Turbo Navigator by Marko Vodopija	Home page not available!	An excellent file manager with tons and tons of great features and a really nice interface. If you do any kind of file managing, check this out!! Supports Windows 9x, 2000, Me
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Turbo Navigator by Marko Vodopija Honestly, I really don't know what I would do without a really good file manager! I like to open files, close files, change files, rearrange files, move directories, check downloads, get information and on and on and on. It never stops. Now I know there are some people who really don't like to play with things like a file manager, the same way I don't like to touch the registry. There are times though when a file manager can be a very useful tool to help you do the things you want to do. I usually have a directory off of my root directory (C:>) that I've called "downloads" and every program that I use for getting things off of the internet is directed to put them in there. Then, I can scan them with my virus scanner and use my file manager to open them up to examine my download. File managers are a very useful tool to let you search for something or to get information on a specific file or directory. In other words, file managers, when used properly and carefully, can be very useful! A very good file manager that I've been using lately is "Turbo Navigator" by Marko Vodopija. This little baby has lots going for it and I'll do the best I can to give you all of the inside details right here. Downloading........ Downloading was easy and very fast. I had no problem getting that file in a couple of minutes on a 56K modem. Installation.......... Close all open programs first! The downloaded file is a self install .exe so it just a matter of finding the file, clicking on it and let it do the rest. Using a basic setup runtime, it is a matter of following the prompts and in no time, it's in, placing an icon on the desktop and in the start button. Of course, as with all decent windows programs, you can uninstall from the control panel or from the "start" menu directory. I would take the time here to reboot your machine, though the program doesn't insist that you do it. Help Files.......... I don't know why but it seems to me that quite a few of the programs that I really like have absolutely no help files!! That's a pity as a good set of help files can really make a program that much easier to learn. Anyway, on Turbo Navigator's web site, there is a list of items still to be implemented on this program and one of them (NOT the top one however) is to make full help files. Now, if you are not skilled at using file managers, you might find this program a bit confusing however, since all of the icons give you small help titles when your pointer is over them, that may help you to figure out what everything is suppose to do. Now if you ARE skilled at using a file manager, you're going to love playing with this! Interface........... The interface is very configureable with many ways to setup your directory windows and icon bars at the top along with the menubar. I found that keeping the menu and main toolbars up and on the same line makes for nice big directory windows. Now for my setup, I have chosen to have two main windows open allowing me to "drag and drop" files and directories across from one area to another, and each window will be split into two allowing me to see the directory trees on the left with the files contained within on the right. This is the way I've always configured my file managers and here's a pic of my basic setup: Here's a pic of a different setup as well as a view of those great menu icons that I love!!! :) I'm sure that if you move things around and check out all of the setup features, you will probably come up with a setup that comfortable for you. Features........... There's lots! Each separate pane has a mini toolbar which give you a quick way to refresh the window, change views, go back, go forward,go next level, change to directory tree display and more! I get quite a bit of use out of the refresh button. I'm glad it was put there. The menu selections each have their own little icon too (again, as with NotePad 2000, I just LOVE that!). There's also a built in CD player too, just in case you get board looking at files all day!! :) There is a menu item that allows you to directly access the System, Display and Add/Remove Program Properties. Plus lots and lots more. Here's a copy of the list of features from the .txt file included in the archive: -Full Drag and Drop capability; -Built-in file viewer for text, RTF and binary files; -System Tree View for both panels - able to mimic Windows Explorer. -Advanced change attributes capability (recurse subdirectories, ability to change System attribute, ability to change Created/Modified/Accessed file time/date stamp); -Copy speed display; -Advanced filtering capability (in file panels and in basic operations like copy, move and delete); -Built-in favorites for quick directory change; -Ability to wipe the files from the disk so they can not be undeleted; -Fully customizable colours in the file panels; -Built-in Media Player for quick preview of WAV, MID, MP3, AVI, MPG and other supported file formats without any need for opening separate applications; -Very detailed, yet very simple user interface; -Full Clipboard support including file name and file path copy; -Built-in strong encryption capability for quick file encryption; -Very advanced selection mechanism; -Detailed directory info display with graph; -and a lot more... Problems........... Not including the incomplete help files, I found two. First of all, there is no built in compression like Powerdesk! I'll be taking care of that little problem in the next issue!! :) The second problem is a bug that I found when changing the window to "brief view"! After using the window for a bit, I have had displayed an info window telling me about a "horrible bug" giving the explanation "division by zero"! If I change the view to "full view" it goes away. I have sent a bug report notice to the author. Hopefully, it will be dealt with soon as Turbo Navigator is an excellent program. In Closing........... I've been using PowerDesk now since reviewing it earlier this year however, I have officially uninstalled and said goodbye to it and have kept Turbo Navagator as my file manager. I'm sure the bug will get fixed and not having file compression just gives me one more thing to search for right?? Now lets see, where IS that search engine.................................... :) Enjoy Buzzy J

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