Smooth-Sailing Utilities

Skipping the Shrink-Wrap

Don't want to buy and install a utility suite? You can get many of the same benefits these days through online services.

McAfee.com provides the most comprehensive online utilities service. For a yearly subscription, it offers extensive diagnostics and system optimization and protection tools. McAfee. com's services include virus scanning--whether you're connected to the Internet or not--a performance optimizer, advice on configuring Windows, an uninstaller, and a tool for recovering damaged files. Most of these online services are based on the same code that underlies McAfee Utilities.

But Web-based utility services have their own problems. Despite claims that McAfee.com works with Internet Explorer 4.0 and higher, many of its features refused to work when we tried them with Internet Explorer 5.0. The problem was fixed when we upgraded, on McAfee's recommendation, to Internet Explorer 5.5.

Ironically, one of the features we could not test until we upgraded the browser was Oil Change, a tool for upgrading your software to the latest versions available.

Oil Change is one of several Web-based upgrade aids. These sites scan your hard drive for programs, and then tell you what updates are available for your applications. They also give you information to help you decide if the changes are worthwhile, and provide links for downloading the necessary files.

Oil Change charges $19.95 a year for its services. Two of the site's competitors, Catchup.com and Norton Web Services, are free. (Both Catchup. com and Norton Web Services are operated by CNet Networks, a PC World competitor.)

Both Norton SystemWorks and Ontrack SystemSuite, by the way, try to pass off a free online application updating tool as a feature you've paid for. SystemWorks has a link to Norton Web Services, and SystemSuite points you to updates.com. But both of these services are free, whether or not you've purchased a suite.