Symantec's Norton Utilities 2002 

by Douglas Mechaber, MCNE, MCSE, CCDA, BCSD, LACS

The last time I carefully examined Norton Utilities was several versions ago. The newest version no longer supports any variety of Windows 95, and, most annoying to me, will not work on any server version of MS software. I routinely use Win 2000 server and Win NT server as personal workstations and sometime servers, as do many professionals in IT. This is good practice for certification exams and learning network connectivity. I also have one program that downloads log information from my SCUBA dive computer by rebooting the computer, a security/OS violation in anything newer than the original Win 95. I can't live without this program.

The newest NU is a surprise. The manual is a svelte booklet, a mere 123 pages long. My version's box only added a CD. An older version for DOS/Windows came with a manual weighing three times as much, with at least that many more pages, recovery disks, forms, etc. Both versions are marked Not For Resale, so the version is not an explanation for Norton's new manual diet plan . Recovery disks only work with Windows Me and 98, so you are supposed to make your own disks with this new version. For later Windows versions, you boot from the CD if necessary. But the biggest change to NU is the interface, oversimplification of software controls, and market appeal to the general masses, rather than the techie crowd that was NU's core audience.

The crown jewel in NU has been the Unerase utilities. Unerase has become simpler, and you no longer need the complicated manual method where some files' recovery is based on gathering disparate pieces from far-flung disk sectors. This is largely because of the Recycle bin — a built-in file recovery system — and better OS tracking of file segments. Symantec's partial solution to this simplification of recovery is to implement a Norton protected recycle bin, to protect all deleted files from permanent loss. You can set the amount of disk space devoted to this feature. However, I miss the disk editor and the ability to read sectors in hex or ASCII. This feature is only available by specifically searching the CD, and described only in the online manual. Reading a disk sector would be a security violation for NTFS disk system — for the longest time MS said it couldn't be done — but Mark Russinovich and Bryce Cogswell of Winternals (http://www.winternals.com) have successfully released programs that read NTFS information and allow recovery of deleted files, or systems with lost passwords!

I recently reviewed FileRestore, an Unerase utility for Windows, for MCP Magazine. Unlike NU, it works on all flavors of recent MS OSs, and it integrates into Windows Explorer. An additional panel shows the likelihood of recovery for any file found.

NU's Unerase is a separate panel, either generated from the Start menu or within the System Integrator. On the one hand, NU isn't integrated seamlessly into existing Windows utilities. On the other hand, NU lacks the sophistication, some of which is hidden behind wizards, that used to distinguish NU from the also-rans: the NAI/McAfee or Ontrack/Mijenix offerings, to name two.

Another favorite utility, and my second most used, was System Information. The new utility is very, very fast, generating a cornucopia of information at the touch of a button. It correctly identified my processor as an AMD K6 running at 450 MHz (449), as well as identifying the cheapo graphics card (an old S3 Virge with 4 MB of RAM) and its limited capabilities.

I upgraded the very capable Biostar motherboard that came with an IDT Winchip (200 MHz) via a series of tweaks I found described on the Web to run a chip more than twice as powerful. The K6-III chips command a premium on eBay, but it was worth it. In preparation for an article describing how I did this, and before running NU, I downloaded the overclocker's favorite utility: SiSoft's Sandra utility. I found this utility much more useful than NU 2002's System Information, akin to what I would expect from a current generation of NU SysInfo. Sandra lets you compare performance against preloaded base benchmarks and compares current information against previously saved ratings. Incomprehensibly, NU now has no performance ratings of any kind. Previous NU disk benchmarks were notoriously inaccurate because of caching, and the software's inability to handle such. The processor benchmark could be fooled by a good algorithm built in on the numeric co-processor. NU SysInfo was still the fastest and most easily accessible benchmark in common use. In spite of the potential inaccuracies, the NU SysInfo benchmark still served its purpose, especially for a quick ballpark performance estimate. Now, this functionality is gone.

WinDoctor, DiskDoctor , and Speed Disk round out the most useful utilities included. The interface for the doctor programs matches the default XP look and feel, but the techie look and controls are missing. Example: Under Speed Disk, you can select which groups of files are to be excluded or placed at the beginning or end of the disk. I did not see other relevant options; the wizard takes care of that for you. I prefer the current version of Executive Software's Diskeeper, which has much more customization available, and whose server version can be scheduled across a network.

NU includes a registry tracker and editor, but these are only available in 98 and Me. I prefer Iolo Technologies' System Mechanic for registry tasks, although Norton is faster and does include the registry editor. Iolo is still available (www.iolo.com), and its utilities included a duplicate file checker and other housekeeping tasks that I would never otherwise perform and system performance would be degraded if they were not done.

Live Update, although not an original concept, was championed by the former Symantec CEO, Gordon Eubanks, as the next great thing. Although it works well, it is no longer a distinguishing feature, as every anti-virus program and some other utility programs have similar functionality.

The newest NU attains very high marks for ease of use, and is designed for general users. Though the wizards hide much of the sophistication behind an all too glib interface, some of the cutting edge utilities or functions that distinguished Norton in the past are 404 — not found (!) For the technical user, the inability to control exactly what the program is doing will prove frustrating. I will have to look elsewhere.

Pentium 133 MHz, AMD K5 equivalent or greater, except for XP: 233 MHz Pentium or AMD K6 or greater; a CD-ROM drive and 50 MB of disk space. This product is for Win 98/Me/NT W Service Pack 6.0/2000 Pro (Ws)/XP (all flavors) only. Memory requirements range from 32 MB for NT and Win to 64 MB for 2000 and XP.

Symantec Corporation, 20330 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014. Tel.: (408) 517 8000. www.symantec.com. Service and support: http://service.symantec.com. Automated fax retrieval support: (800) 544-4403.