PowerArchiver 2009 at 50% discount on BdJ (2009-06-10) : worth it ?

[MerleOne]

Hi,

This offer seems interesting at first, especially for the lifetime upgrades that is proposed.  But is this software worth it ?  I did try a few things related to DVD burning and backup, but these features still are quite basic and showed some problems : for instance, I tried to burn a 7GB folder on a single layer DVD, PA started without complaining and of course at the end of the first DVD it froze.  After reboot, I saw that the DVD "FAT" contained all files, which of course wasn't the case.

Do you have any recommendation ?  Thanks.

[mwb1100]

I use PowerArchiver for all my archive file handling - I've never used it's DVD writing capability (though I have used it to open .iso files), so I can't comment on that.  I like it very much, but I'm not sure I'm a true power user for archive files, all I know is that I didn't like WinZIP, WinRAR or any of the free archiving utilities as much as PowerArchiver back when I bought it (quite a while ago).  I think the free utilities have come quite far in the meantime, but I've had no reason to look at them again.

Here are the things that I liked about PowerArchiver (and that keep me using it):

  - the Outlook plug in will automatically compress large or multiple attachments with no fuss
  - the support is fantastic
  - I use the proprietary .pae encrypted archives to have archives that have even the filenames encrypted (this didn't exist in other archivers, except maybe WinRAR when I bought PowerArchiver)
  - the basic, everyday handling of archives just work easily for me (drag-n-drop, shell integration, etc)

I think if you're not 100% happy with whatever you're using right now for archives, then the BDJ offer is definitely worth looking at.

[MerleOne]

Thanks for your feedback !  I actually use winrar, which I like a lot because of some unique features like solid archives, very efficient to compress a bunch of files with little diff between them, the optional redundancy that can be added to make a file more resistant to a few damages, etc.

I consider switching because I need a backup on DVD burning that handles spanning & diff or incremental modes.

[f0dder]

I consider switching because I need a backup on DVD burning that handles spanning & diff or incremental modes.

Why not simply use WinRAR (or w/e) in split mode and manually burn the files? Sure, it's an extra step, but buying a new compression app just for that slight amount of ease?

[MerleOne]

Why not simply use WinRAR (or w/e) in split mode and manually burn the files? Sure, it's an extra step, but buying a new compression app just for that slight amount of ease?

Sure, it works for the inital backup/burning, but as soon as files change or new files are added in the source folder, I just want to burn them automagically to the last used DVD.  I don't think I can do this with winrar.

[Innuendo]

I am one of those weird people who prefers my archive files to have different icons based on type. Iconographically (three cheers for making up new words!) speaking, there's something wrong in my mind with having my zip files share the same icon as my rar files. I like being able to tell at a glance if something is a rar or a zip. Why? Personal quirk, I guess. No real utility in knowing, I suppose, but back when I first started using PowerArchiver it was the only archiver app that could do it. Nowadays, others do, but I stick with what I know best.

Graphically speaking, it's one of the most visually appealing programs of its type available. Turning on Explorer View and using the modern ribbon interface makes for a very efficient UI and it handles more file types than most of its competitors.

For the security conscious, it's very versatile in its encryption capabilities and offers an array of choices of encryption methods.

Their forums are great & you'll get the same great answers for your questions whether you bought the program or not.

Offhand, I can't remember if it's limited to the Pro version or not, but your purchase price also grants you lifetime licenses to their excellent Outlook plug-in and a command-line version of the program that can handle just as many archive types as the GUI-based program.

One little feature that you'd think wouldn't make a difference that has really improved my productivity is in the last few versions they added MRU support for the "Extract to..." context menu command. I extract lots of files to the same few directories over and over so this has been a real time-saver for me.

I won a free license for WinRAR (Thanks, DonationCoder!) and I use that for all my archiving needs, even after getting that free I still bought a license for PowerArchiver Pro for all my unarchiving needs. (I took advantage of their crazy 80% off upgrade to the Pro version before they raised their prices.)

[MerleOne]

Thanks for your comments !