Availability: Windows Magazine Software Library (AOL)
Filename: FILPAL.ZIP
Filesize (ZIPped): 162,160 bytes
Filesize (unZIPped): 428,438 bytes
Requirements: Windows 3.1, mouse recommended.
Rating (1-10): 8
Date of Review: 5/13/95
Installation
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Installation Rating: (Manual Installation)
Description of Installation Process:
You need to create a permanent directory to extract the downloaded FILPAL.ZIP file into. Once the file is unzipped and copied into the created directory you will need to add its icon to an existing Program Manager group (or create a new group for it). No files need to go into any other directory except its own.
Features
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Listing/Description of Features:
FilePal searches any of your drives for .bat, .com, .dll, .drv, .exe, .fon, .hlp, .ini, or .vbx files with just the click of the mouse. It then generates lists which display pertinent information about each individual file. You can also search these listed files for any text (making it easy to find a particular file).
FilePal also lets you backup, copy, move, delete and undelete files. It can display all (or selections) of the following information: company name, copyright, description, file version, internal name, language, legal trademark, original file name, product name, and product version. FilePal can also save the file lists it generates in order for you to view, edit, delete and/or print them.
FilePal lets you edit a .bat or .ini file by clicking on its entry in the file list (to highlight it) and then clicking on Print/Edit. You can also launch .COM or .EXE files just as easily.
Help/Documentation Rating: 5.5
FilePal has a very unusual help viewer in that it uses the file information section of its display to show very simple help notations. The information given is rather skimpy but, it is to the point. This would be one area which could use some improvement.
Summary
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If you overlook the blatant Christian opening screen (a picture of the Cross and a biblical saying) this is an excellent little program. There are other programs out there that perform the tasks that FilePal does but, this is one of the easiest to use and does not take up a lot of hard drive space. If you already have a program like "Peeper" or "Space Hound Pro" this program does not add much to what these programs can already do, but if you want to try something new (to see if you like it), you won't be disappointed (especially with the tiny registration fee of $5.00). I recommend this program.
Problems and Suggestions
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List of Problems found:
There were no compatiblity problems, GPF's, or program errors detected in my evaluation of this software.
Suggestions for improvements:
One area that FilePal is lacking in is its Help files. I would like to see this expanded a bit. It would be nice to have a glossary so that "newbies" to the computing world can understand what some of the file types are and what some of the information given for individual files means.
Another addition I would like to see is a user definable "Search by Extension" field. This would let the user type in the file extension they want to search for and FilePal could make a list of them just like it does for its default extensions. This would make FilePal a powerful, very useful tool with its easy to use format.
(DISCLAIMER: This review is provided for information/entertainment purposes only. The author will not be held responsible or liable for any problems which may occur in the use of any of the reviewed software. The author will also not be held responsible if the program reviewed does not operate, in the way stated. With there being so many system configurations possible confilcts/problems can arise which may prevent the reviewed software from operating in the way indicated. This is not the responsibility of the reviewer.)
