Ontrack Data International, Inc., 3030 Sterling circle, Boulder, CO 80301-2338 1-800-645-3649

Requirements: 

486 (Pentium recommended) or faster, Win95/98/ME/NT4.0/Win2000, 16MB RAM (64MB recommended), CD-ROM drive, floppy drive, 15-60MB disk space for SystemSuite or more, 25MB minimum for Power Desk Utilities(optional).

Support: 

Free for one year – support@ontrack.com - 303-245-8000 M-F – FAX 303-245-8111 – Web www.ontrack.com - for EasyRecovery, DataEraser, or Remote Data Recovery questions 952-937-2121

Ontrack System Suite 3.0

By Bart Koslow, Los Angeles Computer Society

Maintain, optimize, and tweak your Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000 operating system. Many reviewers think this is the best system utility suite available today. The package includes a CD-ROM containing System Suite 3.0 and Power Utilities 4 Pro (an excellent file management program not reviewed here), an emergency rescue disk, a 225-page System Suite manual, and a 184-page Power Desk manual. I installed both programs with no problems. The installation program advised me to perform a number of tasks. Using Easy Update, I downloaded the latest program and virus protection files. I created a System Rescue Disk on a floppy. Next, I set up DiskSnapshot, CrashProof, and IntelliCluster to start when I boot my computer. DiskSnapshot makes a “picture” of your critical boot files and stores them for use by the System Rescue Disk and the FileUndeleter utilities.  CrashProof attempts to halt Windows crashes. IntelliCluster tracks how frequently you use programs and files. JetDefrag uses this information when optimizing your hard drives. I did not set up System Scheduler to run a regular system maintenance schedule as recommended, instead preferring to perform maintenance as I see fit.

SystemUtilities is an enormous program consisting of many integrated individual modules. FixWizard, in one step, runs all the program’s utilities that you select. Disk&Files optimizes, fixes and maintains your disks and files. SystemRegistry cleans, fixes, optimizes and backs up the Windows registry. SystemDiagnostics enables you to find and anticipate problems. This module, which can examine every aspect of your system, is so large and comprehensive it could be sold as a separate program. SystemProtection guards your system and files. CrisisCenter provides crisis information and data recovery.  ZipUtilities perform complete zip file management.  Use EasyUninstall for entire applications. DiskCleanup deletes Internet junk files, cookies, unused files, and temp files. Anti-Virus catches and cleans viruses from your system. SystemMonitor continuously tracks and displays your system resource use. All of these programs are fully customizable to suit your requirements. 

When I clicked on Disk & Files, a submenu of eight utilities appeared. I selected DiskFixer and watched it check my C: drive for errors. The manual indicates that while DiskFixer performs many of the same functions as ScanDisk, it does more. It is faster, does a more thorough analysis of partition tables and boot sectors, catches and fixes minor file errors, will check multiple drives in one pass, and permits you to address each problem individually. Next, I ran JetDfrag to optimize my C drive. JETDefrag is an enhanced optimizer that (using the information gleaned from IntelliCluster –see first paragraph) places files in one of five zones on your hard disk, speeding up disk access. You can run other tasks while JETDefrag is working in the background. I skipped DiskSnapshot (see first paragraph) and ran SystemSaver. This program backs up all your critical system files. Size Manager displays disk usage graphically, helping you to see which files are cluttering up your system. This file management program duplicates most of the Windows Explorer functions. It is not one that I expect to use. Additional selections I did not run are: DataEraser which will completely remove all traces of all files on a hard drive; DiskVerifier that can check to see that every file on a drive or CD may be read; and FileUndeleter which uses a cache to recover deleted files.

After running VirusScanner, I set the VirusScanner program to run in real time instead of on demand. When I transferred an infected file from another computer, I was notified the file had a virus. I immediately deleted the file. VirusScanner uses the ZipUtilities program to detect viruses in Zip files. EasyUninstall wizards help you uninstall and manage application programs. Move an application to a different partition, drive, or computer. Backup, or backup and uninstall a complete application and restore it. Monitor an application installation for an easy uninstall. I have not used any of these wizards yet, but it is good to know they are available. Besides CrashProof (see first paragraph) and creating a System Rescue Disk, SystemProtection includes a SystemLog that keeps track of every activity of SystemSuite, a System Scheduler, which permits automatic running of SystemSuite tools, and An UnDoIt feature. 

Ontrack’s original business was data recovery This is a special area of expertise. The CrisisCenter is where you go if you are in real trouble with a damaged or corrupted hard drive. Ontrack provides four levels of data rescue. Free technical support (see below) on the Web, by email, or by phone is available. EasyRecovery is a do it yourself program (which is non-destructive-read only) that can capture lost or inaccessible data and reconstruct the file system. If this fails you can use RemoteRecovery, which permits Ontrack engineers to recover data on your computer via modem or the Internet, for a fee. Where none of this works, you may send your hard drive to the Ontrack data recovery lab, again for a fee. 

SystemRegistry has the usual registry fixer, defragmenter, cleaner, and editor, but an application I have not seen in this type of program before is WinCustomizer. If you like to tweak your system the way I do, here is a program for you. You can change the look and feel of the desktop, startup and system settings, items listed in My Computer, and a host of other things. While WinCustomizer is not as robust as some independent programs of this type, it is a step in the right direction. I would like to see it amplified in the future. 

I like SystemSuite. I use FixWizard on a regular basis to run all my pre-selected SystemSuite utilities, in one step. This humongous program, or one like it, is a must for computer users. I agree with the reviewers who classify Ontrack SystemSuite as the best of breed.