DiskCataloger PC CD Sheridan hard drive utility vintage software storage floppy Type: Application Platform: Windows Publisher: Sheridan Released: 1998 Media: CD It’s refreshing to find such a simple and useful tool.In essence, DiskCataloger tricks your computer into thinking it has another hard drive,comprised of all your removable disks. You click on the DiskCataloger icon to see the fauxhard drive’s contents, just as you would explore your actual hard drive.Users familiar with Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98 will not even need to runthrough Sheridan’s tutorial.When I installed DiskCataloger, I did not plan to start testing it for at least a week.To my delight, it immediately started tracking the mound of floppies that store screenshots for my articles. When you click on the DiskCataloger icon, it displays the contents of the faux harddrive, indicating each known floppy as a folder. Click on the file you want, and theprogram prompts you to insert the proper disk.All you have to do is name or number your floppy and removable disks. That is farsimpler than trying to keep track of lengthy filenames listed on small disk labels as youadd or delete files.DiskCataloger can assign each disk a color as well as a name, visually prompting you tograb the correct colored cartridge or color-labeled floppy.The program’s finest feature by far is its consolidated presentation of mountainsof floppy-disk files. You simply tell DiskCataloger to search for a specific file, and itprompts you to insert the right disk.No more pulling up directories and scanning the filenames on every disk. With just atiny bit of help from you, DiskCataloger will keep your files as well-organized as theLibrary of Congress.A bonus: Disks with compressed files are handled exactly like uncompressed ones. Youcan examine all the files inside a compressed directory without unzipping them. And youcan drag and drop compressed files into folders. DiskCataloger unzips and compresses themin background while you work.The program takes into account the fact that you might use some disks at othercomputers. When you insert a new disk, you are asked to assign it to one of twocategories. The first category is for local use only, and the program does not rescan thedisk each time you use it. It updates the catalog information only when you add or removefiles.The second category maintains information about disks for use elsewhere. In this case,DiskCataloger will scan for changes each time the disk is inserted. This takes a littlelonger, but the records stay updated without user effort.If you’re like me, losing floppies is still a problem. But at least DiskCatalogercan identify the floppy that you need to find.About the AuthorJohn Breeden II is a freelance technology writer for GCN.For Windows [*Please review compatibility/platform sections in 'What You Get']
