Utilities & Diagnostic Programs |
 |
[PC Handyman] [First Aid 97] [Norton Utilities 2.0] [CheckIt - Diagnostic Kit, Version 4]
Once in a while you come across a program whose title says it all. PC Handyman by Symantec is one of those. Think how nice it would be to have a computer expert inside your computer who watches for problems or things that go bump-in-the-night, then lets you know...or automatically fixes them for you! One step further, how about a program that will answer most computer questions you have and provide a glossary of terms to help you better understand your system? Even better, how about a program that would also help you "customize" your desktop so it looked and worked just like you want it to?
Look no further! PC Handyman (PCH) comes on a CD that includes what amounts to "Computers 101" so you can learn about your sound system, hard drive, video, drivers, keyboard, etc. As a bonus, the CD comes with CrashGuard (also in Norton Utilities 2.0). PCH monitors your computer's startup and shutdown process checks your hard drive for efficient operation and the quality of its surface to anticipate "bad sector" problems (yes, that's technical, but PCH takes the worry out of being a non-technician). Another technical area that PCH worries about so that you and I don't have to is checking the "correctness" of .DLL and .EXE files for errors or file references.
Both the novice and the experienced computer user will find the program very useful. It will shield the novice from some of the more technical stuff and perform routine maintenance automatically; however, it allows the experienced user to tweak their system and delve deeper into problems that PCH finds. Although PCH will help detect virus, I think it is not as thorough as you will need. I do not use this feature. Protect your system with a separate anti-virus program. This program also has a capable search "engine", but there are better ones on the market. For the casual user, this feature will suffice, but not for someone with a more extensive need. The Glossary is useful in understanding terms, but I think its definitions are incomplete. Symantec, please be both more explicit and add an example for more complex terms.
How does it operate? There's a very friendly "icon" (menu). Just click on one of the components, then click on "Solve" to help find what is causing the problem and how to solve it. Novice caution: this is not a complete, technician-in-a-box, so don't expect it to address all of your problems. Often the better answer is in the problem-causing component's documentation!
CrashGuard will intercept a hung or stalled system and help you recover from it…maybe even help save your data. I "crashed" my system three times and CG worked as stated! PCH will make a Rescue Disk for you just in case all heck happens. You can use this disk to re-enter your computer when the hard drive goes out. For more info go to http://www.symantec.com.
Richard Serbin is a HAL-PC member and president of Texas Commercial Brokers, Inc. He can be reached at txcomb@hal-pc.org.
If you are comfortable installing software and hardware on computers, but are afraid to attempt tweaking your system without guidance, First Aid 97 (FA97) by Cybermedia is for you.
Among FA97's many features is Check-up, which gives your PC a complete "physical." It checks for anomalies and provides fixes and solutions when available. Check-up will ensure that applications work properly, peripherals have no conflicts, multimedia works properly and computer settings are set for optimal performance.
FA97's Windows Guardian prevents crashes. While installing CMPQwk (an offline mail reader), which has a known problem installing under Windows 95, Guardian caught the crash; Oil Change (a limited version is included) collected a FA97 installation update; and CMPQwk installation was completed flawlessly.
I have a computer at work and at home; therefore I decided to test FA97 on both. FA97 Autofixed shortcuts, auto refresh rate, optimized the file system to run multimedia apps, animation (speed at which Windows is minimized and maximized), menu popup rate, two mouse devices (one was inactive) and various other problems. Although some problems on each system were different, speed on both systems was increased, more noticeably on the home system, which has 32 MB RAM.
The work system has a Creative Labs SB16 sound card and 2X CD drive, which were inadvertently installed under DOS on the Windows 95 system. Until Windows 95 drivers were in place, FA97 wouldn't install. Strangely, none of the numerous other CD installations on this same setup had failed. FA97 diagnosed the Acer sound card in the home system as "not working properly or does not have all the drivers installed." Again, I installed the Windows 95 drivers, and FA97 gave its approval. Conclusion: even if you have no problems with "legacy" hardware, go ahead and install Windows 95 drivers if you can find them. FA97 doesn't like 16 bit stuff in a 32 bit environment!
One problem remains: FA97 reported the external Practical Peripherals 14.4 modem as dead; it isn't. I've used it during these tests, getting out on the Web and retrieving Windows 95 drivers for other hardware. I'm stumped, but won't worry as long as the modem is performing as it should.
The primary reason behind First Aid 97 may not be to educate, and you may not be a guru when you finish, but you'll definitely know more about your system than when you started. For more info go to http://www.cyber-media.com.
Nancy Ward is a HAL-PC member and HALNet Registrar who can be contacted at nward@hal-pc.org.
NU2, from Symantec, is designed to assist you in any number of computer "housekeeping" duties…from making your system run more efficiently to finding out what causes a problem and suggesting how to fix it. Get the CD version which includes the "Companion Series" of applets. This is a WIN95 only program. For Windows 3.x, use NU 8.0.
The Gallery is a collection of small videos. These are basically "how to" to show you how specific hardware works and a Q&A. NU2 includes CrashGuard with Anti-Freeze which saves what you are working on in case of a "system crash" or freeze. There are a few things that you need to know: 1. If you are already experiencing problems with your computer, do not in stall this utility; and, 2. You might find it goes on a lot more smoothly, if you remove a early version of Norton Utilities.
Now the only draw back installing Norton Utilities is you need to install Microsoft's Explorer 3.0 to use a few of the programs. The fact that I already had another Internet viewer did not matter with this program, it only wanted Explorer. NU 2.0 can be just as useful for the new user as the power user.
Norton System Doctor will scan for virus, detect disk and system problems and will take preventive measures to avoid getting your system in serious trouble.
Norton Disk Doctor is used to repair a large number of computer problems, from logical disk structures to the hard drive's surface, and will help determine when your hard drive is starting to go bad.
Norton Registry Tracker keeps a running file of what changes are happening to your registry so you will always be informed of what is happening to your system. (Your "Registry" file is vital and the heart of your WIN95 system.)
Norton Registry Editor will allow you edit the Registry, but it also allows you to UNDO any changes you have made, where REGEDIT will not. CAUTION: This feature is for the power user who knows what he or she is doing.
Norton File Compare shows you the changes in a file, like a .INI file after a program was added to your system.
Speed Disk is like Microsoft's Defrag, but Speed Disk will also defrag the Swap File and "verify" its actions…Microsoft will not.
System Information provides info on your system and tells you more about your Internet connection than you have ever wanted to know.
Norton System Genie can make changes to the look and feel of one's DeskTop. This part of Norton was created for the Newbie user.
Live Up Date uses the Internet to obtain the latest drivers, etc. and then installs them for you.
On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd rate NU8 a big 9 for usefulness and ease of use…for the way the program handles and the way it is set up to help a user. As I stated earlier, I did not like being limited to one specific Internet browser to use, but I found that it doesn't care that much which viewer I use. NU2 comes with an uninstall. You can reinstall it after you have determined what features you want. For more information go to http://www.symantec.com.
Moe Jones is a HAL-PC member, SIG Coordinator for Windows 95 and he can be contacted at moejones@hal-pc.org.
Special note about your Win95 "Registry" files. These two files are critical to the operation of your system. However, you cannot perform a simple copy/restore. It's a little more involved than that. Moe has uploaded a file to BBS called: REGBACK.ZIP with the necessary files to perform this for you…safely. Editor
The DOS version, CheckIt 4 by TouchStone, is very useful since it boots and runs from the floppy drive. This gives the "Techie" and the casual user a portable diagnostic tool. It is great for verifying the performance of a new or used computer you're thinking of purchasing. (You can also troubleshoot Win 3.x and Win95 problems and it will run under Windows.)
The "Kit" includes a handbook to explain what tests can be performed and how to interpret test results. There is a Technical Reference Library on the CD (Repair or Upgrade Your Computer, DOS Made Easy, Windows 3.1 Made Easy, and Windows 95 Made Easy). That's nearly $100.00 worth of books on one CD and a lot easier to carry around.
With the loopback plugs provided in this kit you can obtain accurate IRQ readings necessary to diagnose a problem on a parallel or serial port.
Burn-In Certification is an automated batch-testing program that tests a computer repeatedly to reveal potential problems. If you build your own systems then you need this program. I will identify problems on a new motherboard within 24 to 48 hours that otherwise may not have surfaced for months.
RAMexam is a multilevel diagnostic program to test six levels of your memory chips. It's designed to test memory and identify effective RAM chips.
One application is called Advisor, which will troubleshoot the installation of a new hardware card before taking the cover of your computer. There is a long list of adapter cards from various manufacturers included with the program. Obtain updated list info from http://www.checkit.com/support/filearea.html or their BBS site. The program does allow you to program in whatever card you have, even if it is not in the list. You merely provide the requested settings on your new card and save it as a new record. And it will generate a report of conflicts and your options.
This is a wonderful feature if you ever have to install a card in a friend's computer. You can use CheckIt 4 to get a virtual image of your friend's computer on a floppy and load it on your machine. You can virtually practice installing the new card on your friend's computer at home on your system. You can get all the settings properly configured, and save the new settings on a floppy.
Shopper informs you of system requirements for different types of software that you may anticipate installing. The list in the program package can also be updated or you can enter your own information to generate a report listing possible conflicts or hardware upgrades you may need to consider before installing your new software package!
Uninstall is an application that will cleanly remove unwanted or nuisance programs from your system. It also will identify orphaned icons and shortcuts to be deleted. An orphaned icon or shortcut usually takes up to 1K of RAM on your hard drive. If you have a lot of them then this feature can recover a lot of memory space for you.
Tune Up is a quick and easy way of tweaking your system for a little more memory and a little better performance…a one-button application.
CD-ROM Tester is an application to verify the performance of your multimedia device. It will rate your CD's performance and inform you what MPC level your system is set at.
Compare Data uses dated collected on your system over a period of time you can compare graphically how your system's performance has changed. For instance, what changes caused it to slow down or seize up. A side by side comparison of your Autoexec.bat, Config.sys, System.ini, and so forth is given with the number of changes and where the changes were made clearly marked.
For more info go to http://www.checkit.com/index.html.
Jeff Boggan, a HAL-PC member since 1993, is a Windows 95 SIG Coordinator. He has been using PCs since 1983 as a hobby and uses MS Word to write training manuals at work. He has been employed at Johnstone Supply of Houston for the past 11 years and maybe contacted at jboggan@hal-pc.org.
Note: Although this review referred to "DOS version of CheckIt", this program also contains WinCheckIt for Windows 3.x and 95. Editor