SystemWorks 2: The Big Sweep

Utility

SUMMARY

Norton SystemWorks 2 PRO: All the tools you need to keep your PC safe and running in top form. CON: Can be resource-intensive and intrusive. VALUE: A must-have for any PC running Windows. $70 ($60 for current owners of any Norton product) Symantec 800/441-7234 www.symantec.com

Windows file systems tangle up and melt down so often that keeping your PC in working order can quickly become a second job. Norton SystemWorks 2 is a first-rate tool kit for just that chore. Its easy-to-use desktop panel provides access to the current versions of Norton Utilities, AntiVirus, CleanSweep, CrashGuard, and Web Services. I evaluated a shipping copy.

Depending on how much of it you install, the $70 suite gobbles 130MB to 160MB of hard disk space, but its components can remove at least that much Windows and Web junk. Start with WinDoctor to sweep up common Windows detritus: shortcuts to erased apps, lost ActiveX code strings, and post-crash file fragments. This version of WinDoctor cleans up corrupted Windows Registry entries (often resulting from system hang-ups) better than its predecessor did.

Similarly, the new CleanSweep tidies up orphaned and duplicate files. It's much better at uninstalling all of an application's components than Windows' Add/Remove Programs. SystemWorks 2 also resurrects WipeInfo, Norton's once-popular DOS tool for removing all traces of erased files from your hard drive.

CrashGuard gives you the best shot yet at saving your work and reviving crashing applications. It can even drop you back to where you were on the Internet when your apps crashed. And Norton AntiVirus 5.0 throws in a year of virus immunization updates, plus protection against rogue ActiveX code and Java applets that can scramble hard drives or permit data theft.

SystemWorks' memory-resident monitors can conduct regular maintenance automatically. But load selectively: The suite can be intrusive and hog resources. Better to opt for, say, AntiVirus and CrashGuard and run other tools periodically by clicking on the easy-to-follow wizards.