Norton Systemworks 2006 Premier review:1 stars (Wiped out system) - NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER buy this product! I installed in on my new laptop and as soon as it was done and said "reboot", my system went into a NEVER ENDING reboot cycle. I thought I had something on my computer that caused my problem. After reloading Windows XP Pro, I decided to make it the first software I would add, no other software conflicts. SAME THING, REBOOT LOOP, OVER AND OVER AND OVER. How can they sell this kind of garbage? I used 2003, 2006. Could NEVER get 2005 to install, alway an error message half way through. Maybe that was a blessing. 2006 WIPED OUT MY COMPUTER. DO NOT BUY AND DO NOT EXPECT SUPPORT WORTH A ....
Support call put me in India to a person who could not get the spelling of my name and I could not understand her.
DO NOT BUY UNLESS YOU WANT TO WASTE TWO DAYS RECOVERING YOUR SYSTEM.4 stars (Mixed bag, incrementally better, solid (mostly) reliable performance.) - Caveat: I am comparing this to systemworks standard, 2005.
Although I've been a user of symantec/norton products for about 10 years now, there has always been some bugginess about them. This is the smoothest release I've ever seen. This is also based on a 3 day review, so it's not really thorough. This also refers to the download version, which is a bit more difficult because I had to burn my own ISO boot/backup/restore disk.
That aside, the reason for the 4 stars is the redundancy in ways to do the same (or very similar) thing twice, and for the minimal (if any) changes to Norton Utilities. Norton Ghost 10, for example, does automatic and manual restore checkpoints on backups. GoBack does the same thing, but it's not meant for ISO, obviously. GoBack hasn't changed much, if at all, since 2005. However, the two togther are somewhat redundant, and could be possibly merged. Safe install in Goback is now automatic, tho (i.e., "it appears you are installing a new program, you'll have the option to restore to pre-install conditions" or some such verbage).
Norton Utilities is about the same, straight up. Wipe slack space, for example, is still a drop down selection, rather than a button option. In fact, everything in Norton Utilities seems the same in the control panel from 2005. No memory defrag. No internet tweaking tools. Just as an idea, symantec, if you're listening, and have no plans to improve Norton Utilities, you could set up a way to allow plug ins like Nvidias N-Tune app...
What's new to me (and possibly other upgraders) is Checkit, which has been updated (but still covers mostly the same content), and Benchmark test, which compares my system against others, and itself, during tweaking, overclocking, or upgrades. However, the list of comparable systems is painfully short. I lucked up and had the exact same setup as one indicated, except for the drives. Process viewer, which is new, gives a greater deal of control and understanding to operating processes (same as the Windows process viewer, just with more options, such as Google this - useful for ID'ing what's running).
Ghost has some redundancy in view progress and performance. Progress is shown during backups anyhow, performance is a useful tool though, to give a sliding scale priority to backups while using other programs, from low (very slow backup) to high (in-use desktop programs take forever, but ghost flies). My 15 gig test setup compressed to 3 gigs on my backup drive, and the incrementals have been reliably popping up to say they're doing so.
What's different? System Optimizer includes user level controls (meaning you can, for example, restrict individual accounts or tweak individual accounts - there are also many more options in there now for tweaking and information. The downside is that settings are still locked to admin level accounts, except for basic things like virus scan.
The main proggy startup has a changed "Norton Status Screen" which has been basically rearranged, but offers more immediate acccess to tools freqently used, rather than clicking "change settings" or "more info". Some have been renamed/regrouped, such as "Performance", which covers auto-protect, spyware, Improve Performance (accesses defrag), clean clutter, fix windows problems (windoctor). Also new is a Norton Status bar that attaches to the lower right taskbar (the regular task icons still install). But the Norton Status bar will pop up on startup giving a snapshot of system health, it seems to me a shortcut to the entire program, should things go wrong anywhere. The status bar is NOT system doctor, which is still available via Utilities.
Everything boots smoother and faster, much faster. Of course, I haven't loaded the system down. I had tried Iolo's v6, and while I liked it's myriad of utilities (memory defrag and recover, for example, and a slew of others that Norton lacks) it was buggy beyond belief on almost everything else). I suppose, in all fairness, I should have tried a clean boot install of Iolo v6, but even so, its lack of information (just stuff like "3 spyware programs detected" without giving info was useless).
Norton's antivirus scans are faster, and sport a new interface. Registry optimizer is about the same as before, and one button checkup hasn't changed.
With the exception of Norton Ghost (which I love), I would have been disappointed in the upgrade had I purchased regular systemworks... the changes are incremental, rather than monumental. However, they make sense and improve the program, well, incrementally.
One thing I still haven't isolated is use with Windows firewall... I was able to use Norton's worm detection and Windows firewall simultaneously without flaw in Systemworks 2005. Now when I try to do the same, downloads slow, then stop completely. It's one or the other, it seems (or install Norton Firewall, which the protection center will suggest (albeit unobtrusively, thank God.
The whole core Norton system, including goback and all is now a 1 button install. Performance test is separate, and strikingly similar to checkit. There is also a new registration/validation procedure which claims to be designed to resolve the repeat installation errors that plagued 2005 (regular systemworks, anyhow).
Also, during online purchase, I tried to delete the extended backup service, but it would delete the whole order. This only happened with Premiere, I tried it with other products, and it would not occur. CD Buyers will not have this issue, of course.
Overall, I am happy with the purchase. Overclockers beware that a cmos reset, and even some overclockings, will screw the pooch on Systemworks, and require going thru all reinitilizations again (goback, full virus scan, etc.) - At least on my system. Your mileage may vary. I've probably missed a few dozen improvements which the Norton folks will protest, and the Iolo folks, well, they will learn from their customers .. but this is where things stand now.
Norton is the 800 lb gorilla because it is the best, in my opinion, even with a few bugs, lack of Norton Utilities update, and some redundancy in functionality. If I had to summarize it another way, it is the best antivirus application around, period, with the best of the available utilities, even if they are significantly limited compared to other upstarts.
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