subject: Norton Utilities Review: Worth the Download? [print this page] Norton Utilities Review: Worth the Download?
Norton is such a well recognized name when it comes to computer care that numerous users buy their products without looking at alternatives. There is a very great reason why Norton Utilities have remained so popular. But is Norton Utilities truly the best option for those looking to maintain their computers in tip-top shape?
Norton Utilities - The Good:
For anyone needing an all-in-one program for computer maintenance, Norton Utilities offers every thing you could ever want. Registry cleaner, startup program and services management, registry and disk defragmenter, and system monitor all come included in this product. And true to their Norton brand name, these utilities all feature some of the easiest to use interfaces accessible. This combination often is much more than sufficient to sell individuals on the idea that they ought to purchase the Norton Utilities product.
Norton Utilities - The Bad:
Of course, there's a downside to everything and this Norton product is no exception. Maybe the biggest downside to utilizing popular brand name products is their tendency to take the easiest path when programming. For instance, with each new release of the Windows operating system, new functions are added. This has the advantage of allowing programs to perform complicated tasks effortlessly. On the downside, however, it means that programs designed for one version of Windows will not necessarily run on a previous version. Smaller developers and open source developments frequently use only core functions, allowing programs to run on multiple versions of Windows.
For anyone using a Windows operating system that came out prior to Windows XP, Norton Utilities will not work. Another downside is that the product requires that you've an Internet connection in order to use it. Other than that, the requirements for running this program are nothing that modern computers can't deal with, requiring merely a 300 MHz processor and 256 MB of RAM.
Norton Utilities - The Ugly:
If the bad points to this product had been the only thing it suffered from, it would still be a great product. Unfortunately, you will find some points which are just so wrong that they should be called "ugly".
The biggest of these ugly points is that most of the utilities provided in this product, from service and startup program management, disk defragmenting, and system monitoring, are all supplied by default by the Windows operating system. This redundancy seems like Norton just required an excuse to charge so a lot for this product.
Another ugly part is that the system monitoring tools are usually activated by default. These monitoring tools, although they can add to security, can slow down a computer tremendously.
Norton Utilities - Recommended Yes or No? NO
There is just too many negatives about Norton Utilites to recommend it to anyone. However, we do recommend trying out Top Registry Cleaner for 2010: Registry Booster you can get a Free Trial Download or Registry Booster Here
