Symantec offers more protection
The software company has announced the latest version of its data repair and back-up tool Norton Utilities.
Priced at $49.95 with a $10 rebate, Norton Utilities 4.0 provides users with crash protection, registry repair and optimization, and disaster recovery.
Among the new features offered in Norton 4.0, the Disk Doctor utility diagnoses and repairs a variety of disk ailments simultaneously, reducing the repair time significantly from previous versions. Symantec has redesigned the user interface for easier operation, and company said the program offers improved integration of other components, making data recovery easier.
Symantec said the update can find system problems and can offer recommendations for the best way to solve them.
In addition, Norton Utilities 4.0 includes Norton SystemCheck, which consolidates all the major portions of Norton Utilities 4.0 in one application, allowing for quick diagnosis of a system in one step. SystemCheck can be run at the user's request or scheduled to run at a specific time.
Another new feature, Registry Doctor Scan provides protection for Windows and other applications by finding and repairing hidden corruption in the Windows registry, according to the company. The Registry Doctor Scan and Norton WinDoctor, also included with Norton Utilities 4.0, work together to provide new features for scanning and repairing errors that may cause Windows problems. The tools can also scan the Windows registry for orphaned entries.
Norton Utilities 4.0 includes a modem-troubleshooting feature called Connection Doctor. Because modems can be one of the most difficult and frustrating computer components to diagnose, the Connection Doctor checks and tests the PC's modem to be sure it is working properly and is free of hardware or software conflicts.
As in earlier versions, Norton WipeInfo allows users to permanently delete files or entire folders. WipeInfo wipes free and slack space and supports government specifications for secure deletion, according to Symantec. WipeInfo integrates into Windows and is accessible from Windows Explorer menus.
In addition, a new Windows File Check feature allows the user to quickly determine the cause of problems that keep Windows from booting. Windows File Check looks for missing critical files on the hard drive, corrupt system files, and version conflicts.
As reported earlier, Symantec released a Norton Utilities 4.0 version for Apple's Macintosh computers in September.