Symantec Norton Systemworks 2002 Pro

Norton's Systemworks 2002 Pro range of utility software offers possibly every utility you'll need. While the standard version includes Norton Antivirus, Norton Utilities, Norton Cleansweep and Roxio Goback, the Pro version adds Norton Ghost and Norton Winfax Basic to the list.

Firewalls or internet security are sold as separate products. And, for easy handling, all components neatly integrate under one common system 'console': a centralised front end that lets you control and configure all the products.

All the components are now fully Windows XP compatible. Changes made in Windows XP caused problems with the previous versions. Norton Zip Rescue has been replaced by Wipeinfo, a secure file deletion program. Another, largely cosmetic, improvement is that all the utilities (many of which started life outside of Symantec) now sport a simplified user interface.

The One Button Checkup tool invokes seven of the most important Systemworks tools where checks are run, the Registry is scanned and Antivirus is verified to be on duty and so on, all with a single click from the initial screen at launch.

Norton Utilities remains essentially unchanged, including such features as Speed Disk, which defrags hard drives faster than the Disk Defragmenter included in Windows; Unerase, a wizard that resurrects deleted files; and System Doctor, a status control panel that shows your PC's condition at a glance.

You also get Windoctor, which cures those pesky Registry problems. We have to say, though, that the combined talents of Cleansweep and Windoctor weren't up to the task of removing what was left of a botched uninstall of McAfee Virusscan.

Norton Antivirus remains, arguably, the best antivirus package on the market, if the '100 per cent' scores list maintained by Virus Bulletin is anything to go by. The new version now integrates itself into Windows Explorer and Internet Explorer as a toolbar.

Using the dropdown menu you can launch a virus scan on your system or connect to information on Symantec's website. With the rise of email worms and Trojan horses, scanning incoming mail is no longer enough.

So, Norton now scans outgoing mail to prevent your system from sending worms to all and sundry. Another new feature is Script Blocking, which promises to block script-based viruses, such as the I Love You bug.

By default, infected files are repaired automatically without alerts to users. Liveupdate now downloads smaller updates, downloading and installing updates in the background.

Norton Anti Virus 2002 still doesn't scan Zip files as you download from the web, something rival products have been able to do for some time. It scans them when you unzip them, or when you initiate an on-demand scan.

Ghost, the drive-cloning tool, is a relatively recent acquisition. The 2002 version is based on the Ghost Corporate Edition and provides users with faster performance and functionality similar to that used by IT administrators.

It, too, is Windows XP certified, which makes it attractive to those contemplating upgrading; Ghost enables you to put your system back the way it was, should something go wrong.

There are some make weights in this bundle, particularly for Windows XP users, who have much of the following functionality as standard.

The Winfax 10 Basic Edition fax program allows you to send and receive faxes on your PC. You can compose and send documents to fax machines and as email attachments.

Goback 3 Personal Edition from Roxio works much like the Windows ME System Restore feature, allowing you to restore your hard disk to a previous state if it crashes or becomes unbootable. This is a cut-down version of the retail product; you can't restore individual files or save them in their new state when reverting back to an older state.

Last and least, is Cleansweep 2002, an uninstaller that's largely outlived its usefulness. It still comes in handy when clearing out browser caches, cookies and other internet detritus, but it's no substitute for the Add/Remove Programs applet in Windows Control Panel.

/b> Intel Pentium 233MHz or higher processor (150MHz for Windows ME); 128Mb of Ram; 85Mb of available hard disk space.

Contact: Symantec UK 01628 592 222
www.symantec.co.uk