is updated to display and select the Archive. The contents of the archive are then shown in the File List.

Once you have opened an archive for viewing, you can add files to the archive or extract files from the archive.

Related Topics

Understanding File Compression

Creating a New Zip Archive

Adding Files to a Zip Archive

Extracting Files from a Zip Archive


Creating a New Zip Archive

ExplorerPlus makes it easy to create a new Zip-compatible archive. To create a new Zip-compatible archive, select File | Zip to. The Zip to dialog will be displayed and is used to create a new Zip-compatible archive. The Zip to dialog contains the following options.

Zip To Option	Description
All files in folder	If selected, all the files in the current folder are added to the new archive.
Selected files only	If selected, only the files selected in the File List are added to the new archive.
To Zip file	Specifies the name of a new or existing Zip archive. You should always specify a .ZIP file extension for your archives. Use the Browse button to specify the folder for a new archive or to select an existing archive.
Action	Specifies the type of action to perform when creating the archive. The following options are supported:
Add	Files are added to the archive. The original files are not deleted.
Move	Files are moved to the archive. The original files are removed after being added to the archive.
Only compress if newer	If you are using an existing archive, you can select this option to freshen the archive. That is, ExplorerPlus will compare the files in the archive with the original source files. If the source files are newer than the files in the archive, the newer files will be added to the archive.
Only compress if newer       or not in Zip file	If you are using an existing archive, you can update the archive by freshening its contents (see previous description) and adding the specified files.
Compression	Specifies the type of compression to use. The following options are available:
Maximum	Results in small files but takes longer to compress.
Normal	Balances speed and compression efficiency.
Fast	Fast compression speed but lower compression efficiency.
Super Fast	Super fast compression speed but low efficiency.
None	Files are not compressed as they are added to the archive.
Paths	Specifies the path options for files added to the archive. The following options are available.
Store no paths	No path information is stored.
Store relative paths	Relative paths are stored.
Store full paths	Full path information is stored.
Encryption Password	Specifies the password to use to encrypt the archive. If you specify a password, be sure to remember the password. If you forget your password, you will not be able to extract files from the archive.
Include Subfolders	When checked, all subfolders and the contents of subfolders are added to the archive.
Keep Zip file date	When checked, the Zip file date is not modified.
Store filenames in DOS format	When checked, the archive and its contents are stored in standard DOS 8.3 filenames. You should use this option if you are planning to use this Zip archive in DOS, in Windows 3.x, with on-line services, or on the Internet.
Span over multiple diskettes	When checked, ExplorerPlus will create a multi-volume archive. Multi-volume archives allow you to spread a single archive over multiple disks. This is especially useful when storing large amounts of data on floppies.

Although the options in the Zip to dialog may be intimidating, creating a new Zip archive is fairly simple. For most cases, the following steps can be used to quickly and easily create a Zip archive.

1)	Using the File List, display and select the files you want to add to the new Zip archive. If you want to add all the files in the File List to the archive, you do not have to select the files.

2) 	Select File | Zip to to display the Zip to dialog.

3)	Select the Selected Files Only or All Files in Folder option button.

4)	Enter the name and path of the archive you want to create. You can use the Browse button to select the path and specify the archive name.

5) 	Choose the OK button. The archive will be created.

These steps are quick and easy and take advantage of the default values for most of the options in the Zip to dialog. These default values are optimal for the majority of users but can be manipulated by advanced users to take full advantage of the powerful Zip features provided in ExplorerPlus.

Related Topics

Understanding File Compression

Viewing Zip Archives

Adding Files to a Zip Archive

Extracting Files from a Zip Archive


Adding Files to a Zip Archive

ExplorerPlus not only allows you to create new archives, you can add files to existing Zip-compatible archives. To add files to an existing Zip archive, locate and select the existing Zip archive in the Tree List. Once you have selected the Zip archive in the Tree List, select File | Add to Zip. The Add to Zip dialog will be displayed and is used to add files to an existing archive. The Add to Zip dialog contains the following options.

Add to Zip Option	Description
Add from	Specifies the source folder for the files being added to the archive selected in the Tree List. The files in this folder are displayed in the File List in the upper portion of the Add to Zip dialog.  The following four buttons are used with the Add from list box and the File List in the Add to Zip dialog.
	Moves the selection in Add from up one level in the hierarchy. For example, if Drive C was displayed in Add from, clicking this button would change Add from to My Computer which is one level up on the system hierarchy. The File List in the Add from dialog will be updated to reflect the contents of the new selection in Add from.
	Creates a new folder in the current folder specified in Add from. You can rename this folder once it has been created.
	Places the File List in the Add to Zip dialog into List view. The entries in the File List are represented by a small icon and name.
	Places the File List in the Add to Zip dialog into Details view. The entries in the File List are represented by an icon, name, and full details including size, date, and type.
File name	Specifies the name of the file(s) and/or folder(s) to add to the archive selected in the Tree List. You can enter the file or folder name, enter a file specification (*.*, *.DOC, etc), or select one or more files or folders from the Add to Zip File List. When you select files or folders from the File List, the names of the files or folders are automatically added to this field.
Files of type	Allows you to specify the type of files you want displayed in the Add to Zip File List. You can select from the predefined choices. All files (*.*) is the default option.
Action	Specifies the type of action to perform when adding files to the archive. The following options are supported:
Add	Files are added to the archive. The original files are not deleted.
Move	Files are moved to the archive. The original files are removed after being added to the archive.
Only compress if newer	This option freshens the archive. That is, ExplorerPlus will compare the files in the archive with the original source files. If the source files are newer than the files in the archive, the newer files will be added to the archive.
Only compress if newer      or not in Zip file	This option updates the archive by freshening its contents (see previous description) and adding the specified files.
Compression	Specifies the type of compression to use. The following options are available:
Maximum	Results in small files but takes longer to compress.
Normal	Balances speed and compression efficiency.
Fast	Fast compression speed but lower compression efficiency.
Super Fast	Super fast compression speed but low efficiency.
None	Files are not compressed as they are added to the archive.
Paths	Specifies the path options for files added to the archive. The following options are available.
Store no paths	No path information is stored.
Store relative paths	Relative paths are stored.
Store full paths	Full path information is stored.
Password	Specifies the password to use for the archive. This option is only used if the archive is encrypted.
Include Subfolders	When checked, all subfolders and the contents of subfolders are added to the archive.
Keep Zip file date	When checked, the Zip file date is not modified.
Store filenames in DOS format	When checked, the archive and its contents are stored in standard DOS 8.3 filenames. You should use this option if you are planning to use this Zip archive in DOS, in Windows 3.x, with on-line services, or on the Internet.

The number and complexity of the options in the Add to Zip dialog may seem overwhelming. However, adding files to an existing archive using ExplorerPlus is really quite simple. The following steps can be used to quickly and easily add files to an existing archive.

1) 	Using the Tree List, locate and select the Zip archive that will receive the files.

2)	Select File | Add to Zip to display the Add to Zip dialog.

3) 	Select the source folder using Add from and its supporting buttons. The files for the source folder will be displayed in the Add to Zip File List.

4)	Select the files you want to add to the archive from the Add to Zip File List. As you make your selections, the names will automatically be added to the File name text field.

5)	After you have made all your selections, click OK. The selected files will be added to the archive.

These quick and easy steps take advantage of the default values for most of the options in the Add to Zip dialog. These default values are optimal for the majority of users. Advanced users can use these options to take full advantage of the powerful Zip features provided in ExplorerPlus.

Related Topics

Understanding File Compression

Viewing Zip Archives

Creating a New Zip Archive

Extracting Files from a Zip Archive


Extracting Files from a Zip Archive

The process of decompressing a file and removing it from an archive is called extracting or unzipping. You must extract a file from an archive before you can use it with DOS or Windows 95. ExplorerPlus allows you to extract files from any Zip-compatible archive.

To extract a file from an archive using ExplorerPlus, select File | UnZip to to display the UnZip to dialog. The UnZip to dialog is used to extract files from a Zip-compatible archive. The UnZip to dialog contains the following options.

UnZip to Option	Description
All files in archive	When selected, all the files in the archive are extracted.
Selected files only	When selected, only the files selected in the ExplorerPlus File List are extracted.
To folder	Specifies the destination folder for the extracted files. The Browse button can be used to locate and specify the destination folder.
Action	Specifies the action performed by the dialog. The following options are available:
Extract	Extracts all the selected files to the destination folder.
Only extract if newer	ExplorerPlus checks the contents of the destination folder and compares these with the files marked for extraction. The only files extracted from the archive are files that: 1) have a match (the file name is the only attribute that must match) in the destination folder, and 2) are newer than the match in the destination folder.
Only extract if newer      and not in dest. folder	Similar to the previous selection but also extracts files that have no match in the destination folder.
Decryption Password	Specifies the password for the archive. If the archive is encrypted, you must specify the password before you extract files.
Include Original Path (if any)	When checked, the files are extracted to their original locations if path information was stored as the files were added to the archive. If necessary, the folder structure is recreated when path information is stored. If no path information was stored, the files are extracted to the destination folder specified in To folder.
Overwrite existing files	When checked, existing files are overwritten by the extracted file. No confirmations are provided when this option is checked.
Remove extracted files from Zip	When checked, the files are removed from the Zip archive after being extracted.

Even with all the options in the UnZip to dialog, extracting files from an archive using ExplorerPlus is quite easy. The following steps can be used to quickly extract files from an archive:

1)	Locate the archive that contains the files to extract. Select the archive in the ExplorerPlus Tree List.

2)	The contents of the archive will be displayed in the File List. Select the files you want to extract from the archive. If you want to extract all the files in the archive, you do not have to make a selection.

3)	Select File | UnZip to to display the UnZip to dialog.

4)	If you are extracting the files selected in the File List, select the Selected Files only option button. If you are extracting all the files in the archive, select the All files in archive option button.

5) 	Specify the destination folder using the To folder text field. You can use the Browse button if necessary.

6)	Click OK. The specified files will be extracted.

These steps take advantage of the default values for most options in the UnZip to dialog and can be used for the majority of extraction operations. Advanced users can manipulate these options for more advanced extraction operations.

Related Topics

Understanding File Compression

Viewing Zip Archives

Creating a New Zip Archive

Adding Files to a Zip Archive


Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

ExplorerPlus provides access to many powerful tools and can be customized to suit your needs. The following topics will help you learn to customize the ExplorerPlus window and toolbar and use the following tools: Find Files and Folders, Find Computer, Empty Recycle Bin, and the DOS command line.

Related Topics

Using Find Files or Folders

Using Find Computer

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar

Using the DOS Command Line


Using Find Files or Folders

We all lose things. This is especially true when it comes to files on your hard drive. With hundreds of folders and subfolders, it is often difficult to remember where you saved or copied a particular file.

ExplorerPlus provides the Find Files or Folders dialog to help you locate files or folders on any drive available on your system. This dialog provides numerous options that you can use to search for files or folders by name, date, size, and even content. To display the Find File or Folders dialog, select Tools | Find Files or Folders. The Find Files and Folders dialog has three tabs: Name and Location, Date Modified, and Advanced. These tabs are used to define the search options.

The Name and Location tab is the only tab you will likely use if you know the name of the file or folder you are attempting to find. The options found on the Name and Location tab include the following:

Named:  Specifies the name of the file or folder you are trying to locate. The name specified in this field can be full or partial. DOS wildcards (*.*, *.DOC, etc) are supported.

Look In:  Specifies the folder used as the starting location for the search. To search an entire drive, select the drive you want to search (the drive must be at the root folder to search the entire drive and the Include Subfolders option must be checked). To search a folder, select the appropriate folder. You can click the Browse button to select the drive or folder to search.

Include Subfolders:  When checked, the specified folder or drive is searched. All subfolders located on the drive or beneath the specified folder are included in the search. If this option is not checked, only the files in the current folder are searched.

The Date Modified tab allows you to specify a date range for the file or folder search. When you specify a date range on this tab, only files that are within that date range are included in the search results. The Date Modified tab includes the following options:

All Files:  When selected, all files are searched regardless of file date.

Find all files created or modified:  When selected, the search is conducted for files that fit within a date range specified by one of the following options:

Between x and y:  Allows you to specify a specific date range. The beginning and ending date ranges must be specified. The ending date is the current date by default.

During the previous x months:  Allows you to search for files with file dates of the last x months.

During the previous x days:  Allows you to search for files with file dates of the last x days.

The Advanced tab offers advanced options to further focus the search. The Advanced tab includes the following search options:

Of type:  This option allows you to select a particular file type. The file types offered in this list include all the file types registered on your system. You can select a single file type from this list.

Containing Text:  This option is very powerful. If you enter text in this field, the contents of files will be searched to determine whether they contain the specified text.

Size is:  Use this option to search files by their size. The Size drop-down list box allows you to select from At least or At most. You can enter the specific file size (in kilobytes) in the KB edit field.

The options that you set in the Name and Location, Date Modified, and Advanced tabs are used to perform the search. The options you set are used in combination and are not mutually exclusive. For example, suppose you define the following options:

Name and Location Tab:

Named:  Test*.*

Look In:  C:

Include all subfolders: checked

Date Modified Tab:

Find all files created or modified: Selected

During the previous x months: Set to 6 months

Advanced Tab:

Containing Text: Test

The results of a search using these search options would list all files on the C drive that: 1) have Test as the first four characters in the filename, and 2) were created during the last six months, and 3) contain the word Test in the file.

Note:  	You can make your searches case sensitive by selecting
Options | Case Sensitive in the Find Files and Folders dialog.

To start a search once you have specified the search options, select the Find Now button. The results of the search will be displayed at the bottom of the Find Files and Folder dialog.

Once the search results are displayed, you can view, open, copy, move, drag-and-drop, etc. the located files. You can add more files to the current search window by conducting another search. To clear the contents of the search window, choose the New Search button.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using Find Computer

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar

Using the DOS Command Line


Using Find Computer

ExplorerPlus provides the Find Computer dialog to help you locate computers and shared folders on your network. To display the Find Computer dialog select Tools | Find Computer.

To locate the computer, enter the name of the computer in the Named combo box or select a computer name from the list portion of the combo box (for example, DEVELOP). You can also enter the path to a shared folder (for example, \\DEVELOP\SOURCE. Once you have specified the computer name or path to a shared folder, choose the Find Now button.

If you specify a computer name, all the shared folders for that computer will be listed in the search results portion of the dialog. If you specify a path to a shared folder, the shared folder will be listed in the search results portion of the dialog. Once you have located a computer or shared folder, you can work with the folder just as you would in Network Neighborhood.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using Find Files or Folders

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar

Using the DOS Command Line


Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

A number of options are provided in the Preferences dialog that allow you to customize the way ExplorerPlus operates. The Preferences dialog has five tabs: General Settings, Lists, File Viewer, Zip/UnZip, and DOS Cmd Line.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using Find Files or Folders

Using Find Computer

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar

Using the DOS Command Line


Preferences: General Settings Tab Options
Preferences: General Settings Tab Options.

General Settings Option	Description
Titlebar Options:
Display the full MS-DOS path in the title bar	When checked, the full MS-DOS path to the current folder is displayed in the title bar of the ExplorerPlus window.
Display the path before ExplorerPlus in the title bar	When checked, the current directory is displayed prior to the ExplorerPlus name in the title bar of the ExplorerPlus window. Otherwise, the current directory is displayed after the ExplorerPlus name in the title bar.
Toolbar Options:
Wrap Toolbar	When checked, the Toolbar can extend to multiple rows if necessary to display all the tool buttons. Otherwise, the Toolbar is limited to a single line. The Toolbar will extend, if necessary, past the borders of the window and buttons may appear cut-off.
Wrap Drivebar	When checked, the Drivebar can extend to multiple rows if necessary to display all the drive buttons. Otherwise, the Drivebar is limited to a single line. The Drivebar will extend, if necessary, past the borders of the window and drive buttons may appear cut-off.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences


Preferences: Lists Options
Preferences: Lists Options.

Lists Option	Description
File List Options:
Hide system files and system libraries	When checked, system files and system libraries are not displayed in the File List. Otherwise, system files and system libraries are displayed in the File List.
Hide folders	When checked, folders are not displayed in the File List. Otherwise, folders are displayed at the top of the File List.
Keep current selection visible when resizing window	When checked, the current selection in the File List is kept in view whenever you resize the ExplorerPlus window. Otherwise, ExplorerPlus makes no effort to keep the selection in view during resizing operations.
Tree List Options:
Keep current folder visible when resizing window.	When checked, the current folder in the Tree List is kept in view whenever you resize the ExplorerPlus window. Otherwise, ExplorerPlus makes no effort to keep the current folder in view during resizing operations.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences


Preferences: File Viewer Tab Options
Preferences: File Viewer Tab Options.

File Viewer Option	Description
Default Viewer Options:
Text	When selected, the Viewer pane displays the contents of the selected file using Text Mode. This option is only used if the selected file does not have a compatible Viewer filter installed on the system.
Hex Dump	When selected, the Viewer pane displays the contents of the selected file using Hex Dump Mode. This option is only used if the selected file does not have a compatible Viewer installed on the system.
Default Double-Click Actions:
Open file for editing	When selected, the file being displayed in the Viewer pane is opened for editing when you double-click on the Viewer pane.
Display file with external Quick View	When selected, the file being displayed in the Viewer pane is also displayed in an external Quick View window when you double-click the Viewer Pane.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences


Preferences: Zip/UnZip Tab Options
Preferences: Zip/UnZip Tab Options.

Zip/UnZip Option	Description
Confirm on delete	When checked, you are asked to confirm each operation that results in the deletion of a file or folder in a Zip archive.
Beep after archive operations	When checked, you are notified by a beep that an archive operation has been completed.
Open Zip archive from the File List	When checked, you can open any Zip archive that is displayed in the File List.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences


Preferences: DOS Command Line Tab Options
Preferences: DOS Command Line Tab Options.

DOS Command Line Option	Description
Delete to Recycle Bin	When checked, any file or folder that is deleted with a DOS command is deleted to the Recycle Bin.
Show Confirmations	When checked, you are asked to confirm DOS command line operations that result in overwriting files.
Include folders in Copy	When checked, folders are included in Copy operations from the DOS command line.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences


Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus provides several options for configuring the ExplorerPlus window. The Options menu provides the following menu items that allow you to enable and disable individual components in the ExplorerPlus window:

Toolbar:  When checked, the Toolbar is displayed at the top of the ExplorerPlus window.

Drivebar:  When checked, the Drivebar is displayed at the top of the ExplorerPlus window.

Viewer Pane:  When checked, the Viewer Pane is displayed beneath the Tree List and File List.

DOS Command Line:  When checked, the DOS Command Line is displayed at the bottom of the ExplorerPlus window.

Status Bar:  When checked, the Status Bar is displayed at the bottom of the ExplorerPlus window.

The View menu provides the following additional menu items that allow you to enable and disable the Tree List and File List:

Tree List and File List:  When selected, both the Tree List and File List are displayed.

Tree List Only:  When selected, only the Tree List is displayed.

File List Only:  When selected, only the File List is displayed.

The options in the Options and View menus allow you to configure ExplorerPlus many different ways. You can create any combination from a simple ExplorerPlus configuration that looks like My Computer to an ExplorerPlus configuration with all the possible options. The choice is yours.

Once you have configured the ExplorerPlus window, you should select Options | Save Settings Now to save the current configuration. The Save Settings on Exit menu item can be checked to automatically save the current configuration each time you exit ExplorerPlus.

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using Find Files or Folders

Using Find Computer

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar

Using the DOS Command Line


Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar

The ExplorerPlus Toolbar provides quick access to many of the ExplorerPlus features. When you install ExplorerPlus, the Toolbar is configured for 22 standard tool buttons. You are not, however, limited to these 22 tool buttons. You can customize the ExplorerPlus Toolbar by selecting Options | Customize Toolbar. The Customize Toolbar dialog box will be displayed.

The Toolbar buttons list on the right side of the Customize Toolbar dialog displays the current Toolbar configuration. The Available buttons list on the left side of the dialog displays the tool buttons that can be added to the Toolbar configuration.

To add a tool button to the Toolbar, first locate and select the position for the new tool in the Toolbar buttons list. When you add a tool button, the new tool button is placed in the position directly prior to the current selection in the Toolbar buttons list. Next, select the tool button you want to add from the Available buttons list. Choose the Add button to add the button to the list.

To remove a tool button from the Toolbar buttons list, select the tool you want to delete and choose the Remove button. The tool button will be removed from the Toolbar button list and placed back into the Available buttons list.

The Customize Toolbar dialog also allows you to reposition Toolbar buttons. To reposition a Toolbar button, select the button you want to move in the Toolbar buttons list. Choose the Move Up button to move the button up the button list. Choose Move Down to move the button down the button list.

The following buttons are available in the Customize Toolbar dialog.

Button	Description	Button	Description
	Cut		Print List
	Copy		Create Folder
	Paste		Create Shortcut
	Delete (Recycle Bin)		Close
	Delete		Copy Disk
	Move To		Label Disk
	Copy To		Format Disk
	Rename		Select
	Properties		Select All
	Large Icons		Find
	Small Icons		Print File
	List		Open DOS Window
	Details		Go to
	Arrange by Name		DOS Command Line
	Arrange by Extension		Refresh
	Arrange by Size		New Window
	Arrange by Date		New + Cascade
	Arrange by Type		New + Tile Horizontally
	Tree List and File List		New + Vertical Tile
	File List Only		Cascade
	Viewer Pane		Tile Horizontally
	Separator		Help
	One Level Up		Map Network Drive
	Tree Only		Disconnect Network Drive

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using Find Files or Folders

Using Find Computer

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

Using the DOS Command Line


Using the DOS Command Line

The DOS Command Line provides quick access to common DOS commands. With the DOS Command Line, you won’t have to shell to DOS to perform everyday DOS tasks.

The DOS Command Line can be enabled/disabled through the Options menu. To enable/disable the DOS Command Line, select Options | DOS Command Line. When the DOS Command Line menu option is checked, the DOS Command Line will be displayed in the lower portion of the ExplorerPlus window.

The DOS Command Line supports all DOS commands. The following is a list of just a few of the many DOS commands supported by ExplorerPlus.

DOS Command	Description
CD [drive:][folder]	The specified drive and folder will be selected in the Tree List. The contents of the specified folder will be displayed in the File List.
ChDir [drive:][folder]	Same as CD (see previous item).
COPY source [destination] [/n] [/i]	Copies the specified source file(s) to the destination folder. The destination folder is the current folder if no destination is specified. The /n switch is used to indicate folders are not included in the COPY operation. The /i operation indicates folders are included in the COPY operation. Switches override all ExplorerPlus settings and options.
DEL [drive:][folder]filename	Deletes the specified file(s). The file(s) will be removed from the File List if necessary.
Erase [drive:][folder]filename	Same as DEL (see previous item).
DIR [drive:] [folder][filename]	The specified drive and folder will be selected in the Tree List. The contents of the specified folder will be displayed in the File List.
MD [drive:]folder	Creates the specified folder. The Tree List and File List are updated to reflect the new folder.
MkDir [drive:]folder	Same as MD (see previous item).
MOVE source destination	Moves the specified source file(s) to the destination folder. The Tree List and File List are updated to reflect the change.
REN oldname newname	Renames a file or folder. The Tree List and File List are updated to reflect the change.
Rename oldname newname	Same as REN (see previous item).
RD [drive:]folder	Removes the specified folder. The folder must be empty. The Tree List and File List are updated to reflect the change.
RmDir [drive:]folder	Same as RD (see previous item).

Related Topics

Understanding ExplorerPlus Tools and Options

Using Find Files or Folders

Using Find Computer

Using ExplorerPlus Preferences

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Window

Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar


The MicroHelp BBS

MicroHelp maintains a 24-hour-a-day, 3 node Bulletin Board Service (PCBoard version 15.2). Access to the MicroHelp BBS is free of charge. Each of the MicroHelp BBS nodes uses a US Robotics Sportster 28,800 bps V.34 modem. The phone number for the MicroHelp BBS is (770) 516-1497.

Related Topics

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Connecting to the BBS

Before you call the MicroHelp BBS, you need to make sure that your equipment can talk to ours. First you need to have a modem. Next, you need terminal emulation, or communications, software. Windows includes the Terminal program which can be used to communicate with our BBS. You must configure your communications software by setting the proper communications parameters. Configure your application to 8 data bits, 1 stop bit, and NO parity (8,N,1). The MicroHelp BBS supports baud rates ranging from 1200 bps to 28,800 bps, inclusive. Once you have configured your software, you can connect to our BBS by dialing (770) 516-1497.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Logging On

Once you have connected to the MicroHelp BBS, you will be asked if you want ANSI (graphics) support. If you type Yes, you will be able to view the BBS in color. If not, all displays are transmitted in Black & White. If you are not sure whether your terminal emulation software supports ANSI, try answering No. If you answer Yes and don't see color but get extra garbage characters, you do not have ANSI color support.

After answering Yes or No to the ANSI support question, you will be prompted to enter your First and Last name. Please use your real name here - no company names please. You may be asked to verify who you are by either City and State or Company Name. If you have never used our BBS before, this means that someone else currently has an account with that name. If this is the case, simply alter your name and try again (for example, change Bob to Robert).

The first time you call, a new account is established. You will be asked additional information about yourself to establish the new account. It is important to complete the requested information as accurately as possible because it can affect your use of the automatic conference registration program. After you provide the required information, you will be asked to provide a password for your account. For your security, please choose at least 6 characters and avoid using your initials, name, SSN, etc.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Using the BBS

After logging on, you will be presented with the MicroHelp What's New News, followed by any important Bulletin updates and special announcements. Once you have viewed any pertinent information, you are directed to the MAIN prompt on the MAIN conference. From the MAIN prompt, you can read e-mail, send e-mail, join product conferences, download files, or upload files and bug reports.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Understanding the BBS Architecture

To get the most out the MicroHelp BBS, you should quickly review our BBS architecture. The following graphical representation will help you navigate our BBS.

MAIN CONFERENCE (0)

          PowerDesk Conference (12)

          Communications Library (8)

          VBTools Conference (14)

          UnInstaller Conference (22)

          etc.

The MicroHelp BBS is structured as a set of product conferences. Each product and/or major product version has a conference that contains information and files pertaining to the product. Each conference provides product file updates available for downloading, bulletin listings of special information, product news, and special announcements. Each conference also has its own message base.

To view a listing of all the conferences available on the MicroHelp BBS, simply type J <ENTER> at any conference prompt. The conferences will be displayed along with a conference number. To join a conference simply type  J;{Conference #} [ENTER].

Before you can join a conference, you must be a registered user of that product. The first time you try to join a conference, the BBS may reply with Permission Denied. You may get this message if you have not provided MicroHelp your product serial number. To gain access to a conference, type ACCESS <ENTER>. You will then be asked for the appropriate conference number. After you enter the conference number, you must enter the serial number for your product. Once you have entered the appropriate data, you will have access to that conference.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Obtaining Product File Updates

Most users call our BBS to download the latest file updates for the various MicroHelp products. Product updates are always located in the appropriate product conference. To download these files you must first join the appropriate conference. The PowerDesk conference number is 12. Once you have joined the appropriate conference, type F at the BBS prompt to view the available file directories for that conference. Most conferences will only have one directory; however, some may have several.

The conference file listings are often divided into file directories to simplify your search for any needed files. Once you have determined the directory that you want to view, simply type the directory number at the prompt and the file listing will be displayed. The file listing contains the filename, the file size, the date the file was last updated, and a brief description of the contents of the file (most files are .ZIP files). Every product update directory will consist of the following file types:

???FIXES.TXT

This file may be viewed while you are online. It contains the history of all reported and fixed bugs regarding that particular product. Each entry contains the date that the bug was fixed. If you are looking for a particular bug fix, you should consult this file first before downloading.

???ALL.ZIP

This file contains ALL product files that have changed since the product’s release. Sometimes it is quicker to simply download this file than grab each file separately.

?????.ZIP

These are individual product files. Often these are individual VBX’s or DLL’s. The file description will always explain the contents of these ZIP files.

Once you have located the file (or files) you wish to download simply type D;{filename} <ENTER> at the prompt. You will be then be prompted for a transfer protocol to use for the download. MicroHelp currently supports the following protocols:

(A) ASCII (Non-Binary)

(X) Xmodem (Checksum)

(C) Xmodem-CRC

(O) 1K-Xmodem

(F) 1K-Xmodem/G

(Y) Ymodem  (Batch U/L and D/L)

(G) Ymodem/G  (Batch U/L and D/L)

(Z) Zmodem  (Batch U/L and D/L)

(N) None

Select the protocol you wish to use and make sure that your terminal package is set up to receive the file using the same protocol. Zmodem is usually the fastest transfer protocol; however, our BBS statistics show that Ymodem-G has a slightly better throughput. Experiment with different protocols to see what works best for you.

Note: If you are using the Windows Terminal communications application, your only choice for file transfer is (C) Xmodem-CRC. Other communications software may have other protocol limitations, please consult your communications software documentation for more information regarding supported file transfer protocols.

Once the transfer protocol has been selected, our BBS will respond with Ready to Send, Please initiate your transfer. At this point, the BBS is waiting for an acknowledgment from your system that you are ready to receive the file. Every terminal package is different so consult your communications software documentation for the procedures to download files. Once the file has been transferred, you will once again be at the MicroHelp BBS prompt.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Uploading Files to MicroHelp

There are times when you may need to upload a file to us. For example, you may need to demonstrate a possible bug or have a technician help you solve a programming problem. A file can be uploaded to the BBS from any conference in one of two ways: by direct file upload or by attaching a file to an e-mail message.

Direct file upload is very similar to downloading a file. From the BBS prompt, type U;{filename} <ENTER>. If the filename is available for use, you will be prompted to enter a description of the file. We ask that you enter the name of the technician (or person) that you wish to receive the file. If you do not know the technician’s name, you can either consult BULLETIN 11 - List of MicroHelp Technicians (type B;11 at the prompt), or simply enter the name of the product that you are having difficulties with. There is no need to enter your name in this description, the BBS will do that for you. When you are done entering a description, type <ENTER> on a blank line. Select your transfer protocol and begin your transfer.

The file attachment method of uploading a file is where you attach your file to an e-mail message. Sending E-Mail on the BBS discusses e-mail and our BBS. Please refer to this topic to use the file attachment method of uploading a file to the BBS.

No matter which method you use for uploading a file, an integrity check is performed on the file to ensure that it was received properly. A virus check is also performed on each file.

MicroHelp uses an automated process for distributing files from the BBS to the proper technician. For this reason, it is important that you specify the name of the technician that should receive the file. File uploads are processed automatically every business day at 9:00AM EST.

All files that are uploaded to our BBS are treated as confidential and proprietary. Our upload directory is not accessible to anyone calling into the BBS.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Sending E-Mail on the BBS

The MicroHelp BBS supports e-mail. If you wish to post a message to us (or another user) on the BBS, simply type E <ENTER> to enter a new message. You will be prompted for a user name. Enter the name of the person who is to receive the message, or type SYSOP or Technical Support to post a general message to anyone at MicroHelp (including the president of  MicroHelp if you wish). Once you enter the name, you are prompted for a subject line. Enter whatever is appropriate. Next, you are asked for Message Security. Your options are N for none or R-O for Receiver Only. If you are posting a general question, please do not mark it R-O since other users may benefit from reading your question and our reply. If the topic of your question is personal or discusses a potentially sensitive topic (such as an on going BETA release) then please mark it R-O. Once you set the message security, you are ready to enter your message.

You can enter up to 99 lines of 76 column text per message. To save your message or make use of other edit options, press the ESC key and a menu will appear at the bottom of the editor. The following options are available.

E-Mail Options

Option	Description
A	Abort message. Aborts the current message entry and returns to the command prompt.
C	Continue message using the line-editor. Continue the message using the line-editor.
D	Delete a line. Enables you to delete any line by its line number. If you are using the full-screen editor, you can use CTRL-Y to delete the current line.
E	Edit a line. Enables you to edit any line in the message. Once the line number to edit has been entered, you are asked for the text to replace followed by a semicolon, and finally the replacement text. For example, if you want to replace the word halp with the word help, you would type halp;help. Editing text in the full-screen editor is even easier because you can move the cursor around and toggle insert/overwrite mode.
F	Edit message using the full-screen editor. Continue editing the message using the full-screen editor.
H	Help. Enables you to access on-line help for entering a message.
I	Insert a line. Enables you to insert lines after the line number specified. Each line is inserted one at a time. The insertion stops when you press R on a blank line. In the full-screen editor, you may use Ctrl-N to insert a new line in the message.
L	List current message. If you are using the line editor, you can list the current message showing all line numbers and the contents of the message by using this command. This command allows you to preview the message and obtain line numbers that you may want to modify.
Q	Quote message. When replying to a message you can quote from the original message to make the reply clearer. You may quote as many lines as desired. When prompted, enter the beginning and ending line number that you wish to quote. These lines are then brought into the message with each line being preceded by a > to show it is a quote. This command only works when the current message is a reply.
S	Save message. Once the message is complete it can be saved using this command. Once the message has been saved, you are returned to the command prompt.
SA	Save and attach a file. You can attach a file to a message. When a file is attached to a message, users that can read the message can also flag the file for download. Using this method, two or more individuals can share a file that might be relevant to the message being entered. When you attach a file, you will be asked for a protocol to use and also for the filename. If the transfer is successful, the file will be attached and the message will be saved. If the upload is not successful, you will be returned to the message command prompt.
SC	Carbon copy message. If a message needs to be sent to several people, you can use this command to copy the message to other users. When this command is executed, you are asked for the other users that the message should be addressed to. For each new addressee, a new message is saved with the same subject, message security, and message body.
SN	Save message and go to the next message. Normally when you save a reply to a message, you are returned to the message to which you were replying. If you do not want to return to the message and would like to continue with the next message, use this command to save the message.
U	Upload a message. To upload a prepared message into the message editor, use this command. Using this method, two or more individuals can share a file that might be relevant to the message being entered. When you attach a file, you will be asked for a protocol to use and also for the filename. If the transfer is successful, the file will be attached and the message will be saved. If the upload is not successful, you will be returned to the message command prompt.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Replying to an E-Mail Message

Before you can reply to e-mail you must first know how to read e-mail messages. To read messages, simply enter R A S. This stands for Read All Since and allows you to read all the messages since the last time you were on the BBS. After you type R A S , each new message from all conferences will be presented to you one at a time. If you want to read a particular e-mail message simply type R;{msg#} where msg# is the message number you want to read.

As you read through the mail, you may want to reply to a message. To reply to the currently displayed message, simply type RE at the command prompt. When replying to a message, it’s important to restate the topic. MicroHelp staff responds to hundreds of e-mail questions a day. It isn’t easy to keep track of all the conversations. The easiest way to restate the topic is by quoting the original message. When you select the Q (quote) option, the original message is displayed with line numbers. You can select the line numbers you wish to quote and the BBS will place these lines into your edit session. Each quoted line is preceded with a greater-than symbol >. For example...

TO: John

FROM: Bob

> How’s the weather in your neck of the woods

Could be better, but I’m not complaining.

> Did you ever get around that problem you were having.

Yep, The answer was right there the whole time<g>.

As you can see, the quote option keeps you from having to retype the whole topic. If your message deals with more than one party, you could go back and put initials in front of the > to keep track of who said what. (for example, use BF> instead of just >).

You will also find various symbols embedded in messages. The preceding message included <g> which means grin. Since it’s difficult to express your feeling electronically, there are dozens of commonly used symbols. A few symbols follow:

: )       A smiling face

: (       A sad face

; )       A sneer

%<     A pair of scissors

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Saving Time and Money

Logging Off


Saving Time and Money

You can imagine that reading e-mail while online can make the phone company rich! You can save a great deal of time, effort, and money if you invest in an offline mail reader.  An offline mail reader simply calls up a BBS, logs on, then requests that all unread mail be bundled, zipped, and downloaded. After downloading, you can logoff and read your mail at your leisure. You can reply to the mail much like you would if you were still online or compose new messages. When you’re done, the offline mail reader will dial the BBS, upload your mail packet, and merge it with the other mail messages. With an offline mail reader, you will be online for only a few minutes, not hours.

You can find a couple of shareware offline mail readers on the MicroHelp BBS. To download them, join the MAIN conference and view the number 1 File Directory (F;1).

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Logging Off


Logging Off

Once you have finished reading and sending e-mail, downloading and uploading files, and browsing the bulletins, you’ll need to logoff the BBS. There are many ways of doing this. The preferred method is to type G for goodbye. Of course you can use the less sophisticated method of hanging up using your communications software or the more radical method of jerking the phone wire out of the wall.

There are many commands available on the BBS that we have not discussed. For example, the BBS allows you can perform elaborate text searches for topics within a conference, or instead of reading ALL mail, you might only want to read your personal mail. Feel free to explore the BBS’s help files and experiment with the BBS. We aren’t going to throw you off and you certainly can’t hurt your system or ours. The BBS is a great tool that is freely available to you. Connect and enjoy.

Related Topics

The MicroHelp BBS

Connecting to the BBS

Logging On

Using the BBS

Understanding the BBS Architecture

Obtaining Product File Updates

Uploading Files to MicroHelp

Sending E-Mail on the BBS

Replying to an E-Mail Message

Saving Time and Money


What is Quick View Plus
What is Quick View Plus?

Quick View Plus is an add-on systems utility that significantly enhances the Quick View function in Windows 95 to give users almost unlimited file sharing and organizing capabilities. Both are based on award-winning Outside In viewer technology from Inso Corporation, the leader in viewing technology.

Quick View Plus is the “big brother” to Quick View as it enhances and expands Quick View’s functionality. In addition to the basic formatting features supported by Quick View, Quick View Plus adds support for such features as typeface, typesize, line spacing, embedded graphics and objects.  Whereas Quick View enables users to view files in about 30 of the most popular formats, Quick View Plus allows users not only to view files in over 200 formats, but also to copy and print them with full formatting intact. The ability to read and manipulate all popular word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation and graphic files, as well as PKZIP, without regard to their native format, greatly facilitates your ability to communicate and collaborate with others.

Take PowerDesk ExplorerPlus to new horizons.

When you use Quick View Plus in PowerDesk ExplorerPlus, you’ll have a powerful set of tools to keep your drives and folders organized:  easily preview and clean-up long-forgotten documents; take a quick look at files before recycling (deleting) them; copy, back-up, rename, move and E-mail files with confidence.

Once inside ExplorerPlus, simply right-click on any file name and choose the Quick View Plus option from the context menu. You’ll get an instant WYSIWYG view of the selected file in the View Window.

Communicate with anyone through Microsoft Exchange.

Imagine the ability to view, use and print any file, regardless of its source:  E-mail, networks, bulletin boards, online services—even the Internet.  Quick View Plus maximizes the power of Microsoft Exchange:  you’ll never get stuck with “garbage” attachments, or have E-mail attachments you can’t read, or be unsure of what you’re downloading. Access Quick View Plus in Microsoft Exchange by selecting Quick View—just right-click on the file and choose Quick View, then Yes in the Quick View dialog box. A Quick View Plus Window will open with the selected file displayed.

Find anything fast.

Quick View Plus adds real power to the Find command, enabling you to save time and be more productive. It’s the fastest way to view any file—you don’t have to launch an application first when all you need is a quick look. And, if you’re searching for a specific word or phrase, simply enter the text string as one of the parameters of your search: Quick View Plus will display the file at the point of the first occurrence with the particular text highlighted.

Print anything fast, too.

Quick View Plus enables you to print all or part of any file without running its application. You’ll get instant, fully formatted output with fonts, graphics, OLE objects and tables intact—even if you don’t have the program in which it was created.

More things to try using Quick View Plus:

View multiple files with ease. You can easily view multiple files with Quick View Plus without cluttering up your desktop by having to repeat the launch process. Using the drag & drop feature of Windows 95—often the quickest way to move files around—you can view one file after another in the same View Window. Simply select a file and drag the file representation graphic until it’s above the open Quick View Plus Window.

View and use embedded objects within your word processing files.  Quick View Plus supports embedded objects that were created through the Object Linking and Embedding(OLE) process.  Simply double-click on the object and a Quick View Plus Window will appear with its contents displayed.

Copy all or parts of files—graphics, too. Quick View Plus enables you to copy files, including DOS and Macintosh files, with full formatting intact, and paste them into any Windows word processing or presentation program:  easily grab pieces of several documents or graphic files to build new ones without wasting time launching applications. You can use Quick View Plus to re-size and crop graphic files, too.

View ZIP files in an instant. Quick View Plus supports PKZIP files, enabling you to view, search and move individual files within an archive easily without unzipping the entire file. Quickly view the contents of an archived file as you would any other with Quick View Plus. Individual files can then be unzipped for viewing, copying or printing.

Related Topics

     How to Contact Inso Corporation

     Formats Supported by Quick View Plus


Inso Corporation and Ordering Quick View Plus
How to contact Inso Corporation:

Mail

     401 North Wabash

     Suite 600

     Chicago, IL 60611

Phone

     Support:  	312.527.HELP

     General:  	312.329.0700

     Toll-Free (U.S. and Canada only):  800.333.1395

Fax

     (312) 670-0820

CompuServe

     72662,67

Internet

     supportchi@inso.com

     saleschi@inso.com

How to acquire Quick View Plus:

Quick View Plus is available wherever you buy software. Or, you can contact Inso Corporation directly at one of the numbers listed above. The estimated street price is $49.

Related Topics

     What is Quick View Plus

     Formats Supported by Quick View Plus


Formats supported by Quick View Plus

Document formats

Ami / Ami Professional	Versions through 3.1
DEC WPS Plus (DX)	Versions through 4.1
DisplayWrite 2 & 3 (TXT)	All versions
DisplayWrite 4 & 5	Versions through Release 2.0
Enable	Versions 3.0, 4.0 and 4.5
First Choice	Versions through 3.0
Framework	Version 3.0
HTML (Internet World Wide Web)	Versions through 3.0
IBM FFT	All versions
IBM Revisable Form Text	All versions
IBM Writing Assistant	Version 1.01
JustWrite	Versions through 3.0
Legacy	Versions through 1.1
MacWrite II	Version 1.1
Manuscript	Version 2.0
MASS11	Versions through 8.0
Microsoft Rich Text Format	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Windows Write	Versions through 3.0
Microsoft Word for DOS	Versions through 6.0
Microsoft Word for Macintosh	Versions 4.0 through 6.0
Microsoft Word for Windows	Versions through 7.0
Microsoft Works for DOS	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Works for Macintosh	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Works for Windows	Versions through 4.0
MultiMate	Versions through 4.0
Navy DIF	All versions
Nota Bene	Version 3.0
Office Writer	Version 4.0 to 6.0
PC-File Letter	Versions through 5.0
PC-File+ Letter	Versions through 3.0
PFS:Write	Versions A, B, and C
Plain Text (including ASCII, ANSI, Unicode)	n/a
Plain Text with UUEncoded objects	n/a
Professional Write	Versions through 2.1
Professional Write Plus	Version 1.0
Q&A	Version 2.0
Q&A Write for Windows	Version 3.0
Samna Word	Versions through Samna Word IV+
SmartWare II	Version 1.02
Sprint	Versions through 1.0
Total Word	Version 1.2
Volkswriter 3 & 4	Versions through 1.0
Wang PC (IWP)	Versions through 2.6
WordMARC	Versions through Composer Plus
WordPerfect	Versions through 6.1
WordPerfect for Macintosh	Versions 1.02 through 3.0
WordPerfect for Windows	Versions through 6.1
WordStar	Versions through 7.0
WordStar 2000	Versions through 3.0
WordStar for Windows	Version 1.0
XyWrite	Versions through III Plus
Spreadsheet formats

Enable	Versions 3.0, 4.0 and 4.5
First Choice	Versions through 3.0
Framework	Version 3.0
Lotus 1-2-3 Charts for DOS & Windows	Versions through 5.0
Lotus 1-2-3 Charts for OS/2	Versions through 2.0
Lotus 1-2-3 for DOS & Windows	Versions through 5.0
Lotus 1-2-3 for OS/2	Versions through 2.0
Lotus Symphony	Versions 1.0,1.1 and 2.0
Microsoft Excel Charts	Versions 3.0 - 7.0
Microsoft Excel for Macintosh	Versions 3.0 - 4.0
Microsoft Excel for Windows	Versions 2.2 through 7.0
Microsoft Multiplan	Version 4.0
Microsoft Works for DOS	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Works for Macintosh	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Works for Windows	Versions through 4.0
Mosaic Twin	Version 2.5
PFS:Professional Plan	Version 1.0
QuattroPro for DOS	Versions through 5.0
QuattroPro for Windows	Versions through 6.0
SmartWare II	Version 1.02
SuperCalc 5	Version 4.0
VP Planner 3D	Version 1.0
Database formats

Access	Versions through 2.0
DataEase	Version 4.0
dBASE	Versions through 5.0
dBXL	Version 1.3
Enable	Versions 3.0, 4.0 and 4.5
First Choice	Versions through 3.0
FoxBase	Version 2.1
Framework	Version 3.0
Microsoft Works for DOS	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Works for Macintosh	Versions through 2.0
Microsoft Works for Windows	Versions through 4.0
Paradox for DOS	Versions through 4.0
Paradox for Windows	Versions through 1.0
Personal R:BASE	Version 1.0
Q & A	Versions through 2.0
R:BASE	Versions through 3.1
R:BASE System V	Version 1.0
Reflex	Version 2.0
SmartWare II	Version 1.02
Graphic formats

Ami Draw (SDW)	n/a
AutoCAD DXF (Binary and ASCII)	Versions 12 and 13
Binary Group 3 Fax	All versions
CompuServe GIF	All versions
Computer Graphics Metafile	n/a
Corel Draw (TIFF header only)	Versions 2.0 through 5.0
DCX (multi-page PCX)	n/a
Encapsulated PostScript (TIFF header only)	n/a
GEM Paint (IMG)	n/a
HPGL Hewlett Packard Graphics Language	Version 2
JPEG	All versions
Lotus PIC	n/a
Lotus Snapshot	All versions
Macintosh PICT1 & PICT2 (Bitmap only)	n/a
MacPaint	n/a
Micrografx Designer and Draw (DRW)	Versions through 4.0
OS/2 Bitmap	All versions
PCX (Paintbrush)	All versions
TIFF	Versions through 6
TIFF CCITT Group 3 & 4	Verisons through 6
Truevision TGA (TARGA)	Version 2.0
Windows Bitmap	All versions
Windows Cursor	All versions
Windows Icon	All verisons
Windows Metafile	Versions through 3.1
WordPerfect Graphics [WPG and WPG2]	Versions through 2.0
Presentation formats

Freelance for OS/2	Versions through 2.0
Freelance for Windows	Version 2.0
Harvard Graphics for DOS	Versions 2.x & 3.x
Microsoft PowerPoint for Macintosh	Version 4.0
Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows	Versions through 7.0
Compressed and Collection formats

Microsoft Binder	Version 7.0
Unix Compress	n/a
Unix TAR	n/a
ZIP	PKWARE versions through 2.04g
Other formats

DOS EXE	All versions
Windows 16bit EXE or DLL	All versions
Windows 32bit EXE or DLL	All versions
Related Topics

     What is Quick View Plus

     How to Contact Inso Corporation


Understanding Files

A file is the most fundamental unit of storage on your computer. Files are used by your computer to distinguish between sets of information. A file can contain any type of data ranging from a word processing document to a graphical image.

Each file on your system has a name and an extension. The name of the file is arbitrary and usually assigned by the person or application creating the file. In Windows 95, the name of a file can extend to 256 characters and can include spaces. In previous versions of Windows, the file name was limited to 8 characters.

The file extension is used to identify the file type. For example, executable files have the .EXE file extension, document files often have the .DOC file extension, and bitmap files have the .BMP file extension. In Windows 95, the operating system automatically handles the file extension. You have the option of specifying file extensions if you want; however, the file extension is not as obvious or significant as in previous versions of Windows. The file extension for a file is typically three characters.

Related Topics

Understanding Folders

Understanding Drives

Understanding Shortcuts


Understanding Folders

Files are stored as groups in folders. For those of you familiar with previous versions of Windows, a folder is the same as a directory. Most applications store application files in a dedicated folder. Although most folders are created by applications, you can create your own folders for storing data files that you create.

You will often find that folders contain other folders. You can create a complex hierarchy of folders with one folder containing additional folders which, in turn, contain additional folders, which in turn, contain additional folders - you get the point.

Related Topics

Understanding Files

Understanding Drives

Understanding Shortcuts


Understanding Drives

Folders and files are stored on drives. Drives are associated with disks. A disk is a flat, circular piece of metal or plastic that is used to store data. The most common types of disks are the hard disk, the floppy disk, and the compact disc.

Hard disks are usually permanently mounted to a drive and stored internally in the computer. Floppy disks are usually 3.5” or 5.25” in diameter and enclosed in plastic sleeves or cases. These disks can be removed from the drive and are easily transported between computer systems. Compact discs are pieces of hard plastic that can store large amounts of data. Most compact discs are read-only (you can’t write data to them). As with floppy disks, compact discs can easily be transported from system to system.

Each disk on your system is associated with a letter. For example, your floppy disk is typically referenced as disk A and your hard disk is referenced as disk C. In addition to a letter, your computer associates a volume label with each disk. A volume label, or label for short, is a textual description associated with a disk.

Related Topics

Understanding Files

Understanding Folders

Understanding Shortcuts


Understanding Shortcuts

Windows 95 introduces a new concept called shortcuts. A shortcut is a quick, easy way to access the items that you use most often. You can create shortcuts in ExplorerPlus to any item on your system including drives, files, folders, printers, documents and more. You can place shortcuts anywhere including the Desktop, in My Computer, on a drive, or in a folder.

The following is an example of a shortcut. Assume you use Microsoft Word frequently. It would be convenient to have a shortcut to Microsoft Word on your Desktop. You can add a shortcut by simply right-clicking on the Microsoft Word application (use ExplorerPlus to find it) and selecting the Create Shortcut menu item from the popup menu. A shortcut will be created in the folder containing the Microsoft Word application called Shortcut to Microsoft Word. From ExplorerPlus, simply drag the shortcut to the Desktop and you’re done. Once you have a shortcut to an application, you can double-click the shortcut to launch the program or drag a file to the icon to open it.

Related Topics

Understanding Files

Understanding Folders

Understanding Drives


Displaying the Contents of a Drive

When you start ExplorerPlus, the Tree List typically contains the Desktop as the Tree Root with My Computer expanded to the drive level. To view the contents of a drive, click on the drive icon in the Tree List or double-click the drive icon in the File List. The contents of the drive will be displayed in the File List.

If you want to expand a drive in the Tree List, double-click on the drive icon in the Tree List or single-click on the [image] icon in front of the drive. The folders contained on the drive will be displayed beneath the drive. To collapse the drive (hide the contents) double-click the drive icon in the Tree List or single-click on the [image] icon in front of the drive.

If you want to display the contents of a drive without selecting the drive in the Tree List, select Disk | Select Drive. The Select Drive dialog will be displayed.

Select the drive you want to view from Drives and click OK. The selected drive will be selected in the Tree List and the contents of the drive will be displayed in the File List.

If you have the Drivebar enabled, you can also select a drive by clicking on the appropriate icon in the Drivebar. The drive will be selected in the Tree List and its contents will be displayed in the File List.

Related Topics

Displaying the Contents of a Folder

Displaying the Contents of a File


Displaying the Contents of a Folder

When you select a drive, the contents of the drive are displayed in the File List. The contents of a drive include folders and files. You can view the contents of a folder (usually files and, sometimes, more folders) by selecting the folder from the Tree List or the File List.

To view the contents of a folder using the Tree List, expand the drive that contains the folder. If the folder you want to view is contained within another folder, you must also expand the higher-level folder. You expand a folder in the Tree List the same way that you expand a drive in the Tree List. Click on the [image] icon to expand the folder and the [image] icon to collapse the folder. Once the folder is in view, select the folder in the Tree List by clicking on it. The contents of the folder will be displayed in the File List.

To view the contents of a folder displayed in the File List, double-click on the folder in the File List. The folder will automatically be displayed and selected in the Tree List (the appropriate drive and folders will be expanded if necessary) and the contents of the folder will be displayed in the File List.

ExplorerPlus provides a shortcut to opening and viewing the contents of a folder with the Go To Folder dialog. To quickly go to a folder without having to navigate through the Tree List or File List, select Tools | Go to. The Go To Folder dialog allows you to enter the path of the folder you want to view. Enter the path to the folder and click OK. The Tree List will be automatically updated to display and select the folder (the drive and folder will be expanded if necessary). The File List will display the contents of the specified folder.

Related Topics

Displaying the Contents of a Drive

Displaying the Contents of a File


Displaying the Contents of a File

The File List displays the files and folders contained in the drive or folder selected in the Tree List. To view the contents of a file in the File List, select the file by clicking on the file. Select File | Open.

If the selected file has an association with an application, the associated application will be started and the selected file will be opened in the associated application. Otherwise, the Open With dialog will be displayed. In the Open With dialog, you can select the application that you want to use to open the file or enter the path to an application. When you choose OK, the specified application is started and the file you selected in the File List is opened.

As an alternative to selecting Open in the File menu to view a file, you can right-click on a file in the File List and select Open or Open With from the popup menu.

ExplorerPlus also supports Quick View, a feature found in Windows 95.

Related Topics

Displaying the Contents of a Drive

Displaying the Contents of a Folder


Understanding File Operations

Most of the fundamental uses for ExplorerPlus involve file operations. File operations manipulate files and folders on your system. This includes copying and moving files and folders, deleting files and folders, and viewing or modifying file and folder attributes.

Related Topics

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Selecting Files and Folders

The File List displays the contents of the selected item in the Tree List. The File List typically contains a list of files and folders. During file operations, you will need to select one or more files and/or folders. To select a single file or folder, simply click on the file or folder in the File List.

ExplorerPlus also allows you to select more than one file and/or folder from the File List. The selection can be contiguous or disjoint. A contiguous selection means the selected items are in a single, sequential block with no breaks in the selection. A disjoint selection means the selected items are not sequential (selections can be made in any combination).

You can make contiguous and disjoint selections with the keyboard or the mouse. To make a contiguous selection with the mouse, click on the first item to select. Next, press and hold the Shift key, then click the last item to select. All items between and including the first item and the last item will be selected.

To make a disjoint selection with the mouse, press and hold the Ctrl key. Click on any item you want to add to the selection.

You can also select a block of files by clicking the mouse button and dragging the selection rectangle to surround the files you want to select.

To make a contiguous selection with the keyboard, place the focus on the list box using either the accelerator for the list box or the Tab key. Move the focus rectangle to the first item to select with the arrow keys. Press and hold the Shift key. Use the arrow keys to extend the selection to the last item to select. All items between and including the first and last item will be selected.

ExplorerPlus also provides the Select dialog for selecting any file or subset of files in the File List. To display the Select dialog, choose Edit | Select. The Select dialog will be displayed. The Select dialog contains the following options:

File(s) or Item(s):  You can enter a specific file or folder name in this field. You can also enter a file specification (*.*, *.DOC, etc).

Include Folders:  If checked, folders will be included in the selection. Otherwise, folders are excluded.

Case Sensitive:  When checked, the File List is searched for exact matches of the file name or file specification in File(s) or Item(s).

Attributes:  These checkboxes allow you to specify the type of files that will be selected. When an attribute type is checked, files that have that particular attribute may be included in the selection. The attribute types include Archive, Read-Only, Hidden, and System. These attributes are described in Changing File and Folder Attributes.

To select files with the Select dialog, enter the appropriate file name or file specification (*.*, *.DOC, etc). Make the appropriate selections from the available checkboxes. Click Select to select the files or Deselect to deselect the files. The specified file(s) will be selected or deselected in the File List.

Use the Edit | Select All menu item to select all the items in the File List.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Opening a File or Running a Program

You can open a file or run a program directly from the File List. To do this, double-click the file you want to open or run. If the file is an application file, the application will be started. If the file is a document file, the application that is associated with that type of document file will be started and the document file will be opened. If you double-click on a document file and no application is associated with that type of document, you will be prompted to select an application to open the file.

You can also use the ExplorerPlus menus to open a file or run an application. First select one or more files to open or run. Next, select File | Open. The selected file(s) will be opened. The Open With dialog will be displayed if no association is defined for a selected file.

To quickly open a file or run an application, right-click on the file in the File List. Choose the Open or Open With menu item in the popup menu. The top menu item in the popup menu will be Open if the selected item has an association; otherwise, the top menu item will be Open With.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Copying or Moving Files and Folders

The most common file operations are copying and moving files and folders. ExplorerPlus provides several ways for you to copy and move files: Drag-and-Drop, Cut-Copy-Paste, Copy To, Move To, and Send To.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Drag-and-Drop

Drag-and-Drop operations are the easiest way to move or copy files and folders. To perform a drag-and-drop move or copy operation, make sure the source files/folders and destination folder are visible in the Tree List and File List. The easiest way to perform drag-and-drop operations are between the Tree List and File List with the source file located in the File List and the destination folder located in the Tree List. Once the source files/folders and destination folder are in view, select the files/folders you want to move or copy from the File List. Click the left mouse button on the selected files/folders. Hold the mouse button down and drag the items to the destination folder. Release the mouse button.

The action performed (copy or move) depends on the destination folder. If you drag a file/folder to a location on the same disk, the selected items are moved. If you drag a file/folder to a location on another disk, the selected items are copied.

The following keys can be used in combination with drag-and-drop operations to specify the action to perform.

SHIFT

Moves the file regardless of the destination location.

CTRL

Copies the file regardless of the destination location.

CTRL+SHIFT

Creates a shortcut.

If want to control the action performed by the drag-and-drop operation, use the right mouse button (versus the left mouse as in the previous paragraphs) to drag-and-drop. When you drop the items, a popup menu (similar to the following) will be displayed that allows you to pick the action to perform - move, copy, or create shortcut.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Copying or Moving Files and Folders


Cut-Copy-Paste

The Cut-and-Paste method is used to move a file or folder from one location to another. The Copy-and-Paste method is used to copy a file or folder from one location to another.

To move a file or folder, select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to move using the File List. Select Edit | Cut or press Ctrl+X. Select the destination drive and/or folder in the Tree List. Select Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V.

To copy a file or folder, select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to copy in the File List. Select Edit | Copy or press Ctrl+C. Select the destination drive and/or folder in the Tree List. Select Edit | Paste or press Ctrl+V.

The Cut-and-Paste and Copy-and-Paste methods of moving and copying files can also be accomplished using the popup menus. Once you have selected the files to move or copy, click the right mouse button while the mouse pointer is over the selection. Choose the appropriate menu item, Cut or Copy. Right-click on the destination drive or folder, then choose Paste to complete the copy or move operation.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Copying or Moving Files and Folders


Copy To

ExplorerPlus provides another way to copy files via the Copy to menu item. To use this method, first select the files/folders from the File List that you want to copy. Select File | Copy to from the menu bar. The Copy to dialog will be displayed. The selected files are displayed at the top of the dialog. Simply enter the destination path and click OK to copy the files. If you don’t know the destination path, you can click the Browse button to display a Browse dialog that allows you select the destination drive and folder. This method of copying files is similar to the functionality found in the File Manager provided with previous versions of Windows.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Copying or Moving Files and Folders


Move To

ExplorerPlus provides the Move to menu item as an alternative method for moving files. To move files with this method, first select the files/folders from the File List that you want to move. Select File | Move to from the menu bar. The Move to dialog will be displayed. The selected files are displayed at the top of the dialog. Simply enter the destination path and click OK to move the files. If you don’t know the destination path, you can click the Browse button to display a Browse dialog that allows you select the destination drive and folder. This method of moving files is similar to the functionality found in the File Manager provided with previous versions of Windows.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Copying or Moving Files and Folders


Send To

The Send To menu item allows you to send a file or folder to a floppy drive, printer, mail system, or some other destination. To send a file or folder, locate the file or folder in the File List. Right-click on the file or folder and select the Send To menu item. The Send To menu item displays a submenu of the available destinations.

If you have an electronic mail package on your system, you will have the option of mailing the file or folder through your electronic mail package. The submenu for the Send To menu item will also list the available floppy drives. If you select a floppy drive from the submenu, the file or folder is copied to the floppy drive.

You can add destinations to the Send To submenu. To do this, simply add shortcuts for the destination drive, folder, printer, fax, or electronic mail package to the Send To folder located in your Windows 95 folder. Once you have added the shortcut to the Send To folder, a corresponding menu item will appear in the Send To submenu.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Copying or Moving Files and Folders


Creating a Shortcut

Shortcuts are items that provide quick access to any object including files, applications, folders, system resources, network resources, Control Panel tools, and drives. You can place shortcuts anywhere in Windows 95 - on the Desktop, in My Computer, in a folder, on a network drive, and more.

Shortcuts are simply pointers to the associated objects. The most common use for shortcuts is for quickly accessing applications from the desktop. Shortcuts to an object look similar to the actual icons used for that object. However, shortcuts have a small arrow in the lower-left corner.

ExplorerPlus allows you to create a shortcut for any object you can select in the File List. To create a shortcut, select the appropriate item(s). Select File | Create Shortcut. The shortcut to the selected item(s) will be created. Once you create a shortcut, you can move it to any location you want including the Desktop.

You can also create a shortcut by right-clicking on an item in the File List and selecting the Create Shortcut menu item.

Shortcuts can also be created through drag-and-drop operations. Before you create a shortcut with drag-and-drop, make sure both the source item and destination location are in view in ExplorerPlus. Click and hold the right mouse button on the source item. Next, drag the item to the destination location and release the mouse button. Select Create Shortcut(s) Here from the popup menu to create a shortcut at the destination location.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Creating a New Folder

You will often need to create a new folder to store your applications and data files. To create a folder with ExplorerPlus, select File | Create Folder. The Create Folder dialog will be displayed. This dialog allows you to create a new folder in the specified location. The Create Folder dialog contains the following items:

Current Folder:  This lists the destination location for the new folder. By default, the current folder is listed.

New Folder:  Enter the name of the new folder here. Any valid folder name can be used.

To create a new folder, enter the name of the new folder and click OK. The new folder will be placed in the current folder (if no path is specified).

You can also create a new folder by right clicking on the background of the File List. Select the Create Folder menu item from the popup menu. The Create Folder dialog will be displayed.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Deleting Files and Folders

Without a doubt, you will eventually need to delete files and folders from your system. ExplorerPlus allows you to Delete to the Recycle Bin or perform a Permanent Delete which bypasses the Recycle Bin.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Delete to Recycle Bin

The standard for delete operations in Windows 95 is to place all deleted items in the Recycle Bin. This way you can recover any item that you delete.

To delete items and have them placed in the Recycle Bin, display and select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to delete from the File List or Tree List. Select File | Delete (Recycle) or press Del. The selected items will be placed in the Recycle Bin.

To remove all items from the Recycle Bin, select Tools | Empty Recycle Bin. All items in the Recycle Bin will be permanently removed from your system.

To restore items from the Recycle Bin, select the Recycle Bin in the Tree List. Move the items you want to recover from the Recycle Bin to their appropriate location. You can also right-click on an item in the Recycle Bin and select Restore from the popup menu to return the item to its original location.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Deleting Files and Folders


Permanent Delete

Sometimes you will want to permanently delete a file and bypass the Recycle Bin. To permanently delete a file, display and select the file(s) and/or folder(s) you want to delete from the File List or Tree List. Select File | Delete or press Shift+Del.

Note:  	Be careful when using this option since the selected items will be deleted immediately and cannot be recovered from the Recycle Bin.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Deleting Files and Folders


Renaming Files and Folders

You can rename any file or folder on your system using ExplorerPlus. To rename a file or folder, select a file in the File List or a folder in the File List or Tree List. Select File | Rename. The focus rectangle around the selected file or folder name will be changed to an edit field (the dashed rectangle will be replaced by a solid rectangle). Simply type the new name for the file or folder. The text you enter will replace the current name. Press Enter after typing the new name.

You can use the mouse to select the file name and change the focus rectangle to an edit field. First, single click on the item you want to rename, pause for approximately 1 second, then single click the name of the item. The mouse pointer should change to a text (I-Beam) pointer. Enter the new name and press Enter.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Displaying File and Folder Properties

It is often necessary to determine specific information about a file or folder. File and folder properties provide information about the file or folder such as the creation date, the size of the items, item attributes (read-only, system, hidden and archive), version information and more. ExplorerPlus allows you to view detailed property information about any file or folder.

To view property information, select a file or folder. Select File | Properties. The Properties dialog will be displayed. The information displayed in the Properties dialog depends on the type of file or folder selected.

The Properties dialog can also be invoked from the ExplorerPlus popup menus. Right-click on a file or folder and select the Properties menu item. The Properties dialog will display the appropriate information for the selected item.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Changing File and Folder Attributes

Files and folders have four common attributes associated with them: read-only, archive, hidden, and system. These attributes are used by Windows 95 to determine what actions can be performed on the file or folder. The Properties dialog displays the file and folder attributes.

The read-only attribute determines whether information can be written to the file or folder. When the read-only attribute is set, as indicated by a check in the Properties dialog, no data can be written to the file or folder. Information can be read or extracted from the files, but no data can be written. This is useful to ensure that a file or folder cannot be corrupted.

The archive attribute is most commonly used by backup and archiving utilities. You will find that most files and folders, by default, have the archive attribute set as indicated by a check in the Properties dialog. However, backup and archiving utilities will often toggle this attribute during backup operations. By toggling this attribute, the utility is able to determine which files have been modified since the last backup.

The hidden attribute determines whether a file is listed through the DOS DIR command or visible to most applications. When this attribute is set, as indicated by a check in the Properties dialog, most applications will not list the file or folder in its dialogs.

The system attribute indicates whether a file is a system file. System files are critical to the proper operation of the system. Most files are not system files.

To change the attributes of a file or folder, display the Properties dialog for the appropriate file or folder. Set the appropriate attributes by clicking on the associated check boxes. Click OK after you have set the appropriate attributes.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Printing Associated Files

ExplorerPlus supports the printing of any file that has a file association. Windows 95 uses associations to associate various types of files with applications. For example, bitmap (.BMP) files are usually associated with the PaintBrush application provided with Windows 95. Similarly, text (.TXT) files are associated with the Notepad application and Write (.WRI) files are associated with the WordPad application. Depending on the applications installed on your system, you can have many different types of associations to almost every type of file found on your system.

ExplorerPlus takes advantage of file associations to view and print files.To print a file that has an association, select the file you want to print from the File List. Select File | Print File(s). ExplorerPlus will automatically launch the association and print the selected file using the association. You can also print a file by right-clicking on the file in the File List and selecting Print from the popup menu.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing the File List

Mailing a File


Printing the File List

In addition to printing files, you can print the contents of the File List. To print the contents of the File List, select File | Print List. The standard Print dialog for your printer will be displayed. Make the appropriate selections from this standard Print dialog and choose OK.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Mailing a File


Mailing a File

ExplorerPlus allows you to e-mail a file if your system has a properly installed and configured e-mail package. The Send menu item allows you to send files via electronic mail. To send a file, locate and select the file in the File List. The file you want to send must have the focus as indicated by the dashed rectangle around the file name. Select File | Send. The standard dialog for your electronic mail package will be displayed. Use this dialog to send your file.

Note:  	The Send menu item is only available if your system contains a properly installed and configured electronic mail package.

Related Topics

Understanding File Operations

Selecting Files and Folders

Opening a File or Running a Program

Copying or Moving Files and Folders

Creating a Shortcut

Creating a New Folder

Deleting Files and Folders

Renaming Files and Folders

Displaying File and Folder Properties

Changing File and Folder Attributes

Printing Associated Files

Printing the File List


Understanding Disk Operations

Computers store information on disks. There are many types of disks (floppy, hard, CD-ROM, and so forth) using different types of storage technologies (magnetic, optical, and so forth).

Your computer associates a letter with each disk. For example, your floppy disk is typically referenced as disk A and your hard disk is referenced as disk C. In addition to a letter, your computer associates a volume label with each disk. A volume label, or label for short, is a textual description associated with a disk.

If you used Window 3.1 or DOS prior to Windows 95, you are accustomed to referring to disks by their letter. With Windows 95, however, the volume label is commonly used to identify a disk. ExplorerPlus makes it easy to work with disks by either their letter or label.

Common disk operations include copying a floppy disk, labeling a disk, formatting a disk, and selecting a drive.

Related Topics

Understanding Disk Operations

Copying a Floppy Disk

Labeling a Disk

Formatting a Disk

Selecting a Drive

Creating a Rescue/Startup Disk


Copying a Floppy Disk

ExplorerPlus makes it easy to duplicate a floppy disk. With ExplorerPlus, you can even copy a floppy disk if you have only one floppy drive on your computer.

To copy a floppy disk, insert the disk you want to copy into the appropriate drive. Select Disk | Copy Disk. The Copy Disk dialog will be displayed. You can also display the Copy Disk dialog by right-clicking on the floppy drive in the File List or Tree List, then selecting Copy Disk from the popup menu.

Select the source drive in the Copy from list. Select the destination drive in the Copy to list. The source and destination drive can be the same drive. Choose the Start button once you have selected the destination and source drive.

ExplorerPlus will begin the process by copying the source disk. If the source and destination drive are the same, you will be prompted to insert the destination floppy disk. You will be provided with feedback during the disk copy process.

When you are copying disks, remember the following:

You can only use Copy Disk for floppy disks.

The source and destination disk must of the same size and capacity. The size refers to 3.5” or 5.25”. The capacity refers to the formatted capacity (360K, 1.2MB, 720K, or 1.44MB). Copy Disk will fail if the size and capacities of the source and destination disks are not the same.

Any previous information contained on the destination disk is deleted during the Copy Disk process.

Related Topics

Understanding Disk Operations

Labeling a Disk

Formatting a Disk

Selecting a Drive

Creating a Rescue/Startup Disk


Labeling a Disk

ExplorerPlus allows you to add or edit the label for local disks on your system (floppy and hard drives). To add or edit a disk label, select Disk | Label Disk. The Label Disk dialog will be displayed. Select the drive containing the disk you want to label and click OK.

The Properties dialog for the selected disk will be displayed. This dialog displays various information about the selected drive and allows you to view and modify the label for the mounted disk in the selected drive. To change the label, enter the new name and click OK.

Tip:	You can bypass the Label Disk dialog and go directly to the Properties dialog by right-clicking on the appropriate drive in the Tree List or File List and selecting the Properties menu item in the popup menu.

Note:	Since you can’t write to a CD-ROM, you cannot change the label of a CD-ROM. ExplorerPlus does not allow you to modify the label for network drives since these are shared resources.

Related Topics

Understanding Disk Operations

Copying a Floppy Disk

Formatting a Disk

Selecting a Drive

Creating a Rescue/Startup Disk


Formatting a Disk

ExplorerPlus allows you to format your local floppy and hard disks. To format a disk, select Disk | Format Disk. The Format Disk dialog will be displayed. Select the disk you want to format and click OK.

If you select a floppy disk, the Format dialog will be displayed. Select the appropriate format capacity for the disk from the Capacity drop-down list. Use the highest capacity supported by the disk. Select from the following Format Type options:

Quick (erase): You can only use this option if the disk has been previously formatted. This option deletes all information on the disk and is faster than a full format. This operation does not verify the disk.

Full: Completely formats and verifies the disk. Any data that exists on the disk is destroyed during the formatting process.

Copy system files only: Copies system files to the disk without formatting or erasing the files that exist on the disk. The formatted disk can be used to boot your system.

Once you have selected the appropriate Format Type option, enter the label for the disk in the Label field. Although you don't have to enter a label for the disk, it is a good idea to label all your disks.

Next, check any or all of the following formatting options:

No Label: If checked, the Label field is disabled and the disk will not contain a label.

Display summary when finished: If checked, summary information is displayed that describes the results of the format process. This information includes the amount of available space on the disk and the amount of space occupied by data and bad sectors.

Copy system files: If checked, system files are copied to the disk after the disk is formatted. This allows the disk to be used to boot your system.

Once you have made your selections, choose the Start button to format the disk.

ExplorerPlus also provides the Format menu item in the right-click popup menus. When you right-click on a drive, you can invoke the Format Disk dialog by selecting the Format menu item from the popup menu.

Related Topics

Understanding Disk Operations

Copying a Floppy Disk

Labeling a Disk

Selecting a Drive

Creating a Rescue/Startup Disk


Selecting a Drive

ExplorerPlus provides the Select Drive dialog as a quick, convenient way to select a drive. This dialog allows you to bypass the higher levels in the Tree List and go directly to the drive of your choice.

To select a drive, select Disk | Select Drive from the ExplorerPlus menu. The Select Drive dialog is displayed. Select a drive and choose OK. The drive you selected in the Select Drive dialog will be selected in the Tree List. The contents of the drive will be displayed in the File List.

You can also select a drive with the ExplorerPlus Drivebar (if enabled). To select a drive from the Drivebar, simply click on the appropriate icon for the drive you want to select. The drive selected from the Drivebar will be selected and displayed in the Tree List. The contents of the selected drive will be displayed in the File List.

Related Topics

Understanding Disk Operations

Copying a Floppy Disk

Labeling a Disk

Formatting a Disk

Creating a Rescue/Startup Disk


Creating a Rescue/Startup Disk

You can never be too careful. Installing and uninstalling applications, configuring your computer, and adding hardware can lead to serious problems with Windows 95. ExplorerPlus makes it easy to play it safe by allowing you to create a Rescue/Startup Disk. The Rescue/Startup Disk can be used in times of emergency (your system just crashed) to boot your system, run diagnostics, and fix problems.

To create a Rescue/Startup Disk, select Disk | Create Rescue/Startup Disk. The Startup Disk tab of the Add/Remove Program Properties dialog will be displayed. Choose the Create Disk button to create your Rescue/Startup Disk. The following files are copied to the Rescue/Startup Disk.

Files
ATTRIB.EXE	CHKDSK.EXE	COMMAND.COM	DEBUG.EXE
DRVSPACE.BIN	EBD.SYS	EDIT.COM	FDISK.EXE
FORMAT.COM	IO.SYS	MSDOS.SYS	REGEDIT.EXE
SCANDISK.EXE	SCANDISK.INI	SYS.COM	UNINSTAL.EXE

Related Topics

Understanding Disk Operations

Copying a Floppy Disk

Labeling a Disk

Formatting a Disk

Selecting a Drive


Understanding Network Drive Operations

Windows 95 supports network operations that include the sharing of drives and folders. If your computer is connected to a Microsoft Network or NetWare network, you can connect to network drives, connect to shared folders on other computers, and share your folders with other computers all from ExplorerPlus.

Note:	The information presented in the related topics applies only to ExplorerPlus applications running on systems that are connected to a network. If you are running ExplorerPlus on a system that is not networked, the procedures presented in these topics will not be available.

Related Topics

Configuring Sharing Services

Mapping a Network Drive

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Configuring Sharing Services

Before you can take advantage of the drive, file, and printer sharing features of Windows 95, you must first enable the sharing services. If you have not enabled the sharing services, you cannot take advantage of the sharing features offered in ExplorerPlus.

If you are connected to a Microsoft Network or NetWare network, you can enable the sharing services by opening the Control Panel. You can open the Control Panel from the ExplorerPlus Tree List or from Start | Settings | Control Panel on the Windows 95 TaskBar.

Once you have opened the Control Panel, double-click on the Network icon. The Network dialog will be displayed. Choose the File and Print Sharing button on the Configuration tab. The File and Print Sharing dialog will be displayed. Check the appropriate checkboxes. At a minimum, you should give others access to your files if you want to share one or more of your folders with other users on the network. Click OK to close the File and Print Sharing dialog.

Once the File and Print Sharing dialog is closed, select the Access Control tab of the Network dialog. This tab allows you to specify the level of access that you want to provide for your shared folders. If you select the Share-level access control option button, any user that wants to connect to your shared folder must know and use the password that you specify for the shared folder. If you select User-level access control, only the users that you specify can access your shared resources. Click OK to close the Network dialog.

After setting the sharing services, you can access and set the sharing options for your local drives and folders from ExplorerPlus. You can verify that your system has been properly configured for resource sharing by simply going to the ExplorerPlus Tree List and right-clicking on a local drive. If the popup menu contains the Sharing menu item, you can use ExplorerPlus to configure the sharing options.

Note:	If you have network access but do not get the Sharing menu item when you right-click on a local drive, contact your network administrator for assistance in configuring your system for sharing services.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Mapping a Network Drive

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Mapping a Network Drive

When you are connected to a network, you can access other drives. To connect to a network drive, you have to first map the network drive to an unused drive letter on your system. You can do this with the Map Network Drive dialog.

To display the Map Network Drive dialog, select Disk | Map Network Drive from the ExplorerPlus menu bar. The Map Network Drive dialog contains the following options:

Drive:  Specifies the drive letter you want to associate with the network drive. This letter is mapped to the network drive. By default, the next available drive letter is selected.

Path:  Specifies the path of the network drive. The path is usually specified using the following format:

         \\computername\foldername

You may need to contact your network administrator for the proper path to specify in this field.

Reconnect at logon:  When checked, the mapped drive will automatically be connected every time Windows 95 is started.

Once you have made the appropriate selections and entries in the Map Network Drive dialog, choose the OK button. ExplorerPlus will attempt to map the specified network drive. If ExplorerPlus indicates that it is unable to map the network drive, check the information you entered in Path. If you are unsure about the information you need to enter in Path, contact your network administrator for assistance.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Configuring Sharing Services

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Disconnecting a Network Drive

ExplorerPlus lists all the network drives that are currently connected to your computer. If you don’t need access to a connected network drive, or you are told to disconnect from a drive by your network administrator,  you can do so from ExplorerPlus.

To disconnect from a network drive, select Disk | Disconnect Network Drive. The Disconnect Network Drive dialog will be displayed. Select the drive that you want to disconnect from the Drive list box. Click OK after making your selection. The selected drive will be disconnected.

You can also display the Disconnect Network Drive dialog by right-clicking on a network drive and selecting the Disconnect menu item from the displayed popup menu.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Configuring Sharing Services

Mapping a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Connecting to Shared Folders

In addition to connecting to network drives, you can connect to specific folders on any computer on your network. To connect to a folder on another computer, the folder must be marked as shared by the host computer and you must either have the password to gain access to the folder (if the folder has share-level access control) or be on the list of users for the folder (if the folder has user-level access control).

Note:	If you are not sure whether you can access a particular folder on the network, ask your network administrator for assistance. The network administrator should be able to provide any access and path information that is required to connect to a shared folder.

Assuming you have the appropriate access rights to a folder, you can connect to the folder through the Map Network Drive dialog.

To display the Map Network Drive dialog, select Disk | Map Network Drive from the ExplorerPlus menu bar. The Map Network Drive dialog contains the following options:

Drive:  Specifies the drive letter you want to associate with the shared folder. This letter is mapped to the shared folder. By default, the next available drive letter is selected.

Path:  Specifies the path of the shared folder. The path is usually specified using the following format:

         \\computername\foldername

You may need to contact your network administrator for the proper path to specify in this field.

Reconnect at logon:  When checked, the shared folder will automatically be connected every time Windows 95 is started.

Once you have made the appropriate selections and entries in the Map Network Drive dialog, choose the OK button. ExplorerPlus will attempt to connect to the shared folder. If ExplorerPlus indicates that it is unable to connect to the shared folder, check the information you entered in Path. If you are unsure about the information you need to enter in Path, contact your network administrator for assistance.

You can also connect to a shared folder without having to use the Map Network Drive dialog. First, double-click Network Neighborhood in the ExplorerPlus Tree List. Once Network Neighborhood has expanded, select the computer that contains the shared folder you want to connect to. Locate the shared folder on the computer. To connect to the shared folder, double-click the folder. You will prompted for a password if necessary.

Note: 	If you connect to a shared folder frequently, you should use the Map Network Drive dialog to assign a drive letter to the shared folder. Otherwise, connecting to the shared folder through Network Neighborhood is easier.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Configuring Sharing Services

Mapping a Network Drive

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Disconnecting from Shared Folders

ExplorerPlus lists all the network drives and shared folders that are currently connected to your computer. If you no longer need access to a shared folder, or you are told to disconnect from a drive by your network administrator, you can do so from ExplorerPlus.

To disconnect from a shared folder, select Disk | Disconnect Network Drive. The Disconnect Network Drive dialog will be displayed. Select the drive letter that is mapped to the shared folder from the Drive list box. Click OK after making your selection. The selected shared folder will be disconnected.

You can also display the Disconnect Network Drive dialog by right-clicking on a mapped drive letter in the Tree List or File List and selecting the Disconnect menu item from the displayed popup menu.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Configuring Sharing Services

Mapping a Network Drive

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Sharing Your Folders

If you want to share information contained in a folder on your system with other users on the network, you can mark the folder as shared using ExplorerPlus. To make a folder a shared folder, select the folder you want to share in the Tree List or File List. Select File | Properties. The Properties dialog will be displayed. Choose the Sharing tab.

Note:	If you do not have the Sharing tab in your Properties dialog for the selected folder, you do not have the Windows 95 sharing services configured properly. Please refer to the Configuring Sharing Services for help. If you are unable to enable the sharing services, contact your Network Administrator.

Choose the Share As option button on the Shared tab. If you are using user-level access control, click the Add button to display the Add Users dialog. Select the users that you want to share your folder. You can offer the following access to users:

Read Only:  Provides the specified user(s) with read-only access to the shared folder. The user(s) can view the files in the folder but cannot add files or modify existing files.

Full Access:  Provides the specified user(s) with full access to the shared folder.

Custom:  Allows you to specify the exact levels of access the user(s) have to the shared folder.

If you are using share-level access control, enter the password you want to use for the folder. The access control (user-level or share-level) to shared resources is set in the Control Panel using the Network applet.

Note:	This process also works with drives. You can make your local drives, as well as folders, available as shared resources.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Configuring Sharing Services

Mapping a Network Drive

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Disabling Folder Sharing


Disabling Folder Sharing

You can easily disable folder sharing from ExplorerPlus. To stop sharing a folder, select the shared folder in the Tree List or File List. Select File | Properties. The Properties dialog will be displayed. As a shortcut, you can display the Properties dialog by right-clicking on the shared folder and selecting Properties from the popup menu.

Click the Sharing tab in the Properties dialog. Select the Not Shared option button to disable folder sharing.

Related Topics

Understanding Network Drive Operations

Configuring Sharing Services

Mapping a Network Drive

Disconnecting a Network Drive

Connecting to Shared Folders

Disconnecting from Shared Folders

Sharing Your Folders


Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

The icons and buttons that you see in a PowerDesk Toolbar are Tools. Each Tool invokes a certain action such as launching an application or displaying system information. A Toolbar can contain multiple Tools with each Tool containing one or more icons or buttons. The PowerDesk Toolbar provides eight different Tools you can use in your Toolbars:

  QuickLaunch

  Start Menus

  MultiView

  Print Manager

  System Access

  Clock

  System Monitor

  DOS Command Line


Using QuickLaunch

The QuickLaunch Tool provides one-click, instant access to applications, files, folders, and special items such as the Recycle Bin. The QuickLaunch Tool consists of one or more QuickLaunch buttons. To access an application, file, folder, or item associated with a button, simply click the appropriate button.

Related Topics:

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring QuickLaunch

Creating a QuickLaunch Button


Configuring A QuickLaunch Tool

All PowerDesk Tools can be configured using the Properties dialog. To configure a QuickLaunch Tool, select the QuickLaunch Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The QuickLaunch options available on the General tab allow you to specify the arrangement and appearance of the icon buttons in the QuickLaunch Tool. The following options are available:

Automatic:  When selected, the buttons are arranged automatically to make the most efficient use of the space within the Tool.

Manual:  When selected, the QuickLaunch buttons are arranged according to the settings in Rows and Max Columns.

Rows:  Specifies the number of rows of QuickLaunch buttons to display in the QuickLaunch Tool. This option is only used when the Manual option is selected.

Max Columns:  Specifies the maximum number of button columns displayed in the QuickLaunch Tool. This option is only used when the Manual option is selected. The actual number of columns displayed depends on the size of the buttons and Toolbar. This value only specifies the maximum number of columns displayed.

Item Style:  Specifies the style for the QuickLaunch buttons. The options are: Small icon, Large icon, Small icon and Label, and Large icon and label.

Add New Button: Displays the New Button dialog. You can use this dialog to add a new QuickLaunch button to the Tool.

Related Topics:

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using QuickLaunch

Creating a QuickLaunch Button


Creating a New QuickLaunch Button

A QuickLaunch Tool is useless without buttons. When you first add a QuickLaunch Tool to a Toolbar, it contains a single button - ExplorerPlus. You can easily add additional buttons to your QuickLaunch Tool by drag-and-drop operations or through the New Button dialog.

The easiest way to add a new QuickLaunch button is to drag-and-drop a file, folder, application, or shortcut to the QuickLaunch Tool. You can drag items from ExplorerPlus, from the Desktop, from the PowerDesk Toolbar Start Menus, or from other file-management utilities. When you drop an item onto the QuickLaunch Tool, a button is automatically created with the appropriate parameters.

Another way to add QuickLaunch buttons to the QuickLaunch Tool is with the New Button dialog. You can display the New Button dialog by clicking Add New Button on the QuickLaunch Properties General tab, or by right-clicking the QuickLaunch Tool and selecting New Button from the popup menu.

The New Button dialog provides all the necessary options to create a new QuickLaunch button. The options available on the New Button dialog follow:

Command File:  Specifies the command line for the file, folder, application, or shortcut.

Start In:  Specifies the working directory for the item in Command File. The working directory typically contains application-specific files and data.

Optional Parameters:  Lists any command line options that should be passed when opening the item in Command File.

Label:  Specifies the label for the button. The QuickLaunch Tool properties determine whether this label is displayed along with the button.

Run:  Indicates how the item should be opened: Normal, Minimized, or Maximized.

Icon:  Displays the icon used to represent the item in the QuickLaunch Tool.

Select Icon:  Displays a list of icons. You can select an icon from this list to represent the QuickLaunch button.

Hotkey:  Specifies the hotkey to associate with the item.

You can edit these settings for any QuickLaunch button by right-clicking the button you want to edit. The Properties for the button will be displayed in the Button Properties dialog which offers the same options as the New Button dialog.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using QuickLaunch

Configuring QuickLaunch


Using Start Menus

The Start Menus Tool provides access to multiple, drop-down menus. Each menu provides access to one or more applications, files, folders, or shortcuts. The Start Menus Tool is similar to the Windows 95 Start Menu but makes menus and menu items easier to access and select. To view the Menu associated with a Start Menu button, simply click the button. The Menu for the button will be displayed.

Note: 	Start Menu Tools are directly tied to the Windows 95 Start menu. Adding or deleting an item to/from the Windows 95 Start menu adds or deletes the item to/from the Start Menu Tools, and vice versa.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring Start Menus

Creating a Start Menus Menu Item


Configuring A Start Menus Tool

The Start Menus Tool can be configured using the Properties dialog. To configure a Start Menus Tool, select the Start Menus Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The Start Menus options available on the General tab allow you to specify the arrangement and appearance of the menu buttons in the Start Menus Tool. The following options are available:

Automatic:  When selected, the buttons are arranged automatically to make the most efficient use of the space within the Tool.

Manual:  When selected, the Start Menus buttons are arranged according to the settings in Rows and Max Columns.

Rows:  Specifies the number of rows of Start Menus buttons to display in the Start Menus Tool. This option is only used when the Manual option is selected.

Max Columns:  Specifies the maximum number of button columns displayed in the Start Menus Tool. This option is only used when the Manual option is selected. The actual number of columns displayed depends on the size of the buttons and Toolbar. This value only specifies the maximum number of columns displayed.

Item Style:  Specifies the style for the Start Menus buttons. The options are  Small icon and Large icon.

Add New Menu: Displays the Menu Button Name dialog. You can use this dialog to add a new Start Menu button to the Tool.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using Start Menus

Creating a Start Menus Menu Item


Creating a Start Menus Menu Item

The Start Menus Tool contains menu buttons. You can easily add menu buttons to your Start Menus Tool with the Menu Button Name dialog. You can display the Menu Button dialog by clicking Add New Menu button on the Start Menus Properties General tab, or by right-clicking the Start Menus Tool and selecting New Menu from the popup menu.

To create a new menu button, simply enter the name of the new menu button and click OK. Once you have created the menu button, you can add menu items to the button’s menu by either dragging-and-dropping files, folders, applications, or shortcuts to the button, or by right-clicking on the button and selecting New Item from the popup menu. Selecting New Item from the popup menu displays the New Menu Item dialog.

The New Item dialog allows you to define a menu item. The following options are available on the New Menu Item dialog:

Command File:  Specifies the command line for the file, folder, application, or shortcut associated with the menu item.

Start In:  Specifies the working directory for the item in Command File. The working directory typically contains application-specific files and data.

Optional Parameters:  Lists any command line options that should be passed when opening the item in Command File.

Label:  Specifies the label for the menu item.

Run:  Indicates how the item should be opened: Normal, Minimized, or Maximized.

You can edit these settings for any Start Menus button by right-clicking the menu item you want to edit. The Properties for the menu item will be displayed in the Menu Item Properties dialog which offers the same options as the New Item dialog.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using Start Menus

Configuring Start Menus


Using MultiView

The MultiView Tool provides a quick and easy way to switch between open applications and screens. It’s like having multiple monitors on your system. With the MultiView Tool, you can create multiple screens with each screen containing one or more applications. Switch between these screens by simply double-clicking the appropriate MultiView screen button.

MultiView is very flexible and can easily be modified to fit the way you work. The MultiView Tool allows you to use up to 16 MultiView screens and helps you work quickly and efficiently.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring MultiView


Configuring a MultiView Tool

Each MultiView Tool in the Current Configuration tree can be independently configured. To configure a MultiView Tool, select the Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The properties for the MultiView Tool will be displayed in the lower portion of the Properties dialog. The properties and options for a MultiView Tool are contained on three tabs: General, Hotkeys, and Sticky Apps.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using MultiView


MultiView Properties: The General Tab

The MultiView Properties General tab provides two sets of options: View Arrangement and View Options. View Arrangement options are used to define the arrangement of the MultiView screen buttons. The View Arrangement options follow:

Rows:  Specifies the number of rows of MultiView screen buttons displayed in the MultiView Tool. The maximum number of rows is 4.

Columns:  Specifies the number of columns of MultiView screen buttons displayed in the MultiView Tool. The maximum number of columns is 4.

The View Options define the appearance of the MultiView screen buttons. The View Options for the General tab follow:

Color Scheme:  Specifies the color of the MultiView screen buttons. You can choose between Red, Blue, and Green.

Size:  Specifies the size of the MultiView screen buttons. The options include Small, Medium, Large, and Automatic. When you select Automatic, the button size is selected automatically to make the most efficient use of available space on the Toolbar.

Follow Active Window:  When checked, MultiView interacts with the Windows 95 Taskbar in the following way: when an item on the Windows 95 Taskbar is selected, the PowerDesk Toolbar will automatically display the appropriate MultiView screen.

Related Topics

MultiView Properties: The Hotkeys Tab

MultiView Properties: The Sticky Apps Tab


MultiView Properties: The Hotkeys Tab

The MultiView Properties Hotkeys tab allows you to specify the hotkey associated with each MultiView screen button. Since you can display 16 MultiView screen buttons, you can assign 16 hotkeys. To assign a hotkey, click on the appropriate hotkey edit field and press the key you want to use as a hotkey.

The only trick in using the Hotkeys tab is knowing which screen button on the MultiView Tool is associated with the hotkey number on the Hotkeys tab. Just remember that the screen buttons are always numbered left to right, and top to bottom. For example in a 16 button MultiView Tool (four rows by four columns), the first row is numbered 1,2,3,4 - the second row is numbered 5,6,7,8 - the third row is numbered 9,10,11,12 - and the fourth row is numbered 13,14,15,16. If you have less than four rows and four columns, the numbering sequence is still the same. The buttons are numbered left to right and top to bottom.

Related Topics

MultiView Properties: The General Tab

MultiView Properties: The Sticky Apps Tab


MultiView Properties: The Stick Apps Tab
MultiView Properties: The Sticky Apps Tab

The Sticky Apps tab is used to define one or more applications that appear on every MultiView screen. For example, you can define your e-mail package as a Sticky App. This way, your e-mail package is always displayed on every MultiView screen. The following field and buttons are available on the Sticky Apps tab.

Sticky Applications:  Lists the applications that are displayed on every MultiView screen.

Add Program:  Displays the Choose Sticky Application dialog. This dialog allows you to select a Sticky Application. All opened applications are listed in this dialog.

Remove Program:  Removes a Sticky Application from the Sticky Applications field.

Related Topics

MultiView Properties: The General Tab

MultiView Properties: The Hotkeys Tab


Using Print Manager

The Print Manager Tool makes it easy to switch between the printers, faxes and other output devices available on your system. Print Manager displays an icon for each output device on your system. To switch between output devices, simply click the appropriate icon in Print Manager. The active output device is indicated by a colored button.

Print Manager is more than just a quick way to switch between printers and other output devices. You can also use Print Manager to quickly print files and documents. To print a file or document with Print Manager, simply drag the file to the appropriate printer icon. Print Manager will automatically launch the application that is associated with that particular file type and print the file.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring a Print Manager Tool


Configuring a Print Manager Tool

Each Print Manager Tool located in the Current Configuration tree can be independently configured. To configure a Print Manager Tool, select the Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected Print Manager Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The Print Manager options available on the General Tab allow you to specify the appearance of the icons in the Print Manager Tool. The following options are available:

Max Columns:  Specifies the maximum number of columns for printer buttons. This value has a range of 1 to 100.

Icon Size:  Allows you to select the size of the icon used to represent output devices on your Toolbar. The options are Small or Large icons.

Show Printer Name:  Indicates whether the printer name is displayed with the printer icon. If checked, the printer name is shown with the icon.

The Show Printer Name option helps you to distinguish between printers. However, this option can take up a lot of room on your Toolbar. If you do not select Show Printer Name, you can still determine the name of a printer by observing the popup window displayed when the mouse pointer is moved across the printer’s icon.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using Print Manager


Using System Access

The System Access Tool provides a convenient location for commonly-used Windows 95 functions including Shut Down, Restart, Restart in MS-DOS Mode, Restart Windows 95, Log on as a different user, and Change screen resolution. The following System Access buttons are available.

Button	Description
	Closes all programs, logs the current user out of Windows 95, and allows another user to log in.
	Restarts Windows 95.
	Shuts down the computer.
	Restarts the computer in MS-DOS mode.
	Restarts the computer.
	Changes the screen resolution.
Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring a System Access Tool


Configuring a System Access Tool

Each System Access Tool can be configured independently. To configure a System Access Tool, select the Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected System Access Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The System Access options available on the General Tab allow you to specify which buttons appear on the System Access Tool as well as the appearance of the buttons on the Tool. The following options are available:

Shut down the computer:  When checked, the corresponding button is displayed on the Tool. This button shuts down the computer.

Restart the computer:  Restarts the computer.

Restart Windows:  Restarts Windows 95 without restarting the computer.

Restart in MS-DOS mode: Restarts the computer to MS-DOS mode.

Log on as different user:  Logs the current user out of Windows and allows another user to log on.

Change screen resolution:  Allows the user to change the screen resolution.

Icon Size:  Specifies the size of the icons in the System Access Tool. Two options are provided: Small and Large.

Confirm Exits:  When checked, the user is asked to confirm the System Access operations.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using System Access


Using the Clock

The Clock Tool displays a clock on the Toolbar. You have a range of display options and can display time using different Time zones using analog, digital, or analog and digital displays. Since you can add multiple clocks to a Toolbar, you can display different times for various geographic regions by setting each Clock Tool to a unique Time Zone.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring a Clock Tool


Configuring a Clock Tool

Each Clock Tool can have a unique configuration. To view and edit the properties for a Clock Tool, select the Clock Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected Clock Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The options available on the Clock Tool Properties General Tab allow you to define the appearance of the Clock Tool. Three sets of options are available: Clocks, Display Options, and Digital Clock Options. The first set, Clocks, contains the following options:

Digital:  When checked, the time is displayed in digital format. You can display the time in both digital and analog format if you wish.

Analog:  When checked, the time is displayed in analog format.

The second set of Clock Tool Properties is Display Options. This set includes the following options:

Caption:  If checked, the specified caption is displayed.

Date:  If checked, the system date is displayed.

Seconds:  If checked, seconds are displayed in the clock. If a digital clock is displayed, the seconds are displayed after the minutes. If an analog clock is displayed, a seconds hand is displayed.

The third set of Clock Tool Properties, Digital Clock Options, includes the following:

Size:  Specifies the size of the digital clock. The following size options are available: Small, Medium, Large, and Huge.

Color:  Specifies the color of the numbers in the digital clock. The color options include: Red, Green, Blue, Black, Foreground, Background.

24 Hour:  When checked, the digital clock displays 24-hour time.

One last option on the Clock Properties General Tab is Time Zone. You can select from any of the listed Time Zones.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using the Clock


Using System Monitor

The System Monitor Tool displays system information in either bar or graph format. With Windows 95 offering improved multitasking, the monitoring of computer performance is very important. The System Monitor Tool allows you to choose between several different types of system information including:

CPU Usage:  Identifies the percentage of time the processor is busy.

Threads:  Identifies the number of threads running concurrently in Windows 95.

Free Memory:  Specifies the percentage of available RAM.

Free System Resources:  Displays the amount of free memory available from combined User and GDI resources.

Free User Resources:  Indicates the percentage of User resources that are available.

Free GDI Resources:  Specifies the percentage of GDI resources that are available.

Free Space on Drive x:  Displays the amount of free disk space available (in megabytes) on the specified drive.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring a System Monitor Tool


Configuring a System Monitor Tool

Like all the PowerDesk Toolbar Tools, each System Monitor Tool can be configured independently. To view and edit the properties for a System Monitor Tool, select the Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The General Tab contains the following options:

Statistic Displayed:  Specifies the type of information to display in the System Monitor Tool. The following options are available:

     CPU Usage

     Threads

     Free memory

     Free system resources

     Free user resources

     Free GDI resources

     Free space on drive x

Color:  Defines the color used to draw the bar or graph.

Update Time:  Specifies the time interval for updates of information in the Tool.

Display Type:  Specifies the type of display: Bar or Graph

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using System Monitor


Using the DOS Command Line

The DOS Command Line Tool provides quick access to DOS commands without having to open a DOS window. The following table lists a few of the many DOS commands supported by the DOS Command Line Tool.

DOS Command	Description
CD [drive:][folder]	The current directory is updated. The current directory is displayed above the DOS Command Line edit field.
ChDir [drive:][folder]	Same as CD (see previous item).
COPY source [destination] [/n] [/i]	Copies the specified source file(s) to the destination folder. The destination folder is the current folder if no destination is specified. The /n switch is used to indicate folders are not included in the COPY operation. The /i operation indicates folders are included in the COPY operation.
DEL [drive:][folder]filename	Deletes the specified file(s). The file(s) will be removed from the File List if necessary.
Erase [drive:][folder]filename	Same as DEL (see previous item).
DIR [drive:] [folder][filename]	Displays the path in a newly opened ExplorerPlus instance.
DOS [drive:][folder]	Opens a DOS window at the specified folder.
MD [drive:]folder	Creates the specified folder.
MkDir [drive:]folder	Same as MD (see previous item).
MOVE source destination	Moves the specified source file(s) to the destination folder.
REN oldname newname	Renames a file or folder.
Rename oldname newname	Same as REN (see previous item).
RD [drive:]folder	Removes the specified folder. The folder must be empty.
RmDir [drive:]folder	Same as RD (see previous item).
Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Configuring a DOS Command Line Tool


Configuring a DOS Command Line Tool

The DOS Command Line Tool has several configuration options. These options are set through the Properties dialog. To view and edit the properties for a DOS Command Line Tool, select the Tool in the Current Configuration tree found in the Properties dialog. The Properties for the selected DOS Command Line Tool will be displayed on the General tab.

The DOS Command Line General tab contains the following options:

Show Current Directory:  When checked, the current directory is displayed above the DOS Command Line edit field.

Delete to Recycle Bin:  When checked, the DEL command deletes files and folders to the Recycle Bin.

Show Confirmations:  When checked, you are asked to confirm DOS commands.

Include Folders in Copy:  When checked, you can copy folders and their contents.

Related Topics

Understanding the PowerDesk Tools

Using the DOS Command Line


Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

ExplorerPlus is an enhanced file management utility. You will find that ExplorerPlus is similar to the Windows 95 Explorer with many significant improvements. Like the Windows 95 Explorer, ExplorerPlus allows you to view your desktop, drives, folders and files using a Tree List and a File List. The Tree List provides a hierarchy of available resources starting at the Desktop and extending to individual folders. The File List displays the contents of the item selected in the Tree List.

Although ExplorerPlus is similar to the Windows 95 Explorer, it provides many features not found in the Windows 95 Explorer. For those of you moving from Windows 3.1 or Windows for Workgroups, you’ll love these additional ExplorerPlus features since many are based on the Windows 3.1 File Manager. If Windows 95 is your first Windows experience, you’ll find these ExplorerPlus features give you greater control over your files and drives and make file management and navigation easier and more intuitive. ExplorerPlus provides the following key features:

Customizable Toolbar. Allows you to add the functions you use most often to the ExplorerPlus Toolbar. All Toolbar functions can be accessed with a single click.

Drivebar. Provides quick and easy access to any drive on your system. No more searching through large, complex trees to change drives.

PkZIP-Compatible File Compression. Create your own PkZIP-compatible archives and extract files from existing PkZIP-compatible archives. Now you don’t have to go to DOS to work with ZIP archives.

Drag-and-Drop File Management. Provides intuitive, convenient file and disk operations. Move, copy, delete and more with simple drag-and-drop operations.

DOS Command Line. Gives you a DOS command line right in the ExplorerPlus window.

Related Topics

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

When you start ExplorerPlus for the first time, you’ll notice that it looks similar to the Windows 95 Explorer with a few exceptions. The most obvious differences are the Toolbar and Drivebar located directly beneath the menu bar. The Toolbar provides buttons that you can use for quick access to the ExplorerPlus features you use most often. The Drivebar provides access to each of the drives available on the system.

The ExplorerPlus window can be configured to meet your needs. By using the options in the View and Options menus, you can enable or disable the various views and option bars.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus


The Tree List

The Tree List represents a hierarchy of resources available on your system. The root of the Tree List is the Windows 95 Desktop. The Desktop is the large, background area you see when you first start Windows 95. You can customize the desktop by adding shortcuts to your favorite programs, documents, and printers.

In the next level below the Desktop, you will typically find My Computer, Network Neighborhood, and the Recycle Bin. My Computer represents the drives available on your computer including floppy drives, local hard drives, CD-ROM drives, removable drives, and network drives. Network Neighborhood allows you to browse through the computers in your workgroup and on your network. The Recycle Bin allows you to recover deleted files and return them to their original location.

The Tree List is closely tied to the File List. When you select an item in the Tree List, the contents of the selected item are displayed in the File List.

To navigate the Tree List, you expand and collapse the items in the tree. You expand an item by clicking on [image]. When you click [image], the item is expanded to display its contents. Information in the tree is presented one level at a time. For example, when you expand My Computer, you will be presented with a list of drives available to the system. If you expand a drive, the folders available at the root level of the drive are listed. If a folder contains subfolders, you can expand the folder to view its subfolders. To collapse an expanded item, simply click on the [image].

The Tree List supports drag-and-drop operations for file and desktop management. You can enable/disable the Tree List through the View menu.

Note:  	You can only expand the Tree List to the folder level. You cannot view files in the Tree List. You can, however, view Zip-compatible archives in the Tree List.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The File List

The File List displays the contents of the item selected in the Tree List. The File List typically contains a list of folders and files but may also contain desktop items (such as the Recycle Bin, My Computer, and Network Neighborhood) and shortcuts to printers, files, and applications.

The File List provides significant capabilities and is the focus of the ExplorerPlus window. From the File List, you can drag-and-drop folders and files for file and archive management, launch applications, rename files and folders, and much more.

One of the most interesting aspects of the File List is its support of multiple views. The File List supports four different viewing modes: Large Icons, Small Icons, List, and Details. You can change the viewing mode of the File List from the View menu or the Toolbar.

You also have the option of sorting the items in the File List by name, extension, size, date, time, type, or attribute. Use the options in the View menu to select the sorting option. You can enable/disable the File List through the View menu.

As you use the File List to view the contents of the Tree List, you will begin to notice that many of the icons in the File List are somewhat standard and are used to help you quickly identify various file types and directories. The following table lists many of the common icons that you will run across as you use the File List.

Icon	Represents	Icon	Represents
	My Computer		Folder
	Network Neighborhood		Control Panel Folder
	Recycle Bin		Printers Folder
	Shortcut (in this case Word for Windows)		Dynamic Link Library (DLL) File
	Entire Network		DOS File (BAT, COM, or EXE)
	Network Workgroup		Generic Files
	Local Hard Drive		Text File
	Local Floppy Drive		INF File
	Local CD-ROM Drive		Help File
	Network Drive		Font Files
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The Toolbar

The Toolbar provides quick access to many of the most popular ExplorerPlus features and options. To use a button on the Toolbar, simply move the mouse pointer over the appropriate button and click the left mouse button.

The Toolbar can be customized to suit your tastes and needs. See Customizing the ExplorerPlus Toolbar for more information on customizing the Toolbar. By default, the Toolbar lists the buttons defined in the following table. You can enable/disable the Toolbar through the Options menu. The General Settings tab in the Preferences dialog allows you to set the Wrap Toolbar option. When this option is set, the buttons on the Toolbar are displayed on multiple lines if necessary.

Icon	Function	Description
	Cut	Starts the first step of a move operation. To move one or more selected files or folders, click the Cut button. Next, open the destination folder and click the Paste button.
	Copy	Starts the first step of a copy operation. To copy one or more selected files or folders, click the Copy button. Next, open the destination folder and click the Paste button.
	Paste	Finishes a move or copy operation. Any selected files marked for a copy or move operation will be placed in the open folder.
	Delete (Recycle Bin)	Deletes the current selection and places the contents in the Windows 95 Recycle Bin. You can recover items placed in the Recycle Bin.
	Delete	Permanently deletes the current selection. The selection is not placed in the Recycle Bin.
	Move To	Displays the Move to dialog. This dialog allows you to move the current selection to another drive and/or folder.
	Copy To	Displays the Copy to dialog. This dialog allows you to copy the current selection to another drive and/or folder.
	Rename	Allows you to rename the focus item. To rename a file or folder, select the file or folder, click the Rename button, type the new name, then press Enter.
	Properties	Displays the Properties dialog. This dialog displays information about the selected drive, folder, or file.
	Large Icons	Places the File List in large icon view. Large icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed left to right and top to bottom.
	Small Icons	Places the File List in small icon view. Small icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed left to right and top to bottom.
	List	Places the File List in list view. Small icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed top to bottom in columns.
	Details	Places the File List in details view. Small icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed top to bottom. Complete details (size, date, time, extension, type and attributes) are listed along with the items.
	Arrange by Name	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the name of the items. The items are sorted alphabetically.
	Arrange by Extension	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the extension of the items. The items are sorted alphabetically.
	Arrange by Size	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the file size of the items. The items are sorted from smallest to largest.
	Arrange by Date	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the date of the items. The items are sorted from most recent to least recent (newest files are at the top of the list).
	Arrange by Type	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the file type. The items are sorted alphabetically.
	Tree List and File List	Displays both the Tree List and the File List in the main window.
	File List Only	Hides the Tree List. Only the File List is displayed in the main window.
	Viewer Pane	Displays the Viewer Pane. The Viewer Pane allows you to view the contents of the currently selected file.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The Drivebar

The Drivebar displays an icon for each drive available on your system (floppy drives, local drives, CD-ROM drives, removable drives, and network drives). To select a drive and view the contents in the File List, simply click the appropriate icon in the Drivebar. When you click an icon in the Drivebar, the corresponding item is selected in the Tree List and the contents of the drive are displayed in the File List.

The Drivebar also contains a button with the [image] icon. When you click this button, you are taken one level up on the Tree List. For example, if the C drive was selected in the Tree List and you clicked the [image] button, you would be taken to My Computer which is one level up on the hierarchy of the Tree List.

The Drivebar is a convenient feature that makes it easy to select drives and view their contents. You can enable/disable the Drivebar through the Options menu. The General Settings tab in the Preferences dialog allows you to set the Wrap Drivebar option. When this option is set, the buttons on the Drivebar are displayed on multiple lines if necessary.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The Viewer Pane

The Viewer Pane allows you to view the contents of a file contained in the File List without opening the associated application. To view a file, simply select the file in the File List. If the format of the selected file is supported, you can view the contents of the file in the Viewer Pane.

Note:	The Viewer Pane uses the Quick View viewers distributed with Windows 95. These viewers are not automatically installed when you install Windows. See Installing the Quick View Viewers for information about the Viewer Pane and installing the Quick View viewers. ExplorerPlus also supports QuickView Plus, an enhanced version of QuickView which supports additional file formats.

The Viewer Pane supports most of the popular word processing, spreadsheet, database, and graphics formats. You can enable/disable the Viewer Pane through the Options menu.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The DOS Command Line

The DOS Command Line allows you to enter a DOS command directly from the ExplorerPlus application window. Simply enter the appropriate command in the DOS Command Line combo box. The DOS Command Line also allows you to choose from the most recent commands you entered. You can enable/disable the DOS Command Line through the Options menu. The DOS Cmd Line tab in the Preferences dialog provides several options for the DOS Command Line.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The Status Bar

The Status Bar provides feedback about the current selection or operation. The information displayed in the Status Bar depends on the selection or current operation. You can enable/disable the Status Bar through the Options menu.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The Menus

The ExplorerPlus menus provide access to the many features found in the application. ExplorerPlus includes the following menus: File, Edit, Disk, Tree, View, Options, Tools, Window and Help.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window


The File Menu

File Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Open	Enter	Opens the selected file(s) in the File List using the associated application (if available). The Open With dialog is displayed if no association exists for the selected file.
Move to...	F7	Displays the Move to dialog. This dialog allows you to move the current selection to another drive and/or folder.
Copy to...	F8	Displays the Copy to dialog. This dialog allows you to copy the current selection to another drive and/or folder.
Delete (Recycle)	Del	Deletes the current selection and places the contents in the Windows 95 Recycle Bin. You can recover items placed in the Recycle Bin.
Delete	Shift+Del	Permanently deletes the current selection. The selection is not placed in the Recycle Bin.
Rename	F2	Allows you to rename the current selection. To rename a file or folder, select the file or folder, click the Rename button, type the new name, then press Enter.
Properties...	Alt+Enter	Displays the Properties dialog. This dialog displays information about the selected drive, folder, or file. You can also view information about a selection of more than one item.
Send...	Ctrl+M	Sends the selected file via e-mail. This option is only available if your system has electronic mail properly installed and configured.
Zip to...	Ctrl+Z	Displays the Zip to dialog. This dialog allows you to create a new Zip-compatible archive.
Add to Zip...	n/a	Displays the Add to Zip dialog. This dialog allows you add files to a Zip-compatible archive.
UnZip to...	Ctrl+U	Displays the UnZip to dialog. This dialog allows you to extract the contents of a Zip-compatible archive.
Print File(s)...	Ctrl+P	Prints the contents of the current selection.
Print List...	Ctrl+L	Prints the contents of the File List.
Create Folder...	Insert	Displays the Create Folder dialog. This dialog allows you to create a new folder in any location.
Create Shortcut	n/a	Creates a shortcut for the current selection.
Close All	n/a	Closes all ExplorerPlus windows.
Close All Others	n/a	Closes all ExplorerPlus windows with the exception of the active ExplorerPlus window.
Close	Ctrl+Q	Closes ExplorerPlus.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Edit Menu

Edit Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Cut	Ctrl+X	Starts the first step of a move operation. To move one or more selected files or folders, click the Cut button. Next, open the destination folder and click the Paste button.
Copy	Ctrl+C	Starts the first step of a copy operation. To copy one or more selected files or folders, click the Copy button. Next, open the destination folder and click the Paste button.
Paste	Ctlr+V	Finishes a move or copy operation. Any selected files marked for a copy or move operation will be placed in the open folder.
Select...	Ctrl+S	Displays the Select dialog. This dialog allows you to specify the file(s) that you want to select in the current directory. DOS wildcards (*.*, *.DOC, etc) as well as other advanced selection options are supported.
Select All	Ctrl+A	Selects all items in the File List.
Invert Selection	Ctrl+I	Inverts the current selections in the File List. Items that are selected will become deselected. Deselected items will become selected.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Disk Menu

Disk Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Copy Disk...	n/a	Displays the Copy Disk dialog. This dialog allows you to copy the contents of a floppy disk onto another floppy disk. The source and destination drive can be the same drive. The size and capacity of the source and destination disk must be the same.
Label Disk...	n/a	Displays the Label Disk dialog. This dialog allows you to edit and update the label for any local drive on your system.
Format Disk...	n/a	Displays the Format Disk dialog. This dialog allows you to format any local drive on your system.
Create Rescue/Startup Disk...	n/a	Creates a disk that you can use to start your computer. This disk contains several Windows 95 utilities to help you recover your system if you have problems with Windows 95.
Map Network Drive...	n/a	Displays the Map Network Drive dialog. This dialog allows you to assign a drive letter to a network computer or folder.
Disconnect Network Drive...	n/a	Displays the Disconnect Network Drive dialog. This dialog allows you to disconnect one or more network drives.
Select Drive...	Ctrl+D	Displays the Select Drive dialog. This dialog allows you to select a local or network drive. The contents of the selected drive are displayed in the File List.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Tree Menu

Tree Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Expand One Level	Num+	Expands the selected item in the Tree List one level.
Expand Branch	Num*	Expands the selected item in the Tree List and expands all expandable items beneath the selected item.
Expand Drive	Ctrl+Num*	Expands the selected drive and expands all expandable items on the drive.
Expand All	Ctrl+Num+	Expands all expandable items in the Tree List.
Collapse Branch	Num-	Collapses the selected item in the Tree List and all collapsible items beneath the selected item.
Collapse Drive	Alt+Num-	Collapses the selected drive and all collapsible items on the drive.
Collapse All	Ctrl+Num-	Collapses all items in the Tree List.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The View Menu

View Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Large Icons	n/a	Places the File List in large icon view. Large icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed left to right and top to bottom.
Small Icons	n/a	Places the File List in small icon view. Small icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed left to right and top to bottom.
List	n/a	Places the File List in list view. Small icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed top to bottom in columns.
Details	n/a	Places the File List in details view. Small icons are used to represent the items in the File List. Items are listed top to bottom. Complete details (size, date, time, extension, type and attributes) are listed along with the items.
Arrange by Name	n/a	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the name of the items. The items are sorted alphabetically.
Arrange by Extension	n/a	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the extension of the items. The items are sorted alphabetically.
Arrange by Size	n/a	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the size of the items. The items are sorted from smallest to largest.
Arrange by Type	n/a	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the file type. The items are sorted alphabetically.
Arrange by Date	n/a	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the date of the items. The items are sorted from most recent to least recent (newest files are at the top of the list).
Arrange by Attributes	n/a	Arranges the contents of the File List according to the file attributes.
Tree List and File List	n/a	Displays both the Tree List and the File List in the main window.
Tree List Only	n/a	Hides the File List. Only the Tree List is displayed in the main window.
File List Only	n/a	Hides the Tree List. Only the File List is displayed in the main window.
Go One Level Up	n/a	Moves the current directory one level up on the system hierarchy.

Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Options Menu

Options Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Preferences...	n/a	Displays the Preferences dialog. This dialog allows you to configure the ExplorerPlus window and modify configuration settings.
Customize Toolbar	n/a	Displays the Customize Toolbar dialog. This dialog allows you to customize the toolbar by adding or removing buttons.
Toolbar	n/a	When checked, displays the toolbar in the main window.
Drivebar	n/a	When checked, displays the drivebar in the main window.
Viewer Pane	F9	When checked, displays the viewer pane in the main window.
DOS Command Line	F6	When checked, displays the DOS command line in the main window.
Status Bar	n/a	When checked, displays the status bar in the main window.
Save Settings on Exit	n/a	When checked, ExplorerPlus will reflect the current window state the next time the application is started. If unchecked, any changes made to the window during the current session will not be saved.
Save Settings Now	n/a	Saves the current ExplorerPlus settings immediately.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Tools Menu

Tools Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Find Files or Folders...	F3	Displays the Find dialog. This dialog allows you to locate files and folders using one or more search options including name, date, extension and text contents.
Find Computer...	Shift+F3	Displays the Find Computer dialog. This dialog allows you to search for a computer on the network by name.
Add/Remove Programs...	n/a	Displays the Add/Remove Programs dialog. This dialog can be used to install and uninstall applications.
Configure Recycle Bin...	n/a	Displays the Recycle Bin Properties dialog. This dialog allows you to configure the settings for the Recycle Bin.
Empty Recycle Bin	n/a	Empties the contents of the Recycle Bin.
Open MS DOS Window	n/a	Opens an MS DOS window.
Go to...	n/a	Displays the Go To Folder dialog. This dialog allows you to go directly to the specified folder.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Window Menu

Window Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
New Window	n/a	Creates a new ExplorerPlus window.
New+Cascade	n/a	Creates a new ExplorerPlus window then cascades all open ExplorerPlus windows.
New+Tile Horizontally	n/a	Creates a new ExplorerPlus window then tiles all open ExplorerPlus windows horizontally.
New+Tile Vertically	n/a	Creates a new ExplorerPlus window then tiles all open ExplorerPlus windows vertically.
Cascade	Shift+F5	Cascades all open ExplorerPlus windows.
Tile Horizontally	Ctrl+F4	Tiles all open ExplorerPlus windows horizontally.
Tile Vertically	Shift+F4	Tiles all open ExplorerPlus windows vertically.
Refresh	F5	Refreshes the contents of the ExplorerPlus window.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


The Help Menu

Help Menu Item	Accelerator	Description
Help Topics	F1	Displays the Help topics for ExplorerPlus.
About ExplorerPlus...	n/a	Displays the About dialog for ExplorerPlus and copyright information.
Related Topics

Getting to Know ExplorerPlus

Discovering the ExplorerPlus Window

ExplorerPlus: The Menus


Introducing PowerDesk

PowerDesk is the ultimate desktop enhancement utility for Windows 95. PowerDesk provides the power and features that you need to get more work done in less time.

The PowerDesk package contains two incredible utilities that will immediately make you more productive in Windows 95: PowerDesk Toolbar and ExplorerPlus.

Related Topics

Introducing PowerDesk Toolbar

Introducing ExplorerPlus


Introducing PowerDesk Toolbar

The PowerDesk Toolbar is a powerful desktop utility that provides easy, one-click access to your applications, files and folders. You can customize the Toolbar to fit the way you work. You can even create multiple Toolbars and display them independently or all at once.

You customize a Toolbar by adding one or more Tools. The Tools provide quick and easy access to system information, applications, files, and more. Use any or all of the following tools to configure the PowerDesk Toolbar to suit your needs and make Windows 95 work the way you do:

QuickLaunch. Provides one-click access to applications, files and folders. There’s no need to minimize open applications.

Start Menus. Creates a drop-down menu for each item in the Windows 95 Start | Programs menu. Now you won’t have to waste time searching through layer after layer of cascading menus for the application or file you want.

MultiView. Allows you to instantly switch between open applications on your desktop. Now you don’t have to minimize and maximize applications when working with multiple applications. MultiView is the same as having multiple monitors on your desk.

System Monitor. Displays vital system resource information including CPU, memory, disk space, and Windows resources.

Clock. Displays a clock on your Toolbar. Choose between analog and digital clocks. You can even display multiple clocks to keep track of time around the world.

DOS Command Line. Puts a DOS command line directly on your Toolbar. Get to the power of DOS quickly and easily without having to open and close a DOS windows every time you want to use DOS.

Print Manager. Gives you quick access to printer resources. Easily switch between printers and faxes available on your system. If you want, you can simply drag-and-drop a file icon onto the Print Manager to print or fax the file.

System Access. Provides one-click access to commonly used Windows 95 functions including Shut Down, Change Screen Resolution, and Restart Windows.

Related Topics

Introducing PowerDesk

Introducing ExplorerPlus


Introducing ExplorerPlus

ExplorerPlus is an enhanced file management and file navigation utility. ExplorerPlus extends the capabilities of the Windows 95 Explorer. ExplorerPlus works in the same way as the Windows 95 Explorer - so you don’t have to learn a new user interface - but offers the following additional features:

Customizable Toolbar. Allows you to add the functions you use most often to the ExplorerPlus toolbar. Added functions can be accessed with a single click.

Drivebar. Provides quick and easy access to any drive on your system. No more searching through large, complex trees to change drives.

PkZIP-Compatible File Compression. Creates PkZIP-compatible archives and extracts files from PkZIP-compatible archives. Now you don’t have to go to DOS to work with ZIP archives.

Drag-and-Drop File Management. Provides intuitive, convenient file and disk operations. Move, copy, and more with simple drag-and-drop operations.

DOS Command Line. Gives you a DOS command line right on the PowerDesk ExplorerPlus screen.

File Viewing. Provides enhanced file viewing. View the contents of any file quickly without opening the application. View the contents of a list of files in seconds by simply scrolling through them.

Related Topics

Introducing PowerDesk

Introducing PowerDesk Toolbar


Contacting MicroHelp

MicroHelp’s offices can be reached by phone any business day, between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Eastern Standard Time.

Technical Support:

9 am-5 pm

(770) 591-6448

(770) 516-1099 Fax

Sales and Service:

9 am-6 pm

(800) 922-3383

(770) 516-0899

FastFax Service:	(770) 591-6454

Technical support questions submitted in writing to MicroHelp, whether by letter or fax will be answered in the most expedient method available. Please be sure to include a phone number, a FAX number or a return address. Please use a dedicated FAX number only when specifying a return FAX number. Our address:

MicroHelp, Inc.

4211 J.V.L. Industrial Park Dr., NE

Marietta, GA  30066-2789

We also operate a 24-hour, multi-node Bulletin Board System (BBS) that you can call for technical support questions and product information. The telephone number is (770) 516-1497. See The MicroHelp BBS for detailed information about the BBS and how you can access it.

The latest PowerDesk release files (available by patch file) and instructions on their use are available through the BBS, CompuServe, and our Internet address. These files are updated regularly. If you run into a problem with PowerDesk, please download the latest patch file. If the patch file does not solve the problem, please call technical support at the number shown above.

You can also reach us on CompuServe - just type GO MICROHELP. Our CompuServe address is 74774,55.

We also can be reached via the Internet at www.microhelp.com.

If you have a problem with PowerDesk, please include your serial number when you leave a message so we can locate your record in our customer database.

In addition to utility programs, MicroHelp publishes tools for visual programmers. From your fax phone, please call our FastFax Service at (770) 591-6454 for more information on any MicroHelp product.

Related Topics

Introducing PowerDesk


Reviewing Your Package Contents

Before installing PowerDesk, please take a moment to verify that your package contains the appropriate items and that your computer meets the system requirements for PowerDesk. Your PowerDesk package should contain the following items:

One PowerDesk Installation disk, 3.5” 1.44 MB

User’s Manual

Quick Reference Card

If any items are missing, please contact MicroHelp Customer Service immediately at (770) 516-0899.

Related Topics

Checking System Requirements

Installing PowerDesk


Checking System Requirements

PowerDesk is available only for Windows 95. The system requirements for PowerDesk follow:

IBM PC or 100% compatible

Intel 80386 DX or higher (486 DX or higher recommended)

Microsoft Windows 95. PowerDesk will not run under DOS or Windows 3.x.

2 MB free hard disk space

Minimum 4 MB RAM (8 MB RAM recommended)

VGA or higher resolution video adapter and monitor

Related Topics

Reviewing Your Package Contents

Installing PowerDesk

Making a Backup of Your Disks


Installing PowerDesk

Before you install PowerDesk, please:

Close other applications.

Closing applications (such as a word processor or spreadsheet program) will free memory and prevent possible conflicts during installation.

Turn off virus protection programs.

Some virus protection programs can interfere with the installation process. Please refer to the User’s manual for your virus protection software for information on how to turn off your virus protection program.

Make a backup of your PowerDesk program disk. See Making a Backup of your Disk for more information.

Once you have closed all other Windows applications, disabled virus protection, and made a backup of your PowerDesk program disk, you are ready to install PowerDesk. Follow these simple steps to install PowerDesk.

1)  Locate the program disk for PowerDesk. Write down the serial number located on the program disk.

2)  Insert the disk marked Program Disk into your 3.5” 1.44 MB floppy drive (A: or B:).

3)  Select Start | Run from the Start menu located on the Windows 95 Taskbar. The Run dialog will be displayed.

4)  In the Open text field, type A:SETUP or B:SETUP depending on the drive that contains the PowerDesk program disk. Choose the OK button.

5)  You will be prompted to specify an installation path. The recommended installation directory is named Program Files\PowerDesk. The recommended installation drive is the drive where Windows 95 is installed. For example, if you have Windows 95 installed on drive C, C:\Program Files\PowerDesk is the suggested installation directory. Enter the desired installation path and choose OK to continue.

Warning:  Do not specify the \Windows or \Windows\System directories as the PowerDesk directory. However, C:\Windows\PowerDesk is acceptable.

6)  At this point the Setup routine will begin copying files to your hard drive. You will be given feedback on the status of  the installation throughout this process. You will also be provided with information that highlights PowerDesk’s many features.

7)  After all the PowerDesk files have been copied to your system and the appropriate changes have been made to Windows 95, you will be given the chance to register your version of PowerDesk. You have the choice of registering PowerDesk via our on-line registration utility or by printing a copy of the registration information. Click On-line to register PowerDesk on-line, Print to print a registration form, or Cancel to continue Setup without registering. If you want to register PowerDesk with our on-line registration, you need a modem and need to be connected to a telephone line.

Note:	You must be a registered user of PowerDesk to receive free technical support. Registered users also receive special offers on other MicroHelp products.

8)  The PDREADME.WRI file will now be displayed. This file contains the latest information about the current release of PowerDesk. You will find useful information in this file including any updates and/or modifications made to PowerDesk since this help file was created.

9)  The PowerDesk Wizard will be displayed. Follow the steps outlined in this Wizard to create a customized PowerDesk Toolbar. The Wizard creates a PowerDesk Toolbar and a configuration file.

PowerDesk is now ready to use!

Note:	Please register PowerDesk only once!

Related Topics

Reviewing Your Package Contents

Checking System Requirements

Making a Backup of Your Disks


Making a Backup of Your Disk

To make a backup of your PowerDesk program disk, simply follow these steps:

1)  Open My Computer.

2)  Click the icon for the disk you want to copy (A: or B:).

3)  Select File | Copy Disk from the My Computer menu bar. The Copy Disk dialog will be displayed.

4)  Select the Copy from (source) drive and the Copy to (destination) drive. These drives can be the same. For example, both can identify the A: drive.

5)  Choose the Start button. Follow the on-screen directions.

Note:	The source and destination disks must be of the same size (3.5” or 5.25”) and capacity (1.44 MB, 720K, 1.2 MB or 360K).

Related Topics

Reviewing Your Package Contents

Installing PowerDesk


Getting to Know the PowerDesk Toolbar

The PowerDesk Toolbar makes Windows 95 work the way you do. The PowerDesk Toolbar is fully customizable and allows you to create one or more Toolbars. Each Toolbar provides immediate access to one or more of the following eight PowerDesk Tools:

QuickLaunch: Provides one-click access to the applications, tools, files, and folders you use most often, without cluttering your desktop. There is no limit to the number of items you can place in the QuickLaunch Tool.

Start Menus: Allows you to find your applications, files, and folders more quickly. Create multiple personalized Start Menus, organize your files by projects or tasks.

MultiView: Lets you instantly switch between full-screen views of open applications. No more minimizing and maximizing applications to get to the application you need.

Print Manager: Switches between printers and faxes with a single click. Drag-and-drop files to Print Manager to print or fax quickly and easily.

System Access: Provides one-click access to commonly used Windows 95 functions including Shut Down, Change Screen Resolution, and Restart Windows.

DOS Command Line: Puts a DOS Command Line right on your screen. Stop wasting time by opening and closing a DOS window every time you use DOS.

Clock: Displays an analog or digital clock to show the date, time, and more. You can even show multiple clocks to display the time in different locations.

System Monitors: Tracks system resources and alerts you when system resources are running low. Choose from seven monitors including CPU usage, number of threads, memory, system resources, user resources, GDI resources, and disk space. Select as many monitors as you need.

Related Topics

Discovering the Toolbar


Discovering the Toolbar

You have the opportunity to create your first Toolbar with the PowerDesk Wizard when you install PowerDesk. When you start the PowerDesk Toolbar for the first time, you will be presented with the Toolbar you created during Setup with the PowerDesk Wizard. The position and configuration of your Toolbar depend on the settings you specified in the PowerDesk Wizard.

Although Toolbars can be customized, there are common elements to every Toolbar. These common components are independent of the Tools available inside the Toolbar. The common Toolbar components follow.

Toolbar Component	Description
	The Toolbar ID helps to identify a Toolbar and is especially helpful when working with multiple Toolbars. The Toolbar ID is used in conjunction with the Toolbar Selectors. Left-clicking the Toolbar ID is the same as right-clicking on the Toolbar Caption. Either action displays the Toolbar popup menu. The Toolbar ID can be changed through the Properties dialog.
Toolbar Caption	The Toolbar Caption contains the name of the Toolbar. The default name for the first Toolbar is PowerDesk Toolbar. Each subsequent Toolbar is numbered. For example, the second Toolbar is named PowerDesk Toolbar 2.  The Toolbar Caption can be changed through the Properties dialog.
	The Help Button provides context-sensitive Help for the Toolbar. To display a Help topic for a Tool, click the Help button, then click the appropriate Tool.
	The Hide Button minimizes the Toolbar. Minimized Toolbars can be displayed by clicking on the appropriate Toolbar Selector in an active Toolbar or by clicking the PowerDesk icon located in the Windows 95 Taskbar Tray.
	The Always on Top Button allows you to keep the Toolbar on top of all open applications. Clicking this button toggles between Always on Top and Not Always on Top. Always on Top is useful since your Toolbar is always in sight and available.
	The Properties Button displays the Properties dialog. The Properties dialog allows you to configure your Toolbar, your Tool Groups, and your Tools. To configure any part of your Toolbar, simply click this button. The Properties dialog offers dozens of configuration options.
	The Close Button closes all the active Toolbars and exits the PowerDesk Toolbar. Be careful with this button since closing any Toolbar will close all active Toolbars. If you are using multiple Toolbars and want to minimize one of the Toolbars, use the Hide Button.
Toolbar Frame	The Toolbar Frame is only available when a Toolbar has the Floating style. You can use the Toolbar Frame to size the Toolbar. If a Toolbar is docked to the left, right, top, or bottom, you cannot size the Toolbar with the Toolbar Frame. The Toolbar style - Floating or Docked - can be set using the Properties dialog.
Again, the Toolbar components are common to every Toolbar. However, the true power of the Toolbar is its flexibility. Toolbars are customized by adding Tool Groups and Tools. These Tool Groups and Tools are contained in the inner area of the Toolbar.

To understand the correlation of Toolbars, Tool Groups, and Tools, think of a tree-like hierarchy with Toolbars at the top, Tool Groups in the middle, and Tools at the bottom. Simply stated, Toolbars contain Tool Groups - Tool Groups contain Tools - Tools provide functionality such as launching an application or displaying system information.

The PowerDesk Toolbar is structured around this hierarchy of Toolbars, Tool Groups, and Tools. The Properties dialog contains the Current Configuration tree that represents this hierarchy. The Current Configuration tree offers a simple, intuitive way to structure your Toolbars, Tool Groups, and Tools.

Related Topics

Using the Properties Dialog

Understanding Toolbars

Understanding Tool Groups

Understanding Tools


Understanding Configurations

When you used the PowerDesk Wizard during installation, you not only created your first Toolbar, you created your first configuration file. The PowerDesk Toolbar uses configuration files to store information about a single configuration. Using the PowerDesk Wizard, you can create multiple configurations with each configuration containing unique Toolbars. You can create a configuration for each task or project, or you can create a configuration for each person that uses your system.

For example, assume you are using PowerDesk at home. You use your home computer for work-related tasks, your spouse does the same but uses different applications, and your children use the computer for entertainment and educational games. For this situation, you can create three configurations - one for yourself, one for your spouse, and one for your children.

Your configuration may contain one or more Toolbars that are tailored for the Tools, files, and applications you use most often. Similarly, the configurations for your spouse and children can contain multiple Toolbars tailored to the Tools, applications, and files they use.

When you start PowerDesk for the first time, the configuration that you created during Setup will be opened. You can modify the current configuration by using the Properties dialog. To create a new PowerDesk configuration file, run the PowerDesk Wizard located in the PowerDesk application folder. The PowerDesk Wizard will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a new Toolbar and configuration file.

Once you have created multiple configurations, you can switch between them by using the File menu in the Properties dialog. Each time you start the PowerDesk Toolbar, the configuration file that was in use last will be opened.

PowerDesk configuration files have the PDC file extension and are typically located in the PowerDesk application folder.

Related Topics

Getting to Know the PowerDesk Toolbar

Using the Properties Dialog


Using the Properties Dialog

The Properties dialog allows you to add and modify Toolbars, Tool Groups, and Tools in the current configuration. The Properties dialog can be displayed from any Toolbar by clicking on [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar or by selecting the Properties menu item from any Toolbar, Tool Group, or Tool right-click popup menu. The Properties dialog contains five major components: the Menus, the Available Tools List, the Current Configuration tree, the Properties section, and Command Buttons.

Related Topics:

Properties Dialog: Menus

Properties Dialog: Available Tools List

Properties Dialog: Current Configuration Tree

Properties Dialog: Properties

Properties Dialog: Command Buttons


Properties Dialog: Menus

The Properties dialog contains three menus: File, Edit, and Help. The File menu is used to open and save configuration files and contains the following menu items:

Open:  Opens a configuration (.PDC) file. Use this menu item to switch to another configuration.

Save As:  Saves the current configuration under a different file name. This allows you to save changes to a configuration file without affecting the original configuration.

Exit PowerDesk:  Exits the PowerDesk Toolbar.

The Edit Menu allows you to undo modifications made to the Current Configuration tree, test configurations, and cut-and-paste or copy-and-paste items in the Current Configuration tree. The Edit menu contains the following menu items:

Undo:  Reverses the last modification made to the Current Configuration tree.

Apply:  Applies the information in the Current Configuration tree to the current configuration. This way you can view the effects of any modifications you have made to the Current Configuration. The changes made by the Apply button are not permanent until the OK command button is clicked.

Cut:  Cuts the selected item from the Current Configuration tree. Use Paste to place the item you cut back into the Current Configuration tree.

Copy:  Makes a copy of an item from the Available Tools list or the Current Configuration tree. Use Paste to place the copy of the item into the Current Configuration tree.

Paste:  Pastes an item into the Current Configuration tree.

The Help menu provides access to the PowerDesk help file. The following items are available on the Help menu.

Help Topics:  Displays the Contents tab of the PowerDesk help file.

About:  Displays the About dialog for the PowerDesk Toolbar.

Related Topics:

Using the Properties Dialog


Properties Dialog: Available Tools

The Available Tools list provides a list of items that you can add to the Current Configuration tree. This list contains the following items:

Taskbar Toolbar

Toolbar

Tool Group

QuickLaunch

Start Menus

MultiView

Clock

System Monitor

Print Manager

Command Line

System Access

Related Topics:

Using the Properties Dialog


Properties Dialog: Current Configuration

The Current Configuration tree provides a hierarchy of the items in the current configuration file. To modify the current configuration, you add, delete, or move items in the Current Configuration tree. The Current Configuration tree provides a visual representation of the Toolbar(s) in the current configuration.

Related Topics:

Using the Properties Dialog


Properties Dialog: Properties

The Properties section of the screen displays the properties and options for the item that is selected in the Current Configuration tree. Each item in the Current Configuration tree has a set of properties associated with it. To view or modify the properties for an item, select the item in the Current Configuration tree. The properties for the selected item will be displayed in the Properties section of the Properties dialog.

The actual properties and options available for each item (Toolbars, Tool Groups, and each PowerDesk Tool) are described in the appropriate topic for each item.

Related Topics:

Using the Properties Dialog


Properties Dialog: Command Buttons

The Properties dialog contains the following seven command buttons:

Add:  Adds the item selected in the Available Tools list to the Current Configuration tree.

Delete:  Deletes the selected item in the Current Configuration tree.

OK:  Updates the current configuration to correspond with the Current Configuration tree and Properties options, then closes the dialog. Changes to the current configuration cannot be reversed with the Undo option once the OK button has been selected.

Cancel:  Closes the dialog. Any changes made to the current configuration are ignored.

Apply:  Temporarily updates the current configuration to correspond to the Current Configuration tree. With this option, you can preview the changes you have made. You can reverse the last change made to the configuration with Undo or cancel all changes with Cancel.

Undo:  Reverses the last change made to the Current Configuration tree and Properties options. Undo cannot undo changes made once the OK button has been selected.

Help:  Displays the Contents tab of the PowerDesk Help file.

Related Topics:

Using the Properties Dialog


Understanding Toolbars

The current PowerDesk Toolbar configuration file (.PDC) specifies the Toolbar(s) that are currently available in the PowerDesk Toolbar as well as the configuration of each available Toolbar. Toolbars contain Tool Groups and Tools.

Toolbars are very flexible and can be customized for your needs. You can have a single Toolbar in a configuration or you can have multiple Toolbars with each Toolbar containing a unique set of Tools.

Related Topics:

Creating New Toolbars

Adding a Toolbar

Customizing Toolbars


Creating New Toolbars

The PowerDesk Wizard allows you to create a new Toolbar and a new configuration (.PDC) file. The Wizard takes you step-by-step through the process of creating a new Toolbar and creates a configuration file. Before you use the PowerDesk Wizard, you need to make sure that you really want to create a new Toolbar versus adding a new Toolbar to the current configuration.

When you create a new Toolbar with the PowerDesk Wizard, you are creating a new configuration file that contains information about the new Toolbar. Creating a new Toolbar configuration is very different than adding a new Toolbar to the current configuration. Adding a Toolbar to the current configuration results in an additional Toolbar in the current configuration. No new configuration file is created. If you want to add a Toolbar to the current configuration, see Adding a Toolbar.

To create a new Toolbar and configuration file, start the PowerDesk Wizard. You can do this from the PowerDesk Wizard menu item located in the Start menu or by double-clicking the PowerDesk Wizard icon. The PowerDesk Wizard will take you step-by-step through the process of creating a new Toolbar and configuration file. Just follow the instructions provided with each step.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Adding a Toolbar

Customizing Toolbars


Adding a Toolbar

The PowerDesk Toolbar allows you to work with multiple Toolbars in the current configuration. You can add a Toolbar to the current configuration using the Properties dialog. Make sure that you do not confuse adding a Toolbar to the current configuration with creating a new Toolbar. Creating a new Toolbar is accomplished with PowerDesk Wizard and creates a new Toolbar and configuration file. See Creating a New Toolbar for information on creating a new Toolbar and configuration file.

To add a Toolbar to the current configuration, go to the Properties dialog. You can display the Properties dialog by clicking [image] in the upper right corner of the Toolbar. Once the Properties dialog is displayed, select Toolbar from the Available Tools list by clicking once on the Toolbar icon. Choose the Add button. The Toolbar will be added to the Current Configuration tree. Notice that a Tool Group is automatically added along with the new Toolbar. All Toolbars have at least one Tool Group.

You can also add a Toolbar to the current configuration by dragging the Toolbar from the Available Tools list and dropping the Toolbar onto the Current Configuration tree.

Once you have added a Toolbar to the Current Configuration tree, you can add Tools and additional Tool Groups to the Toolbar and configure the Toolbar.

There are some additional items that you need to be aware of when you add more than one Toolbar to the current configuration. These are the Toolbar ID and Toolbar Selectors.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Creating New Toolbars

Customizing Toolbars


Toolbar ID
Toolbar IDs

Every Toolbar contains a Toolbar ID. The Toolbar ID is a colored, circular button located to the left of the Toolbar caption.

Each Toolbar is automatically assigned a uniquely colored Toolbar ID. The Toolbar ID helps you visually distinguish between Toolbars and is used with Toolbar Selectors to hide or show the Toolbars in the current configuration.

Note:	When a Toolbar is docked, the Toolbar ID is not visible because the Toolbar caption and title bar are not displayed to save space on the screen.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Toolbar Selectors


Toolbar Selectors

When the current configuration contains more than one Toolbar, each Toolbar contains Toolbar Selectors. Toolbar Selectors are located in the upper-left corner of the inner area of the Toolbar and are used to hide or show the other Toolbars in the current configuration.

For example, assume you have three Toolbars in the current configuration. In this case, each Toolbar would have two Toolbar Selectors. These Toolbar Selectors are used to hide or show the other two Toolbars. Toolbar Selectors are color-coded to match the Toolbar ID for the corresponding Toolbar. In our example, assume Toolbar 1 has a red Toolbar ID, Toolbar 2 has a green Toolbar ID, and Toolbar 3 has a blue Toolbar ID. Clicking the red Toolbar Selector on either Toolbar 2 or Toolbar 3 will hide or show Toolbar 1. If Toolbar 1 is hidden, it will be shown. If it is visible, it will be hidden.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Toolbar IDs


Customizing Toolbars

Every PowerDesk Toolbar can be fully customized. You have complete control over the position, style, Selector color, Tool Group arrangement and more for each Toolbar. Toolbars are customized through the Properties dialog. To modify the Properties for a Toolbar, display the Properties dialog by clicking [image] in the upper right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Toolbar you want to modify in the Current Configuration tree. The Properties for the Toolbar will be displayed in the lower portion of the Properties dialog. Toolbar Properties are displayed on two tabs: the General tab and the Toolbar tab.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Toolbar Properties: The General Tab

Toolbar Properties: The Toolbar Tab


Toolbar Properties: The General Tab

The Toolbar Properties General tab is used to set the Toolbar style and position. Two options are available for the Toolbar style: Floating and Docked. Floating Toolbars can be moved around the screen and sized using the Toolbar frame. Docked Toolbars are attached to the left, right, top, or bottom of the screen.

To specify the Toolbar style, select the Floating or Docked option button. When you select the Docked option button, the Alignment drop-down list box is enabled. The Alignment options follow:

Left:  Attaches the Toolbar to the left side of the screen.

Right:  Attaches the Toolbar to the right side of the screen.

Top:  Attaches the Toolbar to the top of the screen.

Bottom:  Attaches the Toolbar to the bottom of the screen.

The General tab also provides the following two options that allow you to define the Toolbar position:

AutoHide:  When checked, the Toolbar is hidden if the Docked style is selected. The Toolbar is displayed only when the cursor is positioned over the hidden Toolbar. This option is similar to the Windows 95 Taskbar Auto Hide feature and is only available when the Docked style is selected.

Always on Top:  When checked, the Toolbar will always be displayed on top of all other windows. This option keeps the Toolbar in sight and accessible at all times.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Toolbar Properties: The Toolbar Tab


Toolbar Properties: The Toolbar Tab

The Toolbar Properties Toolbar tab is used to set Toolbar properties and Tool Group arrangement and spacing. Two groups of options are available on the Toolbar tab: Toolbar and Tool Group.

The Toolbar options are used to set the caption, hotkey, background, and Toolbar Selector color. The following Toolbar options are available on the Toolbar tab:

Title:  Specifies the title of the Toolbar. The default title for the main Toolbar is PowerDesk Toolbar. Each Toolbar you add to the current configuration is numbered. For example, the second Toolbar is titled PowerDesk Toolbar 2. You can change the title of any Toolbar.

Hotkey:  Specifies the key-sequence, or hotkey, that will display the Toolbar and place it on top of all open applications. To specify a hotkey, simply place the focus on the Hotkey input field and press the hotkey you want to use.

Background:  Specifies the background pattern you want to use for your Toolbar. Several background patterns are available. By default, the background is the color defined in Windows 95 for 3-D objects.

Selector Color:  Specifies the color of the Toolbar ID and the associated Toolbar Selector buttons. When a Toolbar is created, a unique color is assigned to each Toolbar. Be careful when modifying the Selector Color option. Assigning the same color to two Toolbars will make it difficult to distinguish between Toolbar Selector buttons. Selector colors should be unique for each Toolbar in the current configuration.

The Tool Group options are used to define the arrangement and spacing of the Tool Groups on the Toolbar. Tool Groups are used to group and arrange Tools on the Toolbar. The following Tool Group options are available on the Toolbar tab:

Arrangement:  Specifies the arrangement of the Tool Groups on the Toolbar. The arrangement options are:

Horizontal:  Tool Groups are positioned in a side-by-side fashion.

Vertical:  Tool Groups are positioned one on top of the other.

Automatic:  Tool Groups are automatically positioned to make the most efficient use of space on the Toolbar.

Spacing:  Specifies the amount of space between Tool Groups. The default value is 1. Tool Group spacing can range from 1 to 20.

For Tool Group options, the default values of Automatic for Arrangement and 1 for Spacing are the best. With these default values, the PowerDesk Toolbar can make the most efficient use of space on the Toolbar.

If you do not choose to accept the default value of Automatic for Tool Group Arrangement, you need to understand the Horizontal and Vertical Arrangement options. The following example will help you understand the concepts of Horizontal and Vertical Tool Group Arrangements.

Assume you have the following configuration: one Toolbar with two Tool Groups. Each Tool Group contains three tools. If you choose to ignore the Automatic setting for Tool Group Arrangement, you have two Tool Group Arrangement options: Horizontal and Vertical.

If you select the Horizontal Arrangement option, you will get a Toolbar with two Tool Groups placed side-by-side. Assuming that the Tool Arrangement for each Tool Group is Horizontal, you will get a Toolbar with all the Tools arranged side-by-side.

If you select the Vertical Arrangement option, you will get a Toolbar with two Tool Groups stacked one on top of the other. Again, assuming the Tool Arrangement for each Tool Group is Horizontal, you will get a Toolbar with two rows of Tools: three Tools on top (Tool Group 1) and three Tools on the bottom (Tool Group 2).

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Toolbar Properties: The General Tab


Deleting Toolbars

Just as you can add a Toolbar to the current configuration, you can delete a Toolbar from the current configuration. To delete a Toolbar from the current configuration, open the Properties dialog by clicking [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Toolbar you want to delete by clicking on the Toolbar in the Current Configuration tree. Choose the Delete button to delete the Toolbar. You can also delete a Toolbar by right-clicking on the Toolbar and selecting Delete from the popup menu.

When you delete a Toolbar, all Tool Groups and Tools on the Toolbar are deleted. If you want to save a Tool Group or Tool before deleting the Toolbar, move the Tool Group or Tool to another Toolbar.

Note:	You cannot delete the main Toolbar. The main Toolbar is the Toolbar located at the top of the Current Configuration tree.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars

Creating New Toobars

Adding a Toolbar


Using the Taskbar Toolbar

The Taskbar Toolbar is a special type of Toolbar and allows you to add PowerDesk Tools to the Windows 95 Taskbar. The Taskbar Toolbar does not behave like other PowerDesk Toolbars and does not support all the PowerDesk Tools. Only the QuickLaunch, Start Menus, Print Manager, and MultiView Tools are supported. The Taskbar Toolbar can be used alone or with other PowerDesk Toolbars.

To add a Taskbar Toolbar to the current configuration, open the Properties dialog by clicking [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Taskbar Toolbar from Available Tools. Choose Add to add the Taskbar Toolbar to the Current Configuration Tree. There is only one Taskbar Toolbar. Therefore, you can only add one Taskbar Toolbar to the current configuration. When you add the Taskbar Toolbar to the Current Configuration tree, the Taskbar Toolbar is removed from the Available Tools list.

Once you have added the Taskbar Toolbar to the Current Configuration tree, you can add Tools to it by selecting the Taskbar Toolbar in the Current Configuration tree. The Tool options are displayed on the General tab of the Taskbar Toolbar Properties located in the lower portion of the Properties dialog.

To select a Tool to display on the Taskbar, choose from the following options for each Tool on the General tab: QuickLaunch, Start Menus, Print Manager, and MultiView. You are limited to selecting from these Tools. You should also note that you cannot drag-and-drop tools from the Available Tools list to the Taskbar Toolbar. You must add Tools to the Taskbar Toolbar using the options on the General tab.

The Tools on the Taskbar Toolbar are positioned on the right side of the Taskbar (assuming the Taskbar is horizontal) and are separated from the standard Taskbar buttons by the Taskbar Splitter. The Taskbar Splitter can be used to adjust the amount of space allocated to the Taskbar buttons and the Taskbar Tools. Simply click on the Splitter and drag it to the left or right (again assuming the Taskbar is horizontal).

Depending on the number of buttons on the Taskbar, the number of Tools in the Taskbar Toolbar, and the space allocated to each, the Taskbar Spin Buttons may be displayed. The Spin Buttons are displayed when there is insufficient space to display all the Taskbar buttons. You can use these Spin Buttons to cycle through the Taskbar buttons.

To delete the Taskbar Toolbar from the Current Configuration, select the Taskbar Toolbar by clicking on it the Current Configuration tree. Choose the Delete button to delete the Taskbar Toolbar. The Taskbar Toolbar will be removed from the Current Configuration tree and placed back into the Available Tools list.

Related Topics:

Understanding Toolbars


Understanding Tool Groups

Tool Groups provide a convenient way to group and arrange Tools on a Toolbar. Each Toolbar contains at least one Tool Group, but may contain several. Tool Groups can be arranged horizontally or vertically. In a vertical arrangement, Tool Groups are stacked one on top of the other to create rows of Tools. In a horizontal arrangement, Tool Groups are placed side-by-side to create a single row of Tools. The Tool Group Arrangement options are specified on the Toolbar tab of the Toolbar Properties. See Toolbar Properties: The Toolbar Tab for more information about Toolbar Arrangement options.

Related Topics:

Adding a Tool Group

Customizing Tool Groups

Moving a Tool Group

Deleting a Tool Group

Renaming a Tool Group


Adding a Tool Group

All Toolbars (with the exception of the Taskbar Toolbar) contain at least one Tool Group. You can place all the Tools for a Toolbar in a single Tool Group or you can use multiple Tool Groups to arrange and group the Tools on the Toolbar.

To add a Tool Group to a Toolbar, open the Properties dialog by clicking on [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Toolbar that will contain the Tool Group by clicking on the Toolbar in the Current Configuration tree. Select Tool Group from the Available Tools list. Choose the Add button to add the Tool Group. You also have the option to drag-and-drop the Tool Group from the Available Tools list to the Current Configuration tree.

Once you have added a Tool Group to the Current Configuration tree, you can add Tools to the Tool Group. See Adding a Tool for information about adding Tools to Tool Groups.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tool Groups

Customizing Tool Groups

Moving a Tool Group

Deleting a Tool Group

Renaming a Tool Group


Customizing Tool Groups

Each Tool Group can be customized. To customize the options for a Tool Group, select the Tool Group in the Current Configuration tree by clicking on the Tool Group. The Tool Group Properties will be displayed in the General tab located in the lower portion of the Properties dialog.

The Tool Group Properties General tab contains a single set of options that define the arrangement and spacing of the Tools contained within the Tool Group. These options follow:

Arrangement:  Specifies the arrangement of the Tools in the Tool Group. The following Arrangement options are available:

Horizontal:  The Tools are positioned in the Tool Group side-by-side.

Vertical:  The Tools are positioned in the Tool Group one on top of the other.

Automatic:  The Tools are automatically arranged within the Tool Group to make to most efficient use of space.

Spacing:  Specifies the amount of space between the Tools in the Tool Group.

The default values of Automatic for Arrangement and 1 for Spacing are the best. With these default values, PowerDesk Toolbar can make the most efficient use of space within the Tool Group.

If you do not choose to accept the default value of Automatic for Tool Arrangement, you need to understand the Horizontal and Vertical Arrangement options. The following example will help you understand the concepts of Horizontal and Vertical Tool Arrangements.

Assume you have the following configuration: one Toolbar with one Tool Group. The Tool Group contains four tools. If you choose to ignore the Automatic setting for Tool Arrangement, you have two Tool Arrangement options: Horizontal and Vertical.

If you select the Horizontal Arrangement option, you will get a Toolbar with the Tools in the Tool Group placed side-by-side.

If you select the Vertical Arrangement option, you will get a Toolbar with the Tools in the Tool Group stacked one on top of the other.

When you combine the Tool Arrangement options with the Tool Group Arrangement Options, the number of combinations of display variations for a Toolbar with several Tool Groups is enormous. Play with the Tool and Tool Group Arrangement options for your Toolbars to see what works best for you.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tool Groups

Adding a Tool Group

Moving a Tool Group

Deleting a Tool Group

Renaming a Tool Group


Moving a Tool Group

After you have created the Tool Groups that you want for a Toolbar, you may want to rearrange the order of your Tool Groups or even move a Tool Group to another Toolbar in the current configuration.

To change the order of the Tool Groups in a Toolbar, locate the Tool Group you want to move in the Current Configuration tree. The Current Configuration tree is located in the Properties dialog. To place the Tool Group as the first Tool Group for a Toolbar, drag-and-drop the Tool Group to the Toolbar name. If you drag-and-drop a Tool Group (the source Tool Group) to another Tool Group (the destination Tool Group), the source Tool Group will be placed immediately after the destination Tool Group.

To move a Tool Group between Toolbars in the current configuration, drag-and-drop the Tool Group on the destination Toolbar. You can also drag-and-drop a Tool Group onto a Tool Group located on a different Toolbar. The source Tool Group will be placed immediately after the destination Tool Group.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tool Groups

Adding a Tool Group

Customizing Tool Groups

Deleting a Tool Group

Renaming a Tool Group


Deleting a Tool Group

You can easily delete any Tool Group from the current configuration. To delete a Tool Group, open the Properties dialog by clicking on [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Tool Group you want to delete, then choose the Delete button. You can also delete a Tool Group by right-clicking on the Tool Group and selecting Delete from the popup menu.

Be careful when deleting a Tool Group since all the Tools inside the Tool Group are also deleted. Move any Tools you want to save prior to deleting a Tool Group.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tool Groups

Adding a Tool Group

Customizing Tool Groups

Moving a Tool Group

Renaming a Tool Group


Renaming a Tool Group

By default, every Tool Group on every Toolbar has the name Tool Group. This makes it difficult to distinguish between Tool Groups in the Current Configuration tree. You can give each Tool Group a unique name so you can easily identify each Tool Group.

To change the name of a Tool Group, select the Tool Group you want to rename in the Current Configuration tree by clicking once on the Tool Group name. Wait for about 1 second, then single click on the Tool Group name. The dashed focus rectangle on the Tool Group name will change to a solid rectangle. This indicates you can edit the name of the Tool Group. Enter the new name for the Tool Group and press the Enter key. You can rename Toolbars, Tool Groups, and Tools using this method.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tool Groups

Adding a Tool Group

Customizing Tool Groups

Moving a Tool Group

Deleting a Tool Group


Understanding Tools

Tools contain the buttons and displays you will find inside a Toolbar. Tools are arranged in Tool Groups and invoke a particular action such as launching an application or displaying system information. The PowerDesk Toolbar provides eight different Tools you can add to your Toolbars: QuickLaunch, Start Menus, MultiView, Print Manager, System Access, DOS Command Line, Clock, and System Monitors.

Related Topics:

Adding a Tool

Customizing a Tool

Moving a Tool

Deleting a Tool

Renaming a Tool


Adding a Tool

All Toolbars (with the exception of the Taskbar Toolbar) contain at least one Tool Group. Tools are added to Tool Groups. You can add the Tools you want to use to a single Tool Group or you can use multiple Tool Groups to arrange and group your Tools.

To add a Tool to a Tool Group, open the Properties dialog by clicking on [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Tool Group that will contain the added Tool by clicking on the Tool Group in the Current Configuration tree. Select the Tool you want to add from the Available Tools list. Choose the Add button to add the Tool to the Tool Group. You also have the option of dragging-and-dropping the Tool from the Available Tools list to the Current Configuration tree.

You can add as many Tools as you want to a Tool Group and you can use the same Tool more than once. For example, you can add four Clock Tools and configure each one for a different time zone.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tools

Customizing a Tool

Moving a Tool

Deleting a Tool

Renaming a Tool


Customizing a Tool

Each Tool has different properties. However, the procedures for displaying the Properties for each Tool are the same. To customize a Tool, display the Properties dialog by clicking on [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Tool you want to modify from the Current Configuration tree. The Properties for the Tool you selected will be displayed in the lower portion of the Properties dialog.

Although each Tool has its own set of Properties, the Tool Properties are always displayed in the lower portion of the Properties dialog.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tools

Adding a Tool

Moving a Tool

Deleting a Tool

Renaming a Tool


Moving a Tool

After you have added all the Tools you want to your Toolbars, you may need to rearrange the order of your Tools or even move a Tool to another Tool Group located on a different Toolbar.

To change the order of the Tools in a Tool Group, locate the Tool you want to move in the Current Configuration tree. The Current Configuration tree is located in the Properties dialog. To place the Tool as the first Tool in a Tool Group, drag-and-drop the Tool to the Tool Group name. You can also drag-and-drop a Tool (the source Tool) to another Tool (the destination Tool). The source Tool will be placed immediately after the destination Tool.

To move a Tool between Tool Groups in the current configuration, drag-and-drop the Tool on the destination Tool Group name. You can also drag-and-drop a Tool onto a Tool or Tool Group located on a different Toolbar.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tools

Adding a Tool

Customizing a Tool

Deleting a Tool

Renaming a Tool


Deleting a Tool

It is easy to delete a Tool from the current configuration. To delete a Tool, open the Properties dialog by clicking on [image] located in the upper-right corner of the Toolbar. Select the Tool you want to delete, then choose the Delete button. You can also delete a Tool by right-clicking on the Tool and selecting Delete from the popup menu.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tools

Adding a Tool

Customizing a Tool

Moving a Tool

Renaming a Tool


Renaming a Tool

Each Tool has a default name. For example, every Clock Tool has the default name of Clock. This makes it difficult to distinguish between multiple Tools that are of the same type. You can give each Tool a unique name so you can easily identify each Tool and its current settings. For example, you can name a Clock Tool that tracks Eastern Time EST Clock. Similarly, you can name a System Monitor Tool that monitors CPU usage CPU Sys Monitor.

To change the name of a Tool, select the Tool you want to rename in the Current Configuration tree by clicking once on the Tool. Wait for about 1 second, then single click on the Tool name. The dashed focus rectangle on the Tool name will change to a solid rectangle. This indicates that you can edit the name of the Tool. Enter the new name for the Tool and press the Enter key. You can rename Toolbars, Tool Groups, and Tools using this method.

You can also rename a Tool by right-clicking on the Tool in the Current Configuration Tree and selecting Rename from the popup menu. The Tool name will automatically be placed in edit mode. Enter the new name for the Tool and press the Enter key.

Related Topics:

Understanding Tools

Adding a Tool

Customizing a Tool

Moving a Tool

Deleting a Tool

Renaming a Tool