The most recent articles from PC Magazine

Powerquest DeployCenter 5.01

Freya Walker — 2002-08-22T10:47:18.000Z

Freya Walker, PC Magazine, Thursday 22 August 2002 at 10:47:18

Very good set of deployment utilities based on established technology.

Formerly known as Drive Image Pro, DeployCenter combines PowerQuest disk imaging and partitioning software with other utilities to provide a platform for the automated rollout of systems, applications and software upgrades.

It consists of three sets of utilities. The first is concerned with creating disk images. Chief among these is ImageCenter, which can be used to take sector-by-sector images of model workstation disks ready for distribution.

Images can be compressed and stored on fixed and removeable media, such as CD-Rs, and shared network drives.

The second set of utilities provides customisation facilities. The main utility here is ImageExplorer, which allows files to be added or removed and custom installation tasks created.

The final set handles image distribution. PowerCast Server, for example, can multicast images to systems across the network.

The latest release also includes ControlCenter ST, which uses IIS and an Microsoft Data Engine or SQL Server database to manage deployment via a browser interface.

DeployCenter 5.01 is definitely a product for support professionals, not end users. Having to boot to DOS to take and install images could also be an issue.

Price: From £170 (ex. VAT) 10 users.

Minimum hardware requirements: Pentium-class processor; 32MB of Ram; 45MB free disk space.

ControlCenter ST requirements: 366MHz Pentium II; 128MB of Ram; 30MB of free disk space; IIS 4.0 or above.

Operating system support: DOS 5.0; OS/2; Windows 95/98/ME/NT 4.0/2000/XP.

CD-R/W support: MMC-2-compliant CD-R or CD-R/W drives.

Contact: PowerQuest 0118 9522 600

www.powerquest.com

Connectix Virtual PC 4.3

Alex Cruickshank — 2002-07-10T16:00:26.000Z

Alex Cruickshank, PC Magazine, Wednesday 10 July 2002 at 16:00:26

A convenient way to run multiple operating systems simultaneously.

IT support departments often need to run multiple operating systems to check, for example, that what works under Windows XP will also work under Windows 2000. This can be done by swapping hard disk drives, using multiple partitions or, more conveniently, using Virtual PC.

Like vmware under Unix, Virtual PC emulates a PC in software, so you can run several operating systems at once from within a single Windows session. Connectix recommends Windows NT 4.0 (SP6 or later), ME or 2000 as the host operating system. This new version also supports XP.

Installation of Virtual PC takes a few minutes. After that you can set up a virtual machine, choosing the amount of Ram it will have access to, where to store the disk image and what to call it. The emulated PC has the same processor as the host, plus an emulated Intel motherboard and S3 graphics card.

If the host PC has a CDRom or floppy disk drive, these will be accessible too, as will any serial and parallel ports and sound card. Printing and networking are also supported.

When you launch a virtual machine for the first time, you'll be prompted for a boot disk, at which point you're ready to install your chosen operating system. To save time, Connectix has various operating system packs available as optional extras (from £54.99 ex. VAT), which include the product licence and the pre-configured/pre-installed operating system.

It's possible to run several virtual machines at once. The control panel shows you what each one is currently doing. You can switch to and from virtual machines at will and configure various hardware and software parameters.

Programs that make use of undocumented x86 features are unlikely to run under Virtual PC, but most software will work using guest operating systems like DOS, 16-bit/32-bit versions of Windows and some versions of Linux.

Price: £144.99 (ex. VAT)

Minimum requirements: Windows 98 SE, 2000, ME, NT 4.0, XP; Pentium II 266MHz; 128Mb Ram; 2Gb hard disk space.

Contact: Computers Unlimited 020 8200 8282

www.connectix.com

Norton CleanSweep 2002

Mark Fowler-Child — 2002-05-16T15:14:26.000Z

Mark Fowler-Child, PC Magazine, Thursday 16 May 2002 at 15:14:26

A suite of utilities designed to help you quickly remove unwanted files from your PC.

Norton CleanSweep 2002's main applications are CleanSweep, the suite's control centre, and Fast & Safe Cleanup, which allows you to delete predefined file types. Fast & Safe Cleanup can be run separately and scheduled to run automatically.

CleanSweep's main functions are grouped together in three categories: CleanUp, Internet and Programs. CleanUp has two options: one to launch the uninstall wizard, the other to launch Fast & Safe Cleanup.

The uninstall wizard works in conjunction with a memory-resident applet called Smart Sweep/Internet Sweep. During installation of any application, Smart Sweep logs files written to disk and any changes made to the system Windows Registry. CleanSweep uses this data to delete the application and any relevant entries stored in the Windows Registry.

Fast & Safe Cleanup reports both your total disk free space and the amount of space that can safely be freed by deleting unnecessary files. You can set it to delete your system's internet cache and history files, empty the Recycle Bin and delete temporary files. You can also schedule it to run unattended, either at start up or at a specific time.

The utility's internet options comprise Internet Uninstall, Internet Cache Cleanup, Cookie Cleanup, Plug-in Cleanup and ActiveX Cleanup. In addition to monitoring program installation, Smart Sweep/Internet Sweep also logs applications downloaded from the web, as well as any plug-ins or ActiveX controls you might have installed.

SmartSweep's third category is Programs. There are two options here: Backup and Restore. These allow you to selectively back up and restore installed applications, in addition to backing up any applications you remove using the uninstall wizard in case you later decide you need the removed software.

LiveUpdate is included, so CleanSweep 2002 can be kept up to date by visiting Symantec's website. Full documentation in PDF format is included on the CDRom, although installation and operation of all the supplied applications is both intuitive and straightforward.

Superficially, CleanSweep 2002 appears to duplicate many functions already available as part of Windows, but the increased capabilities of the applications make them a worthwhile upgrade.

Price: £24.99 (ex. VAT)

Minimum requirements: Windows 9x, ME, NT 4.0, XP; Pentium II 233MHz; 128Mb Ram; 20Mb free hard disk space.

Contact: Symantec 020 7616 5600

www.symantec.com