When I originally started writing this product review I had every intention of making it completely comprehensive review that was in depth in its discussion of ALL of the 7 separate utilities but after seeing that this program contained over 50 separate tools inside those utilities I decided to specialize somewhat and slightly narrow the reviews focus.

In the end what I ended up with was somewhat of a hybrid article, partly Review, partly overviews. I do discuss ALL the tools included in SystemSuite 4 however many of them are covered briefly borrowing heavily at times from the excellent product manual descriptions. Tools that I think will be of particular interest to the hardware enthusiast crowd those items I will spend some extra time looking at.

I have always been a fan of computer utilities, even before they were the integrated, polished, multiple application suites that they are today.I like to think of computer utilities as old-school computer tweaking. It amazes me how little ink utility software receives in the enthusiast market. That's why I was excited when OnTrack agreed to furnish us with a review sample of their SystemSuite 4. SystemSuite 4 is the one system utility suite on the market that is compatible with every version of Windows since Windows 95 this includes NT, 2000, and XP. SystemSuite 4 is composed of seven separate utilities: Fix-it Utilities, NetDefense, Virus ScannerPro, EasyUninstall, DataEraser, CrisisCenter, and CrashProof. I will discuss these utilities one at a time.

One Stop Solutions

The first module is not really a utility but rather a tool to let you run all the other utilities from the page with minimal user intervention. Being an old hand with utility software, I didn't spend much time here, but if you are just getting your feet wet with computer utility software, you don't need to go further than this module to run any of the utilities included in this Suite.

Firewall

NetDefense- Unlike many of the firewalls that I have used in the past, NetDefense is actually easy to configure and set up. Upon installation, NetDefense scans your hard drive and looks for applications which commonly access the internet, and allows you to set application permissions right away. This means your firewall doesn't have to be trained to recognize your web browser, Outlook, FrontPage, etc.

NetDefenseLog- Lets you do a backtrace on items in your logs. From here you can also perform a "who is" on suspicious entries. Such look-ups are remarkably fast. In the past, I have waited 30 seconds or more for other firewalls to do this search.

There is also the option--disabled by default--to log Packet traffic. These logs, however, can be huge. The manual states, for instance, that simply opening your web browser causes Net Defense to log over two hundred entries in the Packet Log. One last option worth noting is the e-mail notification. This allows NetDefense to notify you of any attacks on your computer through e-mail.

Anti Virus

Over the past year or so AV software has become remarkably standardized in the look and feel of the interface and to a lesser extent to the basic functions it performs. To tell the truth I was uncertain at the beginning how to best test this software for instance unlike some of the big boys that have reviewed this software I didn't keep live virus code around my house simply for testing purposes.

I was also fairly confident that I didn't have any undiscovered viruses sitting around the house. Like most of you readers I practice safe computing, remarkably similar in practice to safe sex. I scan regularly for viruses. I keep my definitions updated, I NEVER loan out floppies, ( if I give you a file on a floppy consider it a gift because I don't want the disk back) I don't ever open file attachments from people I don't know and even with people I do know if the attachment was unexpected I call or email the sender and verify its legit. Anything I download I run an AV scan on before I open it. I run a firewall at all times.

In short there was NO WAY that had I a virus, except I did. One of my floppies was infected with the STEALTH_BOOT.C Virus according to the Ontrack site and their Virus Encyclopedia this little obscure bug of mine doesn't even show up in their Risk Statistics tab. It lists known United States infections as NONE. That's right zero. I guess this is why none of the other AV programs that I have had found it. Below I list the included AV tools.

QuickScan- Scans boot sector and memory
FastScan- Scans for common infections
FileScan- Scans selected files
FloppyScan- Scans removable disks for viruses
DeepScan- Scans everything, takes a long time
CustomScan- You chose what to scan

Optimize And Maintain

This is the module where you first get to peek under Windows' hood, and things start to become fun.

JetDefrag- I've never cared for the defrag program Microsoft included with Windows 98, and while the default defrag program under Windows 2000 is somewhat better, it is still light years behind Jet Defrag. First, Jet Defrag is faster than the Windows 2000 default defrag program. Second, it gives you much more drive information about the files you are working with. What really puts Jet Defrag in a class all its own, though, is its ability to defrag paging and log files at your next boot.

RegistryDefrag- Initially, this program made me nervous. I have used other Registry Defragmenters in the past and ended up having to re-install Windows for my trouble. Registry Defrag worked as advertised. Still, I wouldn't use it more often than the recommended six to eight months.

ClockSync- A small application that, when you are connected to the internet, synchronizes your system clock with an atomic clock. I have used other programs similar to this before and they were useless because they only set time within Windows but did not change the time in the BIOS so next reboot time was wrong again.

SystemScheduler- allows you to schedule System Suite functions to run automatically when you tell it to.

SizeManager- Similar to File Manager, but the layout is much better. It's more streamlined, well-planned, and shows your more information at a glance. For instance, you can see the size and number of files for all of the directories on your hard drive simultaneously.

RegistryMagic- is much like RegEdit, but adds several advanced functions. The two that strike me as most useful are the advanced find function, and the new tool bar.

DataEraser- is a program which allows you to wipe away the contents of your drive permanently. This would be useful if you were planning to get rid of the drive.

Diagnose

PCDiagnostics- This application is a tweaker's dream. If you can imagine it, you can probably test its function here. Below is a list of the Diagnostic Tests you can choose from.

LPT Port
Video
Motherboard
Keyboard
Pointing Device
Memory
System
Multi-media
Fixed Media
Stress
CD ROM/DVD Drive
Removable media
Monitor
Audio

ErrorTracker- When enabled, this wizard allows you to keep track of error messages from your system and applications, all in one location.

SystemExplorer- Wizard similar in function to Windows 2000 System Information. If you are running Windows 95 or 98, this will put lots of information at your disposal.

DiskVerifier- Wizard ensures that every file on a removable disk can be read. Useful if you are making a CDR for someone and want to make sure it is error free.

SmartDefender- Wizard that tests the self-monitoring, analysis and reporting technology built into most modern hard drives. These tests notify the user of predictable failures that result from gradual drive degradation. According to Scott Mueller, these types of failures account for approximately 60 percent of all hard drive failures.

SystemMonitors- This wizard monitors system resources; it is similar to Windows 2000 Task Manager.

SystemLog- This wizard stores a log of information recorded by the system modules.

Fix

This module fixes problems with your hard drive and registry, you also update your software here.

DiskFixer- A Scandisk replacement. It tests for partition tables, boot records, file allocation tables, files, dates and times, file names, lost clusters, and cross-linked files.

RegistryFixer- This is a program that tries to repair your registry from invalid entries. It is composed of three levels: Green, yellow, and red. Green items are fixed automatically, yellow and red items require user intervention to fix or delete invalid entries. If you want to play it safe, stick with green entries only.

Crash-Proof- A program that will help limit Windows crashes. Crash Proof is probably best used under Windows 95 or 98. Of course, if you are running one of those OS, you really need to move to 2000 or XP. There is simply no reason in this day and time to put up with Windows 95 and 98's instabilities.

SystemUpdates- This is a good idea, but if you are a computer enthusiast, your software is probably up-to-date already.

EasyUpgrade- Allows you to download any OnTrack software updates. You can also use this to keep your anti-virus definitions current.

Recover

This module allows you to recover files if possible when it isn't it gives you information on where to get professional help.

SystemSaver- This program backs up and restores critical system files, such as the Registry. If you are unable to boot, you will need to use the included System Rescue Disk.

FileUndeleter- When you delete a file in Windows it goes to the Recycle Bin. When you empty the Recycle Bin, the contents goes to the OnTrack System Suite Deleted Files Bin. You can also configure the size of the Deleted Files Bin cache. To have the best chance of recovery, always attempt deleted file recovery as soon as possible.

EasyRecovery- Is a Lite version of Easy Recover Professional, which is limited to the recovery of 50 lost files.

DataRecoveryServices- Information about OnTrack's data recovery services.

DiskSnapshot- Makes a copy of the File Allocation table, boot sector, and other disk structure information. Running Disk Snapshot frequently increases your chances of recovery files using File Undeleter.

UndoIt- This application allows you to restore many of the changes made by System Suite. This comes in handy when you have been too aggressive in your use of Advanced File Clean, and end up deleting Windows files needed for normal operation. Trust me, I know.

Uninstall

This module allows you to uninstall, move and backup files and programs.

Uninstall- Program which will uninstall programs that don't use the Windows installer.

Transport- Creates a self-extracting archive so you can install an application at a new location. This program will not interact with programs that use the Windows Installer.

Move- Moves an application to a different partition or drive. This program will not interact with programs that use the Windows Installer.

Archive- Backs up and uninstalls an application in location you specify. Backup is stored in a compressed format.

Backup- Similar to the Archive Wizard, but does not uninstall programs that it backs up.

Restore- Use this wizard to re-install a backed-up application.

InstallMonitor- Wizard that monitors installations for easy program uninstallations.

Cleanup

This module allows you to perform many disk clean-up functions, all under one module.

InternetCache- This program allows you to empty your internet cache. It also includes a useful search feature.

InternetCookies- Allows you to delete your internet cookies, either all at once, or selectively.

InternetHistory- This program is similar to Internet Cache. Instead of removing files stored by web sites, however, this program removes the pages themselves.

InternetPlug-Ins- This program allows you to delete unnecessary plug-ins.

InternetActive-X- Allows you to delete unnecessary Active-X controls.

RegistryCleaner- Allows you to remove unnecessary registry entries, such as Recent Documents List, Tip of the Day, Run List, etc.

QuickFileClean- Allows you to remove files quickly with extensions such as .chk, .lnk, .tmp, and others.

AdvancedFileClean- Allows you to selectively remove unused files similar to Quick File Clean, but much more in-depth and using different classes of files than Quick File Clean.

Zip

Of all the modules listed, I would have to say this one has the strongest direct competition in the retail market: WinZip 8.0.

The primary advantage System Suite's Zip Modules has over WinZip 8.0 is its seamless integration in the System Suite interface.

ZipExtract- Unzips Zip files.
Zip&Mail- Zips data and sends as attachments in one step.
ZipCreate- Creates a Zip file.
Zip&Backup- Backs up data to a Zip file.
Zip&SelfExtract- Creates a self-extracting Zip file.
ZipRepair- This program tries to fix corrupted and broken Zip files.
ZipConvert- Converts ordinary Zip files into self-extracting files.

Pros:

• Great Interface
• Works on a wide variety of platforms
• Includes over 50 tools
• Large thoughtful manual
• Cheap

Cons:

• Doesn't include any benchmarking software like Nuts & Bolts