from the El Paso Macintosh Users Group
Symantec's Norton Utilities
Review by Dave Davis
Computers are great, aren't they. I mean you can type, and transmit. You can paint
and create. And you can even teach the kids how to use this new, ‘fangled gizmo.
Although if the truth were known, you would admit to them, really teaching you,
a, thing or two.
Yup, these days she, ( mine is called Bertha ), she can transmit my message all
around the world and back. She helps me keep my books, learn how to pay even more
taxes, genealogy records off the Internet, and even a complete, impossible to replace,
list of my entire senior class ( 69... honest!!!)
My wife collects her recipes, and does payroll. I try desperately to keep up my
day timer and learn a better game of chess. My niece colors, ( I swear those pictures
are greater than Picasso's ). Unquestionably worth more to me than a Van Gough.
Oh and what about those scanned letters from my deceased father. The originals are
gone now , awww but what do I have to worry about I have the scanned images safely
stored on Bertha. Shoot, not to worry....
All totaled I'd say without exaggeration we collectively have thousands of man
hours invested in ole Bertha. Dollars???.... Priceless hours, really.
This caused me to think. I have insured the unit itself. But what would I do
if I lost all the data on it? What would you do if you lost all the data on your
machine?
Well, every Guru I talked to about this problem has told me in no uncertain terms,
You should be backing up regularly. Regularly means to the point that when, ( not
if ), you Crash & Burn it is no big deal and you have everything neatly stacked
in a corner so you can reformat and simply reinstall your STUFF back on the drive.
This is said so amazingly easy it makes me want to throw up. I even believed this
nonsense until it happened to me, and guess what folks back up or not, this chore
becomes a real nightmare pain in the Kister ( if you know what I mean ).
So I got to thinking, Where do I go to get insurance on the thousands of man hours
that my family and I have invested? Who do I go to to help me when the thing wont
start up and just dies. I am so glad you asked that question, you did ask didn't
you?
The answer is Symantec's Norton Utilities.
Honest to God, a must have application to your library. This program when installed
and operating in place is the insurance that you can't buy, cause there's no one
out there who will sell it to you.
The Application comes on three disks that literally lead you by the hand in the installation
process, making it almost impossible for you to goof this up. It's really that easy.
Although the program Norton Utilities(R) runs the sub programs, System Info, Norton
Fastback, Volume Recover, Disk Doctor(R), UnErase(R), and Disk Editor(R) it also
allows you to create a special set of emergency disks. Disk Doctor(R), UnErase(R),
and Disk Editor(R) can be incorporated with your Macintosh Disk Tools to provide
you with the Emergency disks you will need if the smiley face fails to show up.
System Info is the Red Flag
- This program gives you the tools to tell if your computer is not performing up
to standards. It hints to you if a problem might be on the horizon. Without this
you would be hard pressed to tell if there is degradation in your hard disk speed.
Norton Fastback
- Norton Fastback is the back up and restore file program. Remember what I told
you about what the Gurus said. This is the program to help you back up those Van
Gough's.
Volume Recover allows you to access and resurrect a
crashed or formatted disk.
Disk Doctor
- Disk Doctor fixes problems that occur on the drive. You know it does so much
more than that. During the start of this article session the NDD as I like to refer
to it, informed me, that I had serious disk problems that needed to be attended to
NOW!!! I simply clicked OK to its request for action, and away it went. I got a
cup of coffee and read an article in Mac World and bingo, we're all done. It fixed
the problem and here I am. Pretty good insurance, wouldn't you say?
UnErase
- UnErase is specific file recovery for files that have been lost or stolen. I'm
just kidding about the stolen.
Disk Editor
- Disk Editor is the part of the program with the muscle!!! If you should ever
have to have access to a incapacitated drive this is the one the TECHIES will use
to guide you through the muck and the mire. What's that ? I failed to mention that
these people have a Tech 1-800 number. Well if you think that's a big deal WAIT.
THERE'S MUCHO MAS!!!
There's on-line help.
- Located under the Question Mark, Next to the finder in the upper right hand corner
of your desktop, ( there will be at least three members who can't find it ). This
function will teach you what each utility is and how to use it with step by step
procedures and how to complete tasks, what the menu commands do and power user
tips.
And speaking about power, the manual included with Norton Utilities is perfect.
I wouldn't change a thing. Whatever you might want to know about the how's and the
where's is in this book. From how a hard drive and floppy work to all the computereze
a computer geek could ever hope for. It is the easiest book to follow that I have
ever had the pleasure to read.
How does a drive that is running seemingly perfect all of the sudden go bad? How
does it happen? Some Gurus insist that it isn't something that goes bump one night
and kapow your out of commission. Others say it could happen with an in detectable
power surge. Even something as a forced power off could throw things into a tither.
The answer is, They just don't know. What they do know is this. The more user
friendly a system is, ( The Mac is that ) the more things can and do go wrong.
But I know this. This program takes the mystique out of all of this. It notifies
you of a pending disaster and warns you away and helps you fix whatever bit that
got reversed or whatever CRC got miscounted ( The CRC stuff is in the book).
I have written dozens of review articles. Some recommending, but mostly I like to
expose the fallacy in the investing of a particular application. This one is of
the highest caliber applications and will provide you with the greatest degree of
safety. But for Gods sake don't take my word for it ask MacUser. They gave it 4
Mice. MacWorld gave it 4 Stars. Honestly, you don't get those kind of recommendations
without some major performance.
If you take away anything from this review it should be that this Application is
one that should be a coveted and included in every Mac users library.
I talked at length about insurance. This is it. You're foolish to think that this
program can't help you to protect your valuable, or should I say invaluable, unreplaceable
information. For a hundred dollars from Mac Warehouse you can get your self covered
from a calamity that can take months to recoup from. Once you get this program you
will wonder how it could be that no on ever recommended it to you. Well now someone
has. Stay out of trouble and be safe.
By the way did I mention that the clubs complimentary issue will be available as
a door prize at our April program demonstration. If I were you, I wouldn't miss
an opportunity to get this program. But even if you don't win it you should go out
and get it. A.S.A.P.
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Editor, Amigo Border Connection
P.O. Box 220583
El Paso, Texas
79913-0583
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