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PowerArchiver 2017 Toolbox [Beta]
#1
With 18 years since the first release,  PowerArchiver 2017 Toolbox is a major upgrade with many features being added to the program. It is still in beta testing waiting for the final release. We, at promo2day forum, are pleased to be the first forum who did this early full detailed review and testing for the famous archiving application.
It is not a simple tool for archives, it is a comprehensive all in one software that includes the ability to manage archives with support of too many formats present. In addition it includes explorer features that let you explore your computer, powerful burning tool that has all the features of a professional burning software. Also you can do backup of your important data which will be saved in the form of .pbs files. The buit in FTP service allows you to upload and download any files in an easy way.
 
Homepage:
 
http://www.powerarchiver.com/powerarchiver-toolbox/
 
System Requirements:
 
Operating systems: The program is compatible with all windows versions from windows XP to windows 10 both 32 and 64 bit
Disk Space Requirements: 150 MB for the program files plus some additional space for backup files (minimal).
Miscellaneous: Multicore processor recommended for best speed.
 
Languages Supported and Translations:
 
The program supports many languages to suite your needs. You can use the program in your own language. To change the language, open the options menu.
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Size:  41 Mb
 
Download:  The program is still in beta and the installer is sent for testing and evaluation purposes by the company
 
Version: 17.0.0.48  [Still Beta]….Awaiting Final Release
 
Release date:  1/2017
 
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Installation:
 
Installation is very easy. All you have to do is to download the program and save it to your desktop. Double click on the installer and follow simple on screen instructions till the program is installed on your computer. The installer lets you select the file associations you need to work with the program. After installation the program offers you 10 days free trial. After the free trial is over, you need to purchase a license to continue using the application
 
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File Format associations:
 
The program supports too many formats, you can set this option during installation or later using options menu, configuration

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Purchase:

You can complete your purchase here:

http://www.powerarchiver.com/order-powerarchiver-2017/

Registration:

After purchase is complete, you will receive an email including all the details you need to complete registration of the program. Registration option is present under help menu, there are two methods to register offline and online. The online type is done using your purchase email and activation code sent to you, meanwhile the offline registration needs the registration name and code sent to you after purchase

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User Interface:

The user interface includes four main areas; the menu bar, the toolbar, the file list area and the preview area.
You can arrange the files in the file list using many ways. For example, name, size, type, encryption…etc
There is a status bar on the lowermost part of the program and small toolbar above the file list.
Above the status bar there is a navbar that has an important navigation function. There are five buttons that represent the main features of the program, namely archive, explorer, FTP, Backup and Burner. When you click on any of these buttons, a new window specific for this program function starts.

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Display style:

The program supports three styles; classic, explorer and explorer with folder view on the left side

Skins and Skin options:

For those users who don’t like the classic interface, the program is skinny. There many built in skins to suit the preference of all users. These are present under view menu

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Menus:

File:

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Send option under file menu:

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Edit:

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Select files option under edit menu:

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View:

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Actions:

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Tools:

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Options:

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Help:

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Status bar:

This bar gives you information about the process you are doing, files opened, in addition to 3 other options. These include color coded file list, display style, select all files and deselect all files
Color coded file list is an option which adds stylish color to the file list

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Burner menu (in burner window):

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Toolbar:

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New Button:

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View Menu Details:

Display Style:

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Windows:

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Icon View Style:

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Toolbar Options:

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Update service: is done through PatchBeam.com updater which automatically or manually search for available updates and installs it on your system so that you always have an updated version of the program

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Features:

Open ZIP, ZIPX, RAR, ISO  and 20 other file formats.
Full Windows 10 support with UAC elevation and VSS!
Multicore compression and fastest RAR extraction.
PowerArchiver Backup w/ VSS.
Send files to FTP/SFTP server.
Burn files to CD/DVD/BD discs.
PowerArchiver Command Line.
PowerArchiver Outlook Plug-in.
PowerArchiver Virtual ISO Drive  Mount ISO files as CD/DVD drives!
Full PowerArchiver Data Burner.
Full PowerArchiver Secure FTP client.
Zip To Email Premium Email plugin.

New features:

PowerArchiver 2017 brings the much anticipated .PA (Advanced Codec Pack) format
Compress your PDF and DOCX (Office) files between 30% and 70% better than WinRAR, WinZip and 7zip. (a very unique feature!)
Special Deduplication filter: Fma-rep filter deduplicates data before compression, making resulting archives smaller and compression faster.
Full 64bit support for maximum speed and memory usage of the new .PA
New two-panel Explorer replacement mode for better file handling
Simplified interface (classic default, removed modern)
Increased startup speed by up to 30%-200% over PA 2016 when using Modern toolbar.
Improved ZIP engine, faster by 10%-15%.
Improved 7zip support with multicore support and 64bit support for better memory usage
New Office add-ins with support for Outlook, Word and Excel in the final release

More details about the advanced codec pack (.pa format):

http://www.powerarchiver.com/2016/12/21/...pa-format/

Let’s discuss the main program features:

File Encode:

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File Archiver:

The program lets you manage all archives with supported formats. It includes many tools and features that lets you perform any operation in a single mouse click
Create new archive:
The program lets you create an archive from any type of files present on your PC. It has a very good compression ability (30-70%). The built-in wizard system guide you in few simple steps to create the archive

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You can also create multiple files simulataneously which saves your time and effort and make your job very easy. This is called batch archive creation

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Open an archive:

The program can open any archive. It supports a lot of formats.
The right context menu of any file gives you valuable information that will help you to do many operations:

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You can also get information on the file properties

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You can also view any file using view option under action menu. This gives you the ability to select the viewer to be used in opening the file in the archive. For example; you can select adobe acrobat for PDF files

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You can add a comment to any archive. For example, the file content, author, date and so on

Add any file to an archive: the program lets you add any content you want to an archive. The process is very easy

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Extract the contents of any type of archives

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The program supports a very good feature that lets you extract many files at the same time [Multi extractor]:

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Multi Volume Zip:

This is a very useful built in tool that lets you divide a large sized archive into many smaller volumes and if you want you can merge these parts again into one file

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Encryption:

You can encrypt any archive you want to protect your privacy and avoid unauthorized access to your important files

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Decrypt:

You can easily decrypt any encrypted file using this tool. Remember that you need to know the archive password otherwise you will not be  able to decrypt the encrypted file

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Create SFX file wizards:

This feature is very important as it helps you to create an exe file of any files so that you can send it to another user who have no archiver software. It is self extracting and can be used on any computer with no need for any programs. The built-in wizards system will guide you in a few simple steps till you create the exe file and test it for you to be sure that it is working

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Checkout:

This is a built-in tool that lets users to extract an archive and create Programs group under start menu. Using this option you can extract files to a specific folder you select and a start menu group will be built

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Convert different archiver formats to each other:

You can easily convert any archive format supported by the program to another. The process is very easy, just start the built-in converter then select the archive and the output format and destination and method of compression you prefer. That’s all!

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Test an archive:

You can test any archive on your PC if there is any errors. This option can be easily accessed using action menu

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Repair:

This tool helps you to repair damaged archives that contain important data for you. Simply select the file you want to repair using browse button then start repair. That’s all!

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Sign an archive with OpenPGP:

To use this feature, you have to create OpenPGP key first:

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Find (Search) for archives:

Using this option you can easily find any file in a short time. This feature saves a lot of time and helps you. You can find all archives in a specific location or even in all your PC in a single mouse click

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Copy, move, delete, rename of an archive

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Virus scanner:

The program supports scanning of any file using the installed antivirus on your computer. You need to set this option in the configuration of the program.

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Explorer:

The program lets you explore your computer and find any file you need in a fast and easy way. You can preview its contents in the preview window. The explorer window has two panels where you can view different locations at the same time. You can select the view style using the option in the small toolbar above the file list. For example, you can set this to list, thumbnails and so on

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FTP Client:

Using this feature you can upload or download files through FTP client. For example you can upload your backup files. The program supports many FTP protocols and lets you add the details of your account

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Configure Clouds:

PowerArchiver Cloud is a built in tool supporting many cloud services. It may be on the business level such as Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure or on the consumer level such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft SkyDrive. You can easily use this feature to download, upload files

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Backup:

You can do backup of your important data in a compressed format with small size. Simply start the backup tool (from the navbar) then select new and save the file in a specific location and name. The program will start a wizard which will guide you in well-arranged steps (steps are located on the left side of the main window) till you have backup of your data. The process is very easy and doesn’t require any skills or experience. All you have to do is to specify destination media (computer HDD, CD, DVD, Cloud and so on) then files to be added then additional and scheduling options (according to your needs) then final. That’s all!

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Burning:

The program has a built in burning features. You can use it as any burning software. Many options are available for you such as; burn files to disc, burn image file (for example ISO), copy disc, virtual drive (needs registration), burn audio CD and Rip audioCD.  No need to use other burning app.

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Configuration:

The program has many settings which can be accessed from options menu, configuration. These settings are set to the default position that is suitable for most users. Program configuration is highly customizable. You can change any settings you want. Some of these options need advanced users.
Here I will try to give you some information about all settings, of course detailed discussion of each item is beyond the scope of this review

View:

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Folders:

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Locations:

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RAR Support:

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Shell Extensions:

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File Formats:

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Autoupdate:

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Skins:

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Miscellaneous:

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Preview and Command Prompt:

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Compression Profiles:

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Compress and Encrypt:

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Security:

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Plugins:

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Queue:

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FTP Settings:

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Pros:

Support too many file formats
Powerful archiver
FTP service
Burner features
Data backup
Encryption and decryption
Two panel explorer
Integrated in windows explorer for easy access
Supports self extractor file creation
And many more

Cons:

1.    PDF , Office file previews are not supported. PDF preview show error message
2.    When generating SFX files , there is compatibility issue with Kaspersky antivirus
3.    Sometimes causes windows explorer crash or hanging
4.    Every time to be started in the free trial there is a reminder to purchase

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Conclusion:

The program is a major upgrade with many good features added. It is not a simple archiving tool. It includes all the features you will need to manage your archives; you can add, extract, view, delete , rename, add comments and many more. The program supports too many formats that lets you easily manage any file. You can encrypt and decrypt your files. The program supports cloud services, FTP upload and download. In addition it offers a very handy two panel explorer, backup tool and burner software.
 
 
 
 
Reply
#2
What a piece of art! Thanks, Tarek !  Smile
Reply
#3
One of the best reviews I have ever seen. Great job and lot's of hard work you have done Tarek.
Reply
#4
Thank you for a very good review.
Reply
#5
Thanks for the detailed review.
Reply
#6
thanks for pro review and its giveaways Heart Heart
Reply
#7
Excellent review work by Tarek,

Really very hard and beautiful work.

Smile
Reply
#8
thank you for pro review and its giveaways
Reply
#9
Thanks for such a comprehensive review of Powerarchiver Toolbox!!!!!!
Reply


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