Product Reviews

The latest version of the venerable Norton Utilities for Macintosh may not be a major new release, but it does include a few new features. It also comes as a welcome upgrade, bringing the tool suite up to date with the many changes Apple has made to the Mac OS over the last few years, such as the release of System 7.6.1.

Norton's tools have been designed to check key system software components for problems that can lead to anything from damaged data to a complete Mac collapse. Norton Disk Doctor, for instance, scans your hard disk for damaged areas - so-called 'bad blocks' - or corrupt information, and incorrectly recorded settings within the files stored on it. The latter are fixed, while bad blocks are marked in the disk's directory to ensure the OS doesn't attempt to record data within them. Speed Disk, meanwhile, restructures the disk to optimise the retrieval of applications and documents, a process known as defragmentation.

If a major crash has occurred, Volume Recover can be run to retrieve as many files as possible before they're overwritten by a disk format or reinstallation of the system software. Files thrown away by mistake or zapped by a minor crash can be restored by UnErase, working in conjunction with FileSaver, Norton's disk contents monitoring module. Data that you don't want to be seen or retrieved by unauthorised users ever again can be completely obliterated by WipeInfo.

Less essential tools include the suite of benchmarks found in SystemInfo, the aptly-named FastFind search software, and DiskLight, which places a flashing icon in the menu bar whenever a disk is read from or written to.

Most of these tools have undergone minor updates to reach version 3.5.

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The exception is Speed Disk, which has been modified not only to improve its performance, but to allow different optimised disk structures for specific uses, such as CD-ROM mastering and software development. So, while the generic structure places applications and system software at the inside of the disk and data on the outside, placing the free space in the middle (presumably to allow both sections to grow without taking up space best reserved for the other), the Software Development structure places project and source files and free space together. The Multimedia structure, on the other hand, is designed to give as much contiguous free space as possible.

Speed Disk is now fully compatible with AppleScript, allowing the optimisation process to be automated. Apple Guide has been utilised to provide a more interactive help system, not just for Speed Disk but for the whole Norton suite.

New to Norton 3.5 is CrashGuard, which intercepts application crashes before the OS can shut the offending software down or force a restart. Instead, CrashGuard will allow you to save your work, not just from the crashed application but from others that are open as well. The module is smart enough to try to work out why the application fell over, and attempt to work around the problem while keeping the application running. If CrashGuard fails, you can quit the application or restart your Mac.

The usefulness of CrashGuard depends on how regularly your machine crashes, particularly now that System 7.6.1 has reassigned many Type 11 errors - the most common Power Mac crash - as Type 1 and 2 errors to allow data to be saved anyway. Updating your system software may prove as effective as installing CrashGuard.

It can be argued that using Apple's Disk First Aid regularly should prevent many of the problems Norton is designed to detect and destroy. That said, how often do you use Disk First Aid? Exactly, and that's why Norton is worth serious consideration. Unlike Disk First Aid, it will fix all those problems you never got round to monitoring until after they've damaged your data.

While serious crashes may be rare, you wouldn't drive without car insurance, even if it wasn't compulsory. Equally, you shouldn't ignore Norton Utilities - insurance for your data.