Home Office: Best Tips from Readers

File management, file sharing, and keyboard shortcuts.

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I started something evil last week: I bowed to my editor's request to read every last lick of e-mail... and answer each one. When I plowed through the millions of messages, I found lots of pithy queries, bright comments, and brilliant ideas--you're a brainy bunch. So this week I present your contributions.

Smarter File Management

Not too long ago, I wrote about transferring data hither and yon and managing files. For a refresher, see "Move Big Files Without Breaking a Sweat," then read "Smart Ways to Transfer Big Files."

It appears I got your attention; I received tons of e-mail on the subject. Here's a sampling:

Steve Smoot of San Francisco says, "Windows Explorer is just plain stupid and annoying to use." His recommendation is the $32 Total Commander. "Effortless two panes, easy to use, and customizable access to functions." A dozen others chimed in. Val Ingraham of Lawrenceville, Georgia says Total Commander "has a complete menu system with a myriad of options, most of which are also available via hot key combinations" (of which there are 60).

By now you probably know that I prefer V-Communications' PowerDesk. But I have to admit, the $30 Total Commander is a sharp product with a multitude of features, such as a handy way to navigate to files on an enormous hard drive, a built-in file splitter, and a nifty download manager. But you can judge for yourself: Try Total Command by downloading a fully functional trial version from PCWorld.com.

"PCs have too many files--I have over 180,000 files on my hard drive," says John Faber, who comes to us via the Internet. And according to him, they're difficult to find quickly. John has a good recommendation: SuperCat, a $30 tool (with a free trial version) that makes searches a snap by creating a database of every file.

OTOH, Kyle Anderson of Las Vegas (and many others) swear by Beyond Compare, a $30 tool from Scooter Software that's used to compare file date, time, and size differences between two folders on the same or even different machines. Kyle uses it for keeping folders synchronized and making sure backups are up to date. You can try Beyond Compare by downloading a free trial right here.

Dig This: Have you been downloading music illegally? What about a son or daughter at college? Are you maybe feeling a little concerned that your kids--or worse, you--are on the RIAA subpoena hit list? Use the Subpoena Database Query Tool to find out if you're safe.

Moving Files from Here to Anywhere

Irv Rollman of Highlands Ranch, Colorado has an idea that's brilliantly simple. "I was in Hong Kong with my laptop but without the CD or floppy drives. I needed a large PowerPoint file from a colleague," he writes. Irv whipped out his digital camera, copied the file from his colleague's computer to the camera's flash card, and then copied the file from the camera onto his notebook. Smart move, Irv.

Irv's 16MB CompactFlash card reminds me of using old an 720KB floppy disk: It's good in a pinch, but not terribly useful if you have really big files. Now we've got lots of other options. For instance, Lexar is releasing a whopping 4GB CompactFlash card (at a belly churning $1500). The funny part is that only 11 camera models can use the thing. Read the details in "Lexar Readies 4GB Compact Flash Card."

Dig This: Here's what you absolutely do not want to happen when you bring your notebook in for repair.

Cool Keyboard Shortcuts

Walter Ivey of Meridian, Mississippi reminds me to use my keyboard's Windows key. I do, but only to pop up the Start menu. But if you use it in combination with other keys, you can do some clever things. For instance, hold down the Windows key and tap R to open the Run dialog box, F to open Windows Find, D to show the Desktop, and E to open My Computer. You can find a list of more shortcuts on Microsoft's Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows page.

Dig This: If you think computer users have too much time on their hands, take a look at what some enterprising guy did to drive his neighbors into a tizzy.