Russ Aaronson 9/15/03

Have you ever traded in a car at a dealership?

I know … this sounds pretty far off topic, but I am getting somewhere with this line of questioning.
When you trade in one car for another, the most difficult thing to determine is the exact value you’re getting for your old car. If the salesperson does reveal this, they’ll usually try to add to your dealer fees, or increase the price of the car, or bundle in some overpriced extras you neither want, nor need. Then again, some “no haggle” dealerships don’t hide anything – they just offer you half of Kelley's Blue Book for your old car, knowing that if you liked it so much, you wouldn’t be spending a weekend afternoon making small talk in a parking lot.

My point here is that in situations like this, the devil’s in the bundle. If you don’t look closely, what originally looks like quite a good deal could easily result in overpaying for software simply because it includes other stuff you never knew you needed, for an amazing value.

The question before us today involves the newest incarnation of one of the most popular software bundles available for the Mac, Symantec’s Norton SystemWorks 3.0. This newest incarnation of Norton’s blockbuster includes their AntiVirus and Utilities stalwarts (now integrated into one launcher window) as well as the ever-popular Dantz Retrospect Backup Express and Aladdin’s Spring Cleaning. All told, Symantec bills SystemWorks as a sort of comprehensive care package for your Mac, all for little more than purchasing any one of the applications separately.

To proceed, I’m going to pretend we’re at your local car dealership. We’ve spoken to all of the salesperson’s “managers,” we’ve arrived at the absolute, rock-bottom price, and we have just demanded all the details, on paper, so we can make our final decision. Roll up your sleeves and tell the kids they’ll be playing in the showroom cars for a little while longer, because we’re going to get to the bottom of this bundle.

Installation and Other Observations.

Unless you’re having some kind of Sad Mac emergency, you’ll want to install things fairly soon. As Norton’s manual states, installing SystemWorks really entails three separate installations: one for Norton AntiVirus and Norton Utilities combined, one for Retrospect, and one for Spring Cleaning. This situation quickly alerts you to the fact that SystemWorks is really just the Norton titles with two others thrown in as bonuses. In fact, the new SystemWorks launcher window underscores the disconnect between the SystemWorks components:

Symantec should be applauded for combining their flagship apps into a clean, organized interface. The only disappointment is having to leave this launcher to use either of the other applications; but as I quickly discovered, the situation goes beyond cosmetics.

Upon your first launch, you are strongly advised to let LiveUpdate do its thing and grab any new updates or virus definitions, so have your net connection ready to go (I know, I’m still on dialup, but if your broadband choices were Comcast and BellSouth, you’d be Mr. Modem, just like me).

Again, any updates for either of the other programs must be handled independently. Despite having to run three different installers and check for updates three times, I was finally ready to run each individual application through the paces.

Norton AntiVirus

The very same day that I installed Norton AntiVirus 8 on my TiBook, two NPR News stories aired that reaffirmed my faith in the concept of synchronicity:

1) The “Blaster” worm virus began eating it’s way through an estimated two-million Windows computers. Over half of the 200 Dell’s at the library where my wife works were affected, prompting the local tech guy to spend the entire day ankling around the library, patch disk in hand. (Of course, the ten-or-so G4’s, mainly used for Filemaker, were unaffected).

2) NPR also aired a story about increasing numbers of parents who are refusing to inoculate their children because the chances of an unprotected person catching something like Whooping Cough are far less than the chances of falling ill or dying due to the shot itself.

Before relating these stories to my experience with NAV8, I’ll admit that I was biased from the beginning. In the six years I’ve been using Macs, both at home and at the large, inner-city high school where I work, I’ve yet to see a Mac felled by anything more sinister than the Melissa Word Macro Virus (which can be repaired without an antivirus program). To the contrary, our school’s Dells have fallen at the clutches of some pretty nasty viruses, most of which could have been avoided with more rigorous application of virus definition updates (even though we have but two tech personnel, and well over a thousand computers ranging from old Mac Plus’s and IBM PS-2’s to Celeron-powered Dells and the G4 dualie used by my Film class).

All of this has led me to the inescapable conclusion that, even as every major and minor Mac publication lists an antivirus program as a “must-have” for every computer user, the cost in time and money of preventing your Mac from viruses simply isn’t worth it.

Yet.

The virus-writing crowd is a fickle one, and things could change very quickly. All that’s needed is a reasonable challenge (something like the Navy buying Xserve’s, an increase in Apple’s market share, or maybe even anti-antivirus reviews like this one) and some of that latent Unix expertise out there could keep your happy Mac from being happy. So what’s a reasonably paranoid Mac owner to do? Before deciding, I’ll put my “Unbiased Reviewer” cap back on and talk about NAV8 for a minute or two.

Once you’ve installed the entire SystemWorks package NAV will hop in to scan all attached volumes for known viruses (NAV runs separate scans for OS9 and OS X). The whole process took about fifteen minutes on a 15 gig hard drive, so the wait isn’t so bad (especially compared to what you’ll get with Spring Cleaning, but more on that later). After this, there really isn’t much more to see in NAV, and that’s as it should be. You can futz around with preferences to your heart’s content, setting your Mac to scan what you want, how your want. And don’t forget to set Live Update for times when your Mac will be connected to the internet, because antivirus programs are essentially useless without regular definition file updates.

Beyond this, I could find no evidence that NAV was slowing things down, and Process Viewer seemed to agree. Nevertheless, the makers of certain powerhouse applications (Apple and Final Cut Pro jump to mind) strongly recommend turning off NAV scanning to prevent the program from stealing precious hard drive access time. Though I didn’t see any trouble while importing footage into FCP3, I’ll probably heed the warnings anyway, using the handy new menu bar icon to quickly send NAV packing.

Essentially, Symantec seems to have the whole AntiVirus thing down cold, and the fact that SystemWorks puts everything into a single interface gives NAV the edge over competitors. If you’re in a truly virulent environment (like, say, a high school full of students who download EVERYTHING to your computer’s hard drive), or if you truly fear the growth potential in the Mac virus market, you’d be hard pressed to find a better alternative.

Norton Utilities

For me, this is the SuperStar component of SystemWorks. Previous incarnations allowed me to resurrect quite a few of my coworkers’ laptops, even if only long enough to save their data before things went south again.

Norton Utilities has six main elements: Disk Doctor, which tests hard drives for damage and attempts to repair them; UnErase, which aims to do what it says; Volume Recover, which you can use to raise a dead hard drive; Speed Disk, used to defrag your hard drive; Wipe Info, which claims to permanently delete files when needed, and File Saver, the background component of Utilities taking snapshots of the hard drive to help ensure future data recovery.

Of the six, Disk Doctor and Volume Recover are the most valuable. Combining both can even bring back a drive that refuses to show up when you boot from a system disk (or from the Norton Disk in an emergency). This sounds like a magic pill to the uninitiated, but anyone who’s worked with drive repair utilities can tell you that using a combination of applications is often the only thing that will fully repair a haywire disk. My experimentation with this new version was no different: the combination of Disk Doctor, Apple’s own Disk Utility, and Alsoft’s Disk Warrior solved problems that Norton alone refused to fix. This isn’t so much a strike against Norton as it is a statement about drive utilities in general – no single one is likely to save the day.

This version of Norton Utilities improves upon the last in one significant way – you can Emergency boot just about any modern Mac from the SystemWorks disk. Not a big deal just a few months ago, this ability has become vital for anyone with one of the newer Macs incapable of booting into OS 9. Though I didn’t have such a system available for testing, some Googling around seemed to verify this feature quite sufficiently.

If you look at File Saver, UnErase, and Wipe Info put together, you wind up with a fairly robust data management combination for the average user. UnErase does a decent job of making deleted items reappear (though you need to use it fast – frequent disk writing can take out your data before you realize you lost it), and FileSaver can extend the abilities of UnErase with its frequent drive scans. Contrastingly, Wipe Info writes over your data so that the new guy at work who gets your old laptop when your new one arrives can’t just UnErase your old data. Norton used to be the only game in town for this stuff, but recent releases like Data Recycler X does these things with greater ease, simplicity, and power. My note to Symantec: don’t rest on your laurels!

This leaves Speed Disk, and the time-honored debate over disk fragmentation (the condition where stuff is scattered all over your drive, resulting in poor performance). My experiences put me quite strongly in the pro-defrag camp, and Norton has always done a good, fast job of things with Speed Disk. This release is no exception, but heed the advice of the wise dialog box and run Disk Doctor first – unresolved issues can stop defrag dead in its tracks.

All told, Symantec appears to be holding its lead in the hard disk utility business – but the competition’s getting much closer. Furthermore, Norton Utilities still works better as an Emergency tool than a constant companion; since overuse of Disk Doctor has been known to twist a drive into knots, you may wish to follow the old “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mantra and refrain from installing it altogether. Then again, doing this will now keep you from enjoying NAV, so going with the bundle could actually make things less consumer-friendly, but what fool would leave a computer without antivirus software, anyway?

Don’t get me started again.

Dantz Retrospect Express Backup Software

In order to fulfill the promise of the name “SystemWorks,” Symantec has seen fit to bundle backup software along with their other two superstar titles. The decision to include Dantz Retrospect Express was a wise one, as Dantz is probably the most recognizable name (and possibly even the only commonly recognized name) in Mac backup software.

Essentially, Retrospect Express provides single users with just about any backup schedule one could imagine, allowing the use of virtually every type of storage medium you’re likely to choose (including tape drives and internet storage). Coupled with the ability to create multiple backup scripts and archive files, Retrospect Express provides industrial-strength options reaching far beyond the promise of the name “Express.”

In fact, I probably would have been amazed with Retrospect had I not reviewed Prosoft’s Data Backup X software (okay, so I like the Prosoft way of doing things) just a few months ago. Even though Retrospect seems to be a bit more flexible and powerful than Data Backup X, it can’t touch the latter when you start throwing around terms like “simplicity” and “elegance.” As I stated in the Data Backup X review, when most users hear the phrase “configure your backup scripts,” they think something like “you’re going to need a root canal.” Retrospect may have the user-friendly “EasyScript” option, but the whole process is just plain easier and faster with other programs (if you doubt this, compare Data Backup’s svelte, 53-page PDF manual with the Retrospect behemoth, which weighs in at just under three hundred pages!)

None of this seriously detracts from Retrospect – during my testing it operated perfectly; and though the learning curve was steeper, it doesn’t take long to catch onto the Dantz way of doing things. The real catch that bothered me here was that Symantec’s decision to include more-powerful-but-less-friendly Retrospect blurred the already-fuzzy picture presented by SystemWorks as a whole. Clearly, backup software is an integral component of what the SystemWorks box calls “the complete care package for your Mac”; but if that’s the case, why does Symantec just toss in backup software that looks, feels, and acts completely different from the other stuff. And even more disturbing, why does Norton continually call Retrospect a “valuable bonus program” when this package wouldn’t be complete without it?

We’ll get back to these and other questions in a few moments, but for this part of our show, I’ll just say that Retrospect is a solid backup choice, even if there are more appropriate selections waiting in the wings.

Aladdin Spring Cleaning

Symantec rounds out the SystemWorks bundle with the inclusion of Aladdin Spring Cleaning. Designed to delete or archive every unwanted item lurking on your hard drive (i.e. old applications, duplicate files, orphaned files, web caches and cookies), Spring Cleaning is the descendent of Clean Sweep, a program I once used on my old, hand-me-down Toshiba 386 laptop. (cue flashback swirls and harps)

I had just installed Word (using the gargantuan stack of floppies), and the stupid thing kept bringing the laptop to its knees. After asking around for help (it was the first computer I had used since my old Atari 400 from high school), someone who “really knew his stuff” poked through my hard drive’s contents and then told me to “go get a program to clean all this junk out” before the problem could be solved.

I hopped over to Babbage’s and plopped down forty bucks for CleanSweep. After bringing it home and installing it, I was struck by two inescapable conclusions. First, I was amazed at how many files Windows applications needed, and how they spread themselves through the file structure like dollarweed. Second, I could not believe how useless the program was, because I was afraid to delete anything. Almost every file was put in the orange (iffy) or red (Danger, Will Robinson!) categories. Some of the files clearly belonged to software I actually owned, installed, and regularly used, leaving me wondering just why I had actually wasted good money on such an awful program. When I called another one of my tech friends and told him about the CleanSweep fiasco, he said “That’s just what’s wrong with Windows – you spend more time making things work than getting work done.” So very prophetic.

So here I am, almost ten years later, installing Spring Cleaning on my Mac, not because I want to, but because I have to for this review. Because Spring Cleaning isn’t Symantec’s product, and because it’s designated as “Bonus” software, I won’t give it the same deep treatment as the Norton components, but I will tell you about the benefits I’ve reaped after a few hours of working with Spring Cleaning.

None.

Folks, I really don’t like saying this. If you’ve read my other reviews, you’ve probably already decided that I’m a bit of a creampuff, always giving applications a solid rating, even if I’ve spent half of the text complaining about shortcomings. But Spring Cleaning irritated me, mostly for the following reasons:

1) It’s so, so, so slllloooowwww. The duplicate file scan alone took over 40 minutes on my TiBook (the older, 400mhz one, but still a G4 with a boatload of RAM). This was true of almost every action. If you decided to work your way through the entire list of options, scanning and cleaning as you went, you could easily see an entire day disappear from your life. Some would argue that this is a testament to Spring Cleaning’s power and thoroughness, but there was simply too much evidence to the contrary. Read on, MacDuff!

2) Even after you’ve had a sandwich and read today’s As the Apple Turns, you’re left with files that you simply don’t know what to do with. Spring Cleaning found over eight thousand duplicate files, varying from browser caches to things that appeared to be vital application components. If you’re feeling courageous and decide that you’ll just trust the software and delete them all, this warning box should deter you from your rampage:

Shivver me timbers, that’s spooky! And even when you don’t get such a warning, you should. Some of the “Orphaned Files”located by Spring Cleaning were very clearly elements of installed, currently used programs (like the preferences for Airburst, which I had just played a few days ago). Such files hardly take up considerable drive space, but delete one wrong one and you could be headed for heartbreak hotel. You’re better off letting orphans run all over your drive than getting burned when you execute the wrong one.

3) The interface is poorly organized.

Far too much space is devoted to the table of contents window, and the drop down menu for actions on selected items is poorly placed. Worse yet, the program has a tendency to automatically switch to the next stage of cleaning after an action is performed, leaving you no choice but to backtrack and wait while it searches for files once again.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is not good software, and its potential to cause harm far outweighs its benefits. I’m not sure how I would rate it as a separate program, but I can say that you should not let the inclusion of Spring Cleaning sway your decision to purchase SystemWorks. If you do decide to purchase SystemWorks, my advice is to leave Spring Cleaning untouched. Consider yourself warned.

Conclusions

So where do we stand here? As with any bundle, you’ve gotta do the math.

SystemWorks 3.0 will set you back $129.95. If you own any previous version of an antivirus program or hard disk utility from McAfee, Intego, MicroMat, Alsoft, or even Norton, there’s a fifty dollar rebate that’s basically good for the next year (and unlike some other rebates, I can personally attest to having received an actual Norton rebate, for the correct amount, within the time period specified by Symantec). That gets you down to eighty bucks for four programs (or at least three useful ones), which is a steal if you only need even two of them. Then again, a quick visit to a local independent Mac retailer revealed that Symantec also offers a fifty-dollar rebate for Norton Utilities alone. For those of you who are eligible for the rebate, that means fifty dollars for Norton Utilities, and eighty dollars for all four programs (or in my book, three programs and a little headache called Spring Cleaning). Given 1) the current lack of viruses for the Mac, 2) the relatively decent availability of free or cheap backup programs, and 3) the unbearable lightness of being in my (and most people’s) wallets these days, I doubt I would take the bundle. Fifty bucks still ain’t cheap in my book, but I know I got that much value out of my last Utilities purchase, My verdict: rebate users should take the Utilities alone.

Without the rebate, the plot thickens. Take away Spring Cleaning and you’re left with NAV, Utilities, and Retrospect Express. You could purchase all three separately for about $220, but do you need all three? I already own two different backup programs, and though it’s perfectly good software, I just can’t see spending good money on a Mac antivirus, which leaves you a pretty steep price for one disk utility.

But wait, you say! Norton Utilities costs $99.95 all by itself. That’s just thirty dollars less than the whole magilla. For the extra thirty bucks you at least get to keep NAV for emergencies, and you never know when the others might come in handy.

Now we’re getting somewhere. In the end, if you know you’ll be using even two of the apps immediately and often, go for SystemWorks – it’s a steal. If you can snag the rebate for the bundle, but not for Utilities alone (in other words, you already own an antivirus program, but not a hard drive utility), don’t even hesitate. But if you only really need one item and you’re still considering the SystemWorks bundle, you could also be a candidate for an extended warranty on a toaster from Best Buy.

Or maybe undercoating on that new car.

Product	Norton Sytemworks 3.0
Company	Symantec
MSRP	$129.95 ($50 rebate available for owners of any Mac antivirus or hard drive utility)
Hits	Combined interface for Antivirus/Utilities. Norton elements of package remain among industry best. Includes powerful Dantz backup software as a bonus. Good rebate offer.
Misses	Spring Cleaning best left uninstalled. Antivirus probably not needed for average users. Utilities alone a far better deal for rebate customers.
Rating	(5 possible)
Requirements	SystemWorks for OS 9.x: PowerPC, CD-ROM, 24MB RAM, 10 MB HD, OS 9.2 and up. SystemWorks for OS X: G3/G4, CD-ROM, 128MB RAM, 125MB HD, OS 10.1.5 and higher.

Russ Aaronson

English Teacher, Pompano Beach, FL