We were a bit timid when it came to using the SystemSuite for a couple of reasons. First, they had just been sold to Kroll Software and we were very concerned about the availability of updates (especially virus definitions) and the support that we might need. Second, we have been quite happy with another competitors software and were concerned that SystemSuite would not protect us against the many viruses floating around the net.

We crossed our fingers (which made typing a bit difficult) and uninstalled the program we already had and installed SystemSuite without any problems.

The screen gave us the options to use the components and we were off to the races. We registered the program using www.ontrack.com as the initial address and we were promptly sent to the proper page which informed us of the sale to Kroll. Registration was simple and we were offered the chance to run the update. This was a massive operation of several hundred megs and a dial-up connection would have been frustrating but our DSL paid for itself!

We had used the competitors program to clean, defrag, optimize, and check the disk prior to the installation of SystemSuite and the new program ran a bit slower than the original but also did not find any errors and seemed to do a complete review of the hard drive and the registry files.

We had a floppy with a known virus on it and this was promptly identified by the included virus detection program. SystemSuite seemed faster in checking the hard drive by about five minutes so that is a nice plus.

We tried the firewall installation and it was quite simple, even easier than Black Ice which has the reputation of being easy to use. We then went to the net and found several sites that offered to test the system to see if the computer had any ports detectable which would allow access to our machine. The results made us happy since the firewall gave us the protection we hoped for.

We had the options to install only the components we wished to use in case we already had programs similar to SystemSuite but experience taught us that you should only have one virus detection program installed at one time as each program will think the other is a virus and a massive conflict could occur.

This suite seems to be a very effective collection of programs that can help keep your computer alive and well. The rescue disk you make when you first install the program furnishes a safety net just in case something goes wrong.

The program can be purchased from www.v-com.com or by calling 800-648-8266 for a retail price of $59.95.  However, you may be able to get it at a much lower price as CompUSA had it as a loss-leader a few weeks ago that reduced the price to zero with various rebates. 

Interesting and effective as it is, please be advised that the new owners are promising to keep the support available including the virus definitions so this program might be worth obtaining and installing and using. No rant here but the only thing more worthless than not having an anti-virus program is having an outdated one that lulls you into a false sense of security.