                            FileManager Plus
                    Reviewed by Michael Christensen

        FileManager Plus is a sharp little add-on Windows utility that, like
all sharp objects, should be approached with a bit of caution. It enhances
Windows File Manager by adding several disk and file management tools as
well as several security features.
        FileManager Plus installs directly over File Manager and includes
its own un-installer, in case you decide you do not want it. It includes a
customizable toolbar for most functions, making it easy and quick to use.
        Trash-It is an obvious take-off of Macintosh's Trashcan, but it's
not quite as dummy-proof as the Mac version. Trash-It, at least in the
beginning, requires cautious use.
        Options for Trash-It include Hide, Delete, or Compress. With the
default setting, Hide, it's easy to use and pretty much bullet-proof. When
you trash files, they do not leave the disk. The file attribute is changed
to hidden, and they are easily and quickly retrievable until you empty the
trash. Emptying trash can be done either manually or automatically at
user-determined intervals.
        If the option is set to delete, Trash-It can become treacherous. A
single inadvertent mouse-click can wipe out entire directories in the space
of a startled gasp. While I didn't have the courage to experiment on the C
drive root directory, I did set up a test directory that included several
fairly large files. One click destroyed it without asking for confirmation,
even when the Confirm Delete option was checked. Scary.
        You do have the choice of MS-DOS Recoverable deletion, which is some
consolation. It also includes choices for DOD Shred and Paranoid Shred,
which will wipe files thoroughly and irrecoverably. Proceed carefully.
        For safety, you might want to customize the toolbar by removing the
Trash-It single-click icon and replacing it with a Delete File icon.
        Zip-It uses the popular PKZIP and PKUNZIP for file compression.
Zipped files can be encrypted and password-protected. There is also an
option for Automated ZIP, which lets you set up a named instruction set for
repeated use. The only thing lacking in Zip-It is the capability for making
self-extracting (.EXE) files. If you need these executable files, you'll
still have to go back to the standard PKZIP.
        Data Encryption gives you choices ranging from Nosy Neighbor (barely
encrypted) up to Data Encryption Standard III. DES III, according to the
manual, is approved for use with Retail and Wholesale banking and financial
transactions. This is probably more security than the average user needs,
but it's reassuring to have it available.
        For those who need absolute data security (or the absolutely
paranoid), data encrypted, compressed files can be armed with a password,
included into a vault, and the original files wiped from disk using DOD
Shred, the Department of Defense specification, to thoroughly wipe the file
from your system.
        Clean-It, as the name implies, is a useful tool for cleaning up your
disks. It will locate file types, such as .TMP or .BAK, as well as finding
duplicate files that can be deleted.
        Disk-It, the disk management utility, performs a number of tasks,
including monitoring available space, labeling disks, running specified
programs. It includes an alarm system which can be set to activate when
available disk space falls below a specified level. At that point, it can
either display a warning box or activate a batch file or other program to
delete .BAK, .TMP or other files.
        FileManager Plus also can be configured to use .WAV sound files to
indicate operations, such as shredders, creaking vault doors or clanking
trash cans.
        Altogether, I found FileManager Plus to be a useful disk and file
management utility, easily worth the $49.95 list price.

                              WinWear Inc.
                     14150 N.E. 20th St., Suite 346
                          Bellevue, WA. 98007
                             (206) 655-0856

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