by Steve Bennett
Fix-It Utilities 3.0
Rating 90
Ever notice that Windows doesn’t age well? The more you run your computer, the more Windows seems to bog down and become prone to crashing. Third-party products can keep systems running smoothly.
A relative newcomer to the Windows resuscitator genre, Fix-It Utilities, represents a solid collection of repair and optimization tools. Now in its third release, Fix-It Utilities sports a number of enhancements and improvements that make it even more useful than its predecessors.
Chief on the list of new features is JETDefrag. As the name suggests it is a high-speed defragmenter that rearranges data on your hard disk according to your usage, which results in faster access.
Easy Recovery Professional Lite is a software tool that can recover files even if your system won’t boot. This version recovers up to 50 files at a time.
new to this version of Fix-It Utilities, SMARTDefender provides early warning for SMART-enabled hard disks (which are becoming commonplace), and provides an option for saving data before disaster strikes.
Other welcomed improvements, though not earth-shaking, diagnostic tests for DVD drives and USB ports, a bootable CD-ROM, and the inclusion of PowerDesk 4 Pro, an indispensable replacement for Windows Explorer.
Fix-It is a solid choice with an excellent, integrated interface. Besides, PowerDesk 4.0 Pro is almost worth the price of admission.
OnTrack Data International, Inc
$50 (competitive upgrade, $20)
800-872-2599
www.ontrack.com
Pros: Solid collection of integrated utilities; intuitive; clean interface; good value; inclusion of PowerDesk 4.0 Pro
Cons: No compelling “home runs” warrant switching from competing products