Fix It Before It Breaks

Computerworld - Considering the number of things that can go wrong with Windows, ranging from the blue screen of death, registry errors, corrupted Virtual Device Drivers (VXD) and applications that overwrite one another's Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL), it makes sense to anticipate problems rather than just react to them.
Iolo Technologies LLC's System Mechanic 3.2, Ontrack Data International Inc.'s SystemSuite 3.0 and Symantec Corp.'s Norton SystemWorks 2001 help you do that. Each vendor offers a suite of tools to predict, prevent and fix myriad minor hardware, configuration and software problems.
While none of these suites can replace a skilled diagnosis or is suitable for troubleshooting network emergencies such as failed routers, they are a good first line of defense. And, since they don't require that you open the machine, they're convenient and quick.
Prevention Before Cure
My vote for the most versatile collection of routine preventive maintenance tools and enterprise-friendly licensing goes to Pasadena, Calif.-based Iolo's System Mechanic.
Among its 15 utilities, one of my favorites is its Windows customization tool - sort of like the Tweak UI desktop customization utility on amphetamines - that lets you fine-tune the settings affecting appearance, security and performance. For example, it lets you control what applications and routines Windows runs when it starts, which has become harder than it used to be.
I also like Iolo's Internet Optimizer, which accelerates Internet communications by fine-tuning registry settings. I saw a 20% increase in data exchange rates after using the Internet Optimizer.
Iolo's $300 Mobile Toolkit will especially appeal to IT administrators who maintain a large number of machines. Mobile Toolkit is a CD that can run (but doesn't install itself) on an unlimited number of machines. Changes made to a machine are permanent, unless they're modified by running the Mobile Toolkit again.
On the other hand, as good as System Mechanic is for preventive maintenance, it lacks utilities for even rudimentary crisis management. Symantec's SystemWorks and Ontrack's SystemSuite are the clear choices when you need to recover accidentally deleted files or unformat a hard drive or when you require advanced data recovery. For the latter, Minneapolis-based Ontrack includes EasyRecovery Lite with its suite. Symantec in Cupertino, Calif., offers a similar service through a third-party provider, PromiseMark Inc. in Fairfax, Va.
Both products also offer a broader range of utilities than System Mechanic, including antivirus protection and installation monitors, which can remove all traces of installed and downloaded programs.
Performance enhancers include program accelerators that arrange a program's DLL modules on the hard drive by order of