Disk Explorer Professional adds all files and folders found on the selected volume or path as a new entry to the program database. The Add Volume and Add Virtual Volume configurations menus offer several additional options to the user.

Here it is possible to use profiles to include or exclude file types or contents from the cataloging. Both file name related information and file content information can be saved in the database.

The software supports the cataloging of contents on ftp servers as well, which could be very interesting for webmasters to index the contents on their sites and companies who use servers for backup or storage purposes.

Probably the most interesting feature is the ability to include file contents directly in the catalog. This is managed via profiles. You can index some file contents, for instance txt and pdf files, during cataloging, none or all. The selection has implications on the size of the database and accessibility.

Say you want to make sure that documents are always accessible. You could configure Disk Explorer Professional to make all documents directly accessible from the interface. Webmasters could make all static HTML files or configuration files accessible, a professional photograph larger image previews of all photos.

Thumbnails of images are automatically generated and added to the catalog, even if the indexation of no file contents is selected during configuration. You can again opt to archive the full images as well.

Profiles can be added, deleted and edited via Options > Profiles in the main application window or by pressing F7.

All volumes that have been added to the catalog are then displayed in the left sidebar. They can be browsed normally and files in the active directory are shown with their name, size and modification date.

Previews are shown for some file types, images and photos for instance. A double-click launches the default viewer for the file type if its contents have been indexed as well.

These previews are handled by filters. A total of 18 filters are available, mostly for image and audio formats.

An advanced search form is offered under Tools > Find or by pressing Ctrl-f. It offers basic file searches and many parameters to find specific files. Available are size, date, time,r rating and file attributes filters. The results can be exported or saved.

Additional features of Disk Explorer Professional

• Multiple databases can be open at the same time in the same program window
• A database and volumes can be exported to various formats including HTMl and XML.
• CDDB look-ups for audio files
• Comments and folder / file ratings supported
• Volume and database statistics and information available.
• Database contents are compressed to save local storage space.

Verdict

The Professional in Disk Explorer Professional suits the application well. It is a professionally designed disk cataloging software with an impressive feature set. Among the strong points are the application’s customization option via profiles and filters, the ability to index file contents in the catalog and the advanced search.

Disk Explorer Professional is near perfect. One feature that is missing is support for the sftp protocol. The program is compatible with most versions of the Windows operating system. It has been tested under Windows 7 Professional.

Virtual Volumes View is relatively easy to use. It works by creating catalog files that are then filled with file and folder information from the local computer system. It is possible to point the disk cataloging software to a folder on the hard drive or media like CDs or DVDs.

These will then be scanned and added with their file structure. Virtual folders can then be created and the physical file information added to them. The information are then accessible both in the physical and virtual folder. The virtual folder is necessary as it makes it possible to search for files in those folders even if physical access to those disks or folders is not available.

A search is provided to make it easier to locate specific files. It is possible to search for filenames, extensions and descriptions that can be added by the user. It is furthermore possible to update already existing volumes which is a handy feature in case the contents change. This can for instance be the case for rewritable disks or removable hard disks.

Virtual Volumes View can be used over a computer network. This requires the installation of a database server. The process is explained in the help file and on the program’s homepage. VVV can be downloaded for all supported operating systems from the Sourceforge project page.

Cathy has a size of only 59 Kilobytes unpacked and creates a new disk catalog file after scanning and indexing a new disk. I previously mentioned that the indexing process was fast. It takes only a few seconds to index the contents of a full DVD. That is possible because Cathy indexes only the files, their path and information whereas Visual CD would index the contents of zip drives and media information.

Another benefit of using Cathy is its simplicity. Every disk catalog is searched automatically and results start to appear after seconds. Several filters are available to narrow down the search results. It is for instance possible to filter by date or length.

The verdict: If you want fast, simple and portable select Cathy. It’s the perfect disk catalog software for users who want to search their entire disk collection in a few seconds. If you want to add value, add mp3 tags, thumbnails and the like go for Virtual CD which offers that. It does take much longer to index the disks though and the interface is complicated and not that intuitive.

Visual CD will start the disk scanning and file indexing process. I kid you not if I say that this can take a while depending on the amount and type of files on the disk. Most files get simply indexed but some get indexed with additional information. The contents of archives gets indexed as well or the tags of music files.

A disk catalog is created in the end and stored locally. Each disk catalog can be searched independently from each other or to search across multiple disk catalogs. The additional information, like mp3 tags, are included by default.

Not everything is indexed by default and stored in each disk catalog. The options contain numerous settings that index additional information. Go there to add video, picture, mp3, music and hidden files & folders to the indexing process.Visual CD can also create thumbnails of images and videos that are then displayed during searches or while browsing a disk catalog. It’s pretty obvious that each additional setting can have a huge influence on the indexing process and the time it takes to create the disk catalog.

One interesting aspect is the use of comments that can be added. Comments can also be included in searches. The disk catalog software comes with a few extras like a renamer and duplicate finder which add to the value of the software program.

The original website is not online anymore. You can download the latest version of Visual CD 4.20 here from Ghacks. Visual CD (161)