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PentaWare, a company best known for its PentaZip compression program, is entering the file manager arena with the release of PentaSuite.

In addition to common file manager features like file viewing and compression, PentaSuite offers something very new: It can write to CDs and even span them, saving files across several discs. When combined with the scripting and scheduling abilities borrowed from PentaZip, this could make it a reasonable backup program. Many users, however, may find its $100 price tag steep.

Rethinking File Managers

If you're unsure what a file manager is, think Windows Explorer. Third-party file managers were once quite popular, but as Microsoft operating system interfaces improved from the DOS prompt to Windows XP, they've become less necessary.

A good file manager can still make one realize just how much Explorer is missing, however. Among the best-known file managers available is PowerDesk Pro, recently sold by Ontrack to V Communications.

When you launch a file manager for the first time, you expect it to look like Windows Explorer. But PentaSuite looks like PentaZip. In fact, it is PentaZip, with the new CD writing and spanning capabilities built in. You'll have to explore the menu a bit to find the file management program. Hiding those features is a mistake that will be fixed, acknowledges Claude Ostseld, PentaWare president and chief executive officer.

New Capabilities

PentaSuite has all of PentaZip 6.0's capabilities. These include compress-and-mail as well as scripting and scheduling, which can make it a tempting choice to back up your data. PentaWare even gave the new PentaSuite a 6.0 version number to match the older product.

Among the added features in PentaZip 6.0--and appearing in PentaSuite--are options that let you use DES, Blowfish, and other encryption standards; earlier versions offered only PGP. Also new: PentaZip can now use each file's archive bit--a feature that tells you whether a file has been changed--to help with incremental backups, fixing a serious flaw in earlier versions.

Burning Your Data

The improved backups are especially nice with PentaSuite, because its CD burning capabilities make it a more complete backup tool than PentaZip. You'll need a CD-R/RW drive, of course, but the program doesn't rely on other CD authoring software such as DirectCD.

If you compress files to a CD-R or -RW, and the compressed files won't fit on a single disc, you can span the archive across several CDs. This is a common feature for compression programs working with floppies, but it's rare with CDs.

PowerDesk Pro, in contrast, lacks any sort of CD writing capabilities (you can use something like DirectCD to get around this, but without spanning support). Otherwise, the two programs have a lot in common, such as FTP support, file viewers, and the capability to e-mail files as attachments.

On the other hand, PowerDesk Pro does a better job of integrating into Windows, it is easier to figure out, and at $40 it costs less than half the price.

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