Software Review of:
Ontrack System Suite 2000
Utilities to fix, protect and tune your PC 

After the snap installation of SystemSuite 2000. I initially went to Ontrack’s Internet site and ran EasyUpdate, which updates both the programs in the suite and the virus information database. For the first year after you purchase System Suite 2000, virus updates are free. Programming updates (patches) are free for 90 days after you purchase the program. Ontrack suggests that you next create a Rescue Disk set (for 95 and 98 users only) on your own computer, which works better than the generic rescue disk included as part of the program. DiskSnapshot takes a "picture" of critical boot files and stores them in a separate area of your hard drive. File Undeleter and the System Rescue Disk you have just created both use this information in performing their tasks. Crash Proof attempts to prevent system crashes and IntelliCluster tracks and records the programs that you run most often and the associated files those programs load. DefragPlus uses IntelliCluster information when it defragments your hard drive, placing files that most commonly go together in close proximity on the drive. 

Setting up a regular system maintenance schedule is a good idea and can be done with System Scheduler. In case you have not heard this before, they offer a reminder to back up your important data regularly and to store your backup media in a safe place somewhere away from the computer. Although this is obvious to most computer users, ask yourself if you really maintain a regular backup schedule. Even if you do, how many others of us (yes, I admit my guilt) do not backup our data consistently? Any utility program can only be effective as a tool if it is put to use and not left sitting on the proverbial shelf. 

With that in mind, let’s examine some of the tools included in this Suite. FixWizard is a one-stop warehouse for the Fix-It 2000 Utilities portion of SystemSuite 2000. This neat application can clean, scan and defragment your hard drive, repair broken registry links, scan for viruses and protect key system files by making a backup archive. I found FixWizard to be easy to use, yet quite a powerful utility. FixWizard could be likened to the General leading the protective army of utilities into battle against the enemy. 

To optimize your system, Disk and File Tools are provided including the DiskSnapshot which, as mentioned previously records a "snapshot" of your File Allocation Tables and Boot Sectors. This information may be significant if you run into problems later. DiskFixer can diagnose and fix disk problems and you can choose what options you want it to include. Such things as testing the File Allocation Tables, Partition information, files, lost cluster chains, boot record and file names. It can also scan the disk and you can have it scan surface areas including the unused area, file area or the system area. SystemSaver is a system file backup utility that lets you back up your critical (those that Windows needs to run) system and registry files. FileUndeleter can sometimes help you recover previously deleted files, perhaps even those that you may have already dumped from the recycle bin. However, they do say there is no guarantee and the sooner you start trying to recover the deleted files, the more likely you are to be successful. DefragPlus gives you the capability of not only defragmenting your hard drive at a faster pace than Windows built-in defragmenter, but it also, at the same time, optimizes the performance of your drive. 

System Registry tools include the RegistryFixer, RegistryCleaner, RegistryDefrag and RegistryEditor. These tools can help you discover invalid links or entries in your Windows registry and repair or remove them. RegistryCleaner lets you individually choose which items you want removed from the registry. When you install new programs and/or remove old ones from your system, those changes have a corresponding effect on the registry, sometimes resulting in gaps or unnecessary items in your registry. RegistryDefrag attempts to reorganize and defragment the registry in order to make it run faster and more smoothly. Don’t mess with the registry unless you know what you are doing, a friend of mine once advised me. I have adhered to his advice and pass it on to others. However, if you know what you are doing, you can use RegistryEditor to activate the Windows Regedit program, allowing you to edit specific parts of the registry. WinCustomizer is also included in this section and lets you personalize and alter many Windows features and attributes, including mouse characteristics, icon appearance, desktop look and startup items. 

System Protection Tools are designed to prevent application crashes and protect your systems integrity. CrashProof 2000 can intercept and stop certain system crashes and runs in the background when Windows initiates and runs. When you run CrashProof, you can select to test it with either 16-bit or 32-bit crashes. For you NT/NTFS users, System Lifeline allows users to boot to a command mode, enabling access to DOS-like commands such as Move, Copy, Del and Rename. System Rescue Disk lets Windows 95/98 users jump-start the system in the case of a major crash. 

System Diagnostics are tools that inform you what is happening inside your computer. They are sort of like an electronic psychologist delving into the head and heart of the computer (pardon the personal reference, but I just couldn’t resist). These tools help you test and diagnose hardware problems, view important details about RAM, hardware, disk  usage and so on. System Monitors are touted as a group of fast and efficient sensors that keep track of your systems current resources. They can warn you when any of your resources approach dangerous levels, letting you intervene and correct the problem. 

EasyUninstall 2000 lets you simultaneously uninstall and create a backup of an application. Moving applications to a different partition or to a second drive is another feature of this program. Transporting applications is similar but lets you backup application information that would allow you to re-install it on a machine with different settings or operating systems (i.e., from Windows NT to Windows 98) without removing it from the original machine. Backup uses compression routines to backup and save copies of your applications. The Monitor Installation tool helps you keep track of files added to your system and configuration changes made when a new program is installed. It also can help prevent the litter of leftover files that normally occurs when uninstalling programs from your system. This litter can hurt your system performance and slow it down. When you uninstall programs that have been installed with Installation Monitoring in place, the process is completed more efficiently and with less debris leftover. 

CleanUp tools emphasize reducing the number of unnecessary files that you don’t use which may not harm your computer, but certainly clutter it up. These utilities remove files that are downloaded to your hard drive when you surf the Internet, including cookies, plug-ins, history files and temporary Internet files. These Internet wizards keep your system cleaner and free up space on your hard drive. QuickFileClean lets you select the type of files you want removed and then removes them from your system in one easy step. Advanced FileClean and Custom FileClean are additional utilities for keeping unnecessary files off your system. They allow you to permanently delete the files you choose or delete them after making a compressed backup of those files. 

Now we come to one of my favorite utilities in this suite. ZipMagic wizards are utilities that allow you to create zip files (ZipCreate), extract data from Zip files (ZipExtract), create self-extracting, executable Zip files and add files to it, (ZipSelfExtract) and fix damaged zip files (ZipRepair). I have used Zip programs for a long time (PKZip, WinZip and others) and have sometimes had problems. What I like about this group of utility wizards is that they do all the normal things and add others allowing you to backup, convert and mail your zipped files. When I tried these wizards out, I loved the power they provided me with, making it possible to do virtually anything with the resulting zipped files. This was truly one of my favorite parts of the whole suite. 

The Crisis Center is a built-in emergency contingency plan, so-to-speak, which will attempt to deal with any real computer disaster that you might face. Provided with four levels of data rescue and recovery, one of them will probably address most conceivable rescue and recovery issues. Level 1 consists of free technical support and crisis information to help you use System Suite 2000 to recover lost data. Level 2, EasyRecovery, is a do-it-yourself program that lets you initiate recovery of your own data. It can help recover data when there is a virus attack, when the drive has been formatted or when Fdisk has been run or when the Master Boot Record, partition tables, FAT or root directory have been corrupted or are missing in action. However, be forewarned that EasyRecovery can’t fix hardware problems. The next two Levels (3 and 4) are additional-cost services. Level 3 is a Remote Data Recovery service which allows a "data recovery engineer" (I didn’t know there was such a person) to connect to your computer through an Internet or modem connection and then diagnose and repair many software-related, data corruption problems. Finally, if all else fails and your data must be recovered, and you haven’t backed it up, you can go the most expensive (both time-wise and monetarily) route and utilize Level 4, which will let you send your damaged hard drive in for "in-lab data recovery servicing." This option should be chosen when there has been severe software corruption, a mechanical failure of the drive or if it has suffered water or fire damage. 

Last, but certainly not least, protect your system if you possibly can. One key element in an adequate system protection plan is to install and run VirusScanner 2000. This program offers a major line of defense against viruses that might otherwise inflict damage to your data or your system. As has been recently demonstrated, shielding your system against virus attack is a highly recommended and prudent course of action. With VirusScanner 2000, you have several options for scanning your system for viruses. QuickScan first scans your computer’s boot sector and memory and then it scans the rest of the root directory, and finally macros and executable files in key areas of your hard drive. FastScan searches boot sectors, memory areas, macro files and executable files for the most common viruses but does not delve into data files or archives. FileScan starts the same way as the others (memory, boot sector) then permits you to select specific files to scan. This lets you scan files before copying them to your hard drive or scan files you have recently added if you suspect that they might be infected. FloppyScan does just what it says, yields a virus scan of removable media (including CD’s, floppy disks and selected types of removable storage devices). The last two scanning options render maximum flexibility and strength. DeepScan checks the mandatory memory and boot sector for viruses and then all fixed drives including all compressed files within archives. CustomScan gives you full control of your scan, allowing you to set the type of virus to scan for and what files to scan. VirusScanner 2000 can be run "on demand", through the Anti-Virus Wizards, Context Menu or with FixWizard. You can also schedule (not a bad idea, that) VirusScanner to run automatically at specified times or intervals via SystemScheduler. 

A free bonus is included in this suite. PowerDesk Utilities is a desktop improvement program that rightfully deserves a review by itself. However, I will briefly summarize what it can do for you. Six utilities are included: PowerDesk, Toolbar, Folder Synchronizer, Size Manager, File Finder and Dialog Helper. These programs provide management, navigation and control over the look and feel of your Windows desktop. This utility works like Windows Explorer, so, if you have used Windows Explorer before, you should not have any difficulty using this interface. Size Manager aids in the management and efficient use of the storage space on your drive. File Synchronizer lets you compare and contrast the contents of two folders. This might be utilized effectively when working on files that are shared between two computers or on a network. 

In summary, reviewing this product has been a very positive experience. In light of the excellent supportive documentation provided both online and in book form (SystemSuite 2000 Users Guide and PowerDesk Users Guide), I would recommend this program to computer users who might need a little help applying system utilities. Not only was there good documentation that helped me get started using the program right away, but online support is free and although I have not needed it yet, I feel confident that it will be helpful if it is needed. The program may be available in local computer retail stores, although I have not actually seen it. The price online at Ontrack’s home page is $59.95 for download and $59.95 plus $6.00 shipping and handling to have it shipped to you. The product may be found at <http://www.ontrack.com> and previous customers are offered a discount and an upgrade price.