Re: Norton Systemworks 2005 - Will it help?

From: Bruce Chambers (bruce_a_chambers_at_h0tmail.com)
Date: 01/30/05 

Date: Sun, 30 Jan 2005 11:39:26 -0700

Duane wrote:
> I just got done having to restore my laptop / XP Pro SP2 due to some system
> corruption...bla, bla, bla. Anyway, I am looking for a piece of software to
> maintain the integrity of the system and perform routine checks on system
> health etc..
>
> In the old MAC days Norton Systemworks saved our butts many times. They
> have a new version of Systemworks for XP called Systemworks Premier. It's
> feature are:
> problems and protect data. This easy-to-use suite helps you eliminate
> viruses, back up your files, and prevent computer problems. A new recovery
> disk allows you to recover data even when Windows® won’t start up.
>

     Snake Oil.

> Key Features•One Button Checkup allows you to quickly identify and fix
> common PC problems.•LiveUpdate™ automatically downloads protection updates to
> defend your PC against new threats.
>

     Updates for the Symantec product only, though. Don't get mislead
into thinking that LiveUpdate also keeps your OS and other applications
up-to-date on patches.

> Norton AntiVirus™•NEW! Norton™ Internet Worm Protection blocks worms at
> their attempted point of entry.•NEW! QuickScan detects and removes viruses
> after new protection updates are installed.•Automatically removes viruses,
> worms, and Trojan horses.•Scans and cleans instant message attachments,
> incoming and outgoing email messages, and other files.•Detects spyware and
> certain non-virus threats such as adware and keystroke logging programs.
>

     Once a reputable antivirus product, but I've not used it for a
couple years, now. It does consume at lot more system resources that do
several equally effective free antivirus solutions, such as Grisoft's AVG.

> Norton Utilities™•Optimizes and defragments files for faster hard drive
> performance.•Detects and fixes many Windows® and disk problems automatically.
>

     Once a useful utility suite, back in the days of MS-DOS, when Peter
Norton was more than a picture on the box, Norton Utilities have been
becoming increasingly useless and redundant over the years. There's
little offered by NU that WinXP cannot already do natively. And some of
its features, like CrashGuard and CleanSweep (if they're still included)
cause far more problems then they prevent.

> Norton GoBack™•NEW! SafeTry Mode creates a temporary environment that allows
> you to test new programs and accept or reject changes to your system.•NEW!
> Familiar, intuitive search bar makes it easy to find the files or folders you
> want to restore.•Restores your disk drive to a previous healthy state after a
> system crash, failed software installation, user error, virus attack, or
> other problem.•Allows you to restore just the files or folders you need, or
> an entire drive.
>

     This might be a useful feature for you. Naturally, it can only
recover from those changes made after it's installation.

> Norton Ghost™•NEW! “Hot imaging” lets you create backup images without
> restarting Windows. (Available only on Windows® XP/2000 Pro.)•NEW!
> Incremental backup updates save time and disk space. (Available only on
> Windows® XP/2000 Pro.)•NEW! Scheduled backups keep the backup image up to
> date. (Available only on Windows® XP/2000 Pro.)•NEW! Reboot a non-responsive
> system in a Windows-based environment. Repair and rescue data on a damaged
> NTFS volume.•Backs up everything on a hard drive or partition.•Works with a
> wide range of hard drives and removable media.†
>

     This is probably the single most useful component of the suite.
Used properly, it will enable you to restore your computer's OS and
software from almost any disaster.

> CheckIt® Diagnostics•NEW! Gives you a fast, thorough evaluation of your PC’s
> hardware.
>

     More Snake Oil.

> System Optimizer•NEW! Makes it easy to manage and customize Windows XP
> settings from one simple interface.
>

    Still more Snake Oil.

> Additional problem-solving tools•NEW! Norton Cleanup now deletes temporary
> files and recently viewed Web pages in addition to other unneeded files left
> over from Internet sessions.•Process Viewer displays detailed information
> about Windows processes.•PerformanceTest(TM) benchmarks your computer’s
> performance against similar machines.
>

     All redundant. There's nothing here (except for the benchmarking,
which is of questionable value) that you can't already do using native
Win2K tools.

> Everything seems
> good now. I just want a tool that I can rely on for system health.

        That would be you, and your knowledge of safe computing.

> Currently, I am using Spygate for a firewall, S&D and Adaware for
> their purposes and AVG free addition for antivirus.
>

        Then you really don't need to waste money on the Symantec product. 

-- 
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm
http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having 
both at once. - RAH