Dec 1995 Reviews

by: James E. Powell, Northwest Bureau Editor

Windows 95 packs a whole lot of functionality, but most PC users can never get enough. So we searched for utilities designed specifically for the new operating system. We wanted to find programs that would make computing in this new environment easier, safer or faster. A utility's features should enhance or complement what Windows 95 offers.

Price was not a consideration, as it is in some of our Product Comparisons. Instead, we looked for the products we could suggest for your wish list for many holidays to come.

We reviewed some of these products--including Norton Navigator and Norton Utilities--in previous issues in their beta form.

Sure, toolbars are a great improvement, but constant movement from your current cursor position up to the toolbar and then back to your document wastes time. That's just one of the inefficiencies ClickFlick solves. With a quick click of the mouse and a keyboard key (Shift, Ctrl or Alt), ClickFlick presents your application commands in any size grid with additional commands that can fly out from the side of the grid when you click on a command button. ClickFlick comes with predefined button grids, called PopBoxes, for the common word processing and spreadsheet applications. It's also very easy to create your own.

You can create additional PopBoxes to pop up when you're positioned over the Desktop so you can jump between documents or applications. Do you miss the Windows Recorder as much as I do? Sure, it wasn't great, but you could use it for entering blocks of standard text in applications that don't provide abbreviation expansion. In Windows 95, ClickFlick fills that void nicely.

ClickFlick is a convenient utility. Jump between documents by specifying key text the program should look for in the title bar. If the application isn't already open, ClickFlick opens it. If the application is open, ClickFlick is smart enough to switch to it without opening another instance of the application.

Furthermore, you can build a Favorite Folders list and then use ClickFlick from within the File Open dialog box (common to most Windows 95 applications) to cycle through this shortened folder list. That eliminates the drudgery of drive and directory lists.

The savings over moving up to the toolbar or wending your way through multiple menu layers, including the Start button, may sound trivial until you experiment with ClickFlick. The savings in mouse movement, mouse clicks and keystrokes add up. Because PopBoxes come and go quickly, they occupy no screen real estate.

ClickFlick affords virtually unlimited customization, from drawing your own icons to creating them by capturing them from your screen. You can even give folders nicknames so that if the folder changes you need change only the nickname, not all references within the PopBox definitions--a great savings for network administrators.

If your needs include a BASIC programming language for doing If/Then or looping logic, try the ClickFlick Professional Edition, which also includes PopBoxes for CorelDraw, PageMaker, FrameMaker and Photoshop.

--Info File--
ClickFlick 1.5
Price: $49.95 (street); Professional Edition, $79.95 (street).
In Brief: ClickFlick gives you virtually unlimited ways to customize your Windows 95 desktop.
Disk Space: 3.2MB
System Resources: Less than 1%
RAM: 1MB
MiraTech
800-330-9816, 415-842-7133

What made Dashboard such an indispensable tool in Windows 3.x shines through in its Windows 95 incarnation: multiple virtual screens (similar to those offered in Norton Navigator), a calendar with alarms (which can also trigger system tasks such as backups), printer control (you can drag a file to the icon to print it), shortcut buttons to applications and program groups galore, and a memory monitor. Oh, yes, and several small casino games to occupy your hands while you wrestle with some conceptual problem.

Dashboard 95 enhancements include a more complete Resources panel that monitors CPU activity and threads. The tabbed Quick Launch groups, which can float or be docked, let you customize shortcuts to your favorite applications. The Tools Panel provides access to new Windows 95 tools, such as Explorer, Network Neighborhood, Printer Setup and the File Find utility.

Dashboard adds a miniature version of the Windows 95 taskbar at the bottom of its toolbar. In fact, except to shut down your system, there's no longer a reason to use the taskbar. You can choose how many of these tools are displayed and in what order, and Dashboard can be docked to any side of your screen to suit your personal preference.

Instead of adding utilities to your system, Dashboard makes what's already available more easily accessible. For example, you can use Dashboard Run to jump to a dialog box that provides a DOS command line. In the same dialog box, a small window shows your results. No more will you waste time searching for the MS-DOS icon you'd have to find in Windows 3.1.

Remarkably, the program has somehow managed to maintain its "slimware" concept, since it ships on only one diskette. With so many productivity gains crammed on one diskette, Dashboard is a winner all the way.

--Info File--
Dashboard 95
Price: $49.95 (street)
In Brief: New system monitors, new launch buttons and more mean you don't need the taskbar now--except to shut down the computer.
Disk Space: 2.8MB
System Resources: 7%
RAM: 4MB
Starfish Software
800-765-7839, 408-439-0942

Many people hated Winfile, but if you're like me, after working with Explorer, you long for a file manager that looks and acts like the old Windows 3.x File Manager but with additional functionality. Well, you need search only as far as Drag and File to get your wish.

It can perform all the standard file-management tasks--copy, move, rename and so forth--using drag-and-drop. You can open up to 10 Drag and File windows, tile or cascade them, and then drag files from multiple windows into a destination. Spot duplicate files with a simple on/off toggle switch.

Drag and File looks like a mix of File Manager and Explorer. Files are listed in the right panel and directories on the left. Also on the left are several virtual panels, such as Control Panel, Recycle Bin and Network Neighborhood, which provide a unified approach to resource management.

As if long filenames weren't enough, Drag and File lets you add 256-character file descriptions, which are compatible with 4DOS and NDOS, should you have to trade files with users of those DOS extenders. A useful command line helps you execute those old, familiar commands that are sometimes easier simply to type, when trying to find them with a mouse or executing a keyboard equivalent was too time-consuming.

With a configurable toolbar, tabbed dialog boxes and the ability to associate several programs with one file extension, Drag and File has plenty of power. A floating Drivebar contains icons for each drive you specify, can float over any application and puts file-management tools at your fingertips.

--Info File--
Drag and File 95/NT
Price: $35
In Brief: Although this program looks like a mix of File Manager and Explorer, it does so much more than either of them.
Disk Space: 1.3MB
System Resources: 2%
RAM: 4MB
Canyon Software
800-280-3691, 415-453-9779

HiJaak was one of my favorite utilities under Windows 3.x. I never knew a TIFF file had so many variations until one application I was using couldn't handle it. As it turned out, a TIFF isn't just a TIFF. HiJaak converted the TIFF flavor I was using into a file format my application could easily handle. HiJaak also came with some thumbnail and organizational tools, but I rarely used these; it was graphics compatibility I was worried about.

HiJaak 95 is even more useful. For example, you can have Explorer remove those boring file icons from its display and replace each with a thumbnail of the file it represents. This takes some time when you open a folder for the first time, but after that HiJaak caches the images, so the delay is minimal. Rather than dragging a boring file icon into an OLE 2 application, you can now drag a thumbnail to insert an image. Either way works, of course, but HiJaak's thumbnails make the whole process more intuitive. HiJaak also integrates its features into right mouse menu options of the common File Open dialog box, My Computer or Network Neighborhood windows.

The program lets you view, organize, convert and print graphics, capture screens or output from your printer, and locate images by user-defined keywords or file size and date. It also searches for text you've assigned to the graphics information database it builds or within a vectorgraphic file itself. You can enhance images by adjusting the contrast and brightness, and rotating an image. Convert images to gray or black and white.

When it comes to conversion, HiJaak 95 supports 75 distinct formats (and dozens of variations thereof), including the new Windows 95 .EMF format. Like Windows MetaFile .WMF files, .EMF is used as an intermediate format to move data between applications.

If you work with graphics files, HiJaak is a must-have utility.

--Info File--
HiJaak 95
Price: $49 (street)
In Brief: Without a doubt, HiJaak is a must-have utility if you work with graphics files.
Disk Space: 11MB
System Resources: 5%
RAM: 4MB
Inset Systems
800-374-6738, 203-740-2400

Microsoft's Plus package offers a mixed bag of functionality. You could argue that most of this functionality should have been included with the Windows 95 package, but Microsoft wants to extract another $50 from you. Go figure.

Plus has desktop "themes" that include color schemes, background bitmaps and animated cursors--most of which are completely forgettable, downright ugly or likely to drown out your desktop's icons.

The System Agent, which runs in the background and performs maintenance tasks (low disk space monitoring, disk defragmentation and so on) at intervals you specify, is more useful. DriveSpace 3, an enhanced version of disk compression, ekes out more storage space for you and supports compressed drives up to 2GB, passing the previous 512MB limit. Compression Agent will run on such compressed drives and compact them in the background.

To cruise the Internet, there's Internet Tools, which provides support for mail, ftp, gopher and, of course, a Web browser. Netscape, the leading Web browser tool, has nothing to worry about.

If you need to dial into your computer from another location, you can use the Dial-Up Networking Server feature of Plus, but security is iffy at best. Also, Plus has little printed documentation to explain how or when to use this feature.

A dynamite 3-D pinball game--which, oddly, is not mentioned on the box and is given only two lines in the documentation--is not sufficient reason to buy Plus.

--Info File--
Microsoft Plus
Price: $54.95 (street)
In Brief: Some argue that this Microsoft goodie pack should have been in Windows 95 itself.
Disk Space: 25MB
System Resources: Varies by module
RAM: 8MB
Microsoft Corp.
800-426-9400, 206-882-8080

Much like McAfee's VirusScan, Norton AntiVirus specifically protects Windows 95 files. In fact, most of the features are the same as those in McAfee's program: It can scan your system when you boot, you can right-click in Explorer to check a file or launch a scan, and the company offers subscriptions for updates (on CompuServe, the Internet, America Online or its own bulletin board) so you'll always be protected against the latest viruses.

The difference comes in the user interface. Whereas McAfee sticks to the bare-bones basics, Norton offers tabbed dialog boxes and a more pleasing set of screens for setting parameters.

In addition, Norton AntiVirus allows you to create a Rescue Disk, so that if the virus causes great damage you can return to the way your system was before the illness started. The Rescue Disk repairs and restores key files and your CMOS, and is bootable so you can get into a "clean" environment before virus disinfection starts.

The AntiVirus Scheduler is particularly easy to set up and use, which is a key to getting the greatest benefit from an antivirus program--it's easy to install but regular use is what offers the greatest protection in the long run.

Feature-wise, Norton beats out McAfee because of its scheduler, which makes it easy to run the program on a regular basis. And Norton says it can catch about 1,000 more viruses than McAfee. Both do the job well, but Norton does it a little better.

--Info File--
Norton AntiVirus for Windows 95
Price: $79 (street); upgrade, $29 (street)
In Brief: This program combines virus checking with the best user interface to come along in a while.
Disk Space: 6MB
System Resources: 4%
RAM: 4MB
Symantec Corp.
800-441-7234, 503-334-6054

Call it PC Tools for Windows 95. File Management is at Norton Navigator's core. Using an index-based search engine that's faster than Windows 95's Find option, Norton FastFind provides searching by name, date, size, attributes and text. Norton Navigator offers a handy compression and decompression utility that handles .ARC, .LHZ and .ZIP files, built-in Internet ftp mapping and file transfer so you can copy files to and from Internet ftp sites. It also includes UUencode and UUdecode for translating Internet files.

Many of the tools are available from the Windows 95 Explorer, Taskbar, Start menu or My Computer, as well as many application's File Open or File Save dialog boxes. For example, if you right-click on a file in Explorer, you'll see options to run Norton Zip and Encrypt. A cascading menu added to Explorer also lets you navigate through folders quickly. And Norton adds cascading menus to the Settings and Run choices on your Start menu. Use them to access several Control Panel options and your most recently used programs launched with the "Run" command. If you need to clean up your hard disk, Norton File Archive Wizard steps you through a search for old files and can move, archive or delete them.

Sixteen-bit applications that use the common File Open and File Save dialog boxes can also use Long File Names. Both 16- and 32-bit applications can take advantage of FileAssist, which adds a file and folder history list to the File Open and File Save dialog boxes. You can compare and/or synchronize directories, which is perfect for comparing diskettes with files on your hard drive. Other utilities include changing associations between file extensions and applications, comparing files and copying diskettes.

If you've set up your desktop using PC Tools for Windows or Norton Desktop, you can import them into Norton Navigator. I particularly relied on PC Tools for my multidesktop environment, switching among applications that were appropriate for different projects. Word processing tasks were on one desktop, while file- management, backup and online-communications applications were kept in another. You can switch between them with a simple mouse-click in a small box in the taskbar. Common items, such as My Computer and Network Neighborhood, are automatically added to all new desktops.

SmartFolders can list files or folders using your own specifications, so you can create a SmartFolder to show only the .BMP and .DOC files in a directory (folder). Whenever you open the SmartFolder, those are the only files that you see. The contents are automatically updated and kept in sync, so when you add a new file, its icon appears.

--Info File--
Norton Navigator for Windows 95
Price: $99 (street); upgrade, $39 (street)
In Brief: It has just about every file-management goodie on your wish list.
Disk Space: 6MB
System Resources: Varies by module
RAM: 4MB
Symantec Corp.
800-441-7234, 503-334-6054

The name Norton is synonymous with helpful utilities, and Norton Utilities for Windows 95 is no exception. It offers continuous, automatic system protection. System Doctor constantly monitors system resources and data integrity. When it finds a potential problem, it alerts you, takes corrective action (such as defragging your hard disk) and lets you launch the proper utility. System Doctor also allows you to set thresholds for action (such as when disk fragmentation hits a particular percent of your hard disk), and it supports compressed drives.

You may want to pick up Norton Utilities before you load Windows 95. Its preinstallation tune-up features, including a Space Wizard that frees up disk space in temporary files or directories, are most helpful. The UnErase Wizard protects against accidentally erasing files. You can create a bootable emergency diskette, too.

When you want to snoop around your system, the new System Information utility provides benchmark information and a detailed memory map. It can make over 80 different measurements, such as CPU utilization and network throughput.

The integration of utilities is the principal feature that separates Norton from its competitors. For example, if Speed Disk finds a file error while it is defragging your hard disk, it launches Disk Doctor to fix it right then and there.

--Info File--
Norton Utilities for Windows 95
Price: $119 (street); upgrade, $59 (street)
In Brief: The seamless integration of these utilities sets this package off from its competitors.
Disk Space: 13MB
System Resources: Varies by module
RAM: 4MB
Symantec Corp.
800-441-7234, 503-334-6054

Your 16-bit virus protection programs won't necessarily catch all the 32-bit viruses that are bound to crop up. While Windows 95 has some built-in virus protection (a subject for an entire column in itself), there are some low-cost ways to ensure that you're not bitten.

With simple installation, VirusScan is available by right-clicking in the Explorer for scanning at any time, and you can scan for viruses when you boot up. VirusScan looks for all types of viruses, from boot sector viruses to the tricky polymorphic variety. VirusScan does more than just look for viruses, however. It will log them, delete them and clean your affected system areas (such as your boot sector).

VirusScan is remarkably fast, given everything it has to look for, and there are plenty of options to limit where VirusScan does its checking. The program offers the minimum when it comes to progress indicators. Its user interface suffers for its sparseness compared with that of Norton AntiVirus, but that's okay. The company offers a maintenance subscription for a mere $60 for two years' worth of updates, so new virus descriptions will be added to the scanning engine.

--Info File--
VirusScan for Windows 95
Price: $45 (street)
In Brief: This program is an everyman's virus checker and eliminator that takes the minimalist approach to user interface.
Disk Space: 1.5MB
System Resources: 2%
RAM: 4MB
McAfee Associates
408-988-3832, fax 408-970-9727

If you spend a lot of time downloading files from online services, you know how much you need an unzipping utility. WinZip is a good one. Once it's installed, you need only double-click on any archived file in Explorer, drag and drop a file onto the WinZip icon, or use the standard Open option when selecting a file and using the right mouse button. WinZip opens a list of the files within the compressed file, including their date and time, size and compression ratio, as well as the number of compressed bytes. When you drag a noncompressed file to WinZip, the program can easily add it to the archive it has listed.

Naturally, you can extract files from within a Zip file. If it's an executable file, it will be launched. Otherwise, Windows 95 opens the file with the application noted in the Registry.

Printed documentation is not included, but the program is so simple to install and operate that the online help should suffice.

--Info File--
WinZip 6.0
Price: $29
In Brief: File compression and decompression are fully integrated into Explorer and the Windows 95 desktop.
Disk Space: 0.73MB
System Resources: 2%
RAM: 4MB
Nico Mak Computing
800-242-4775, 713-524-6394 (order from Public Software Library)

These products may be available as you read this.

Arcada Backup Most Windows 3.x applications run fine under Windows 95, but that isn't always the case with backup software. Windows 95 device drivers for tape units have changed. You must consider the long filenames. Also, some Windows 3.x backup software will not properly back up the Registry database, so a full recovery isn't possible.

Arcada Backup solves these problems, providing support for floppy disk drives, IDE, parallel and SCSI tape devices. It uses a wizard to step you through setting up a backup or restore. It will detect and configure Plug-and-Play-compatible devices, and run unattended using a scheduler. $99. Arcada Software, 800-3ARCADA, 407-333-7500.

CleanSweep 95 Applications are supposed to use the Registry so you can use the Add/Remove icon in Control Panel to eliminate unneeded applications. Guess what? You'll still need an application to do the cleanup for you. Quarterdeck's CleanSweep application does just that. Besides deleting applications, CleanSweep can archive them, back them up (to a PKzip-compatible file), or move them. $29.95. Quarterdeck Corp., 310-392-9851, fax 310-309-4217.

CyberManager 95 CyberManager helps corral multimedia files. From a central screen you can manage, view, play and launch more than 23 different formats of image, sound and video files (including full-screen), with support for QuickTime, .AVI, Targa, .GIF, .WAV, JPEG and MPEG files. The tabbed screen gives you detailed information about a file, displays AutoPLAY settings, lets you search for files on any or all drives, or converts files in batch mode. $69.95. Cyber Interactive, 800-NWCYBER, 206-869-1414.

First Aid 95 CyberMedia's First Aid 95, with its AutoFix technology, helps you fix Windows 95 problems. It explains confusing Windows error messages and fixes a host of driver-related problems.
First Aid can handle many situations including configuration information that is missing or in the wrong place, missing DLLs or conflicts from non-Plug-and-Play peripherals. The program will intercept crashes from Windows 3.1 applications running under Windows 95, diagnose problems with modems and online access to popular services, and fix problems with the Registry. $49.95. CyberMedia, 800-PC-1ST-AID, 310-843-0800.

Infinite Disk 3.0 With Infinite Disk running, you can quickly unload files to diskettes. Infinite Disk notes in its own database which diskette you used. The file remains in file lists, such as Explorer's, but with a size of zero bytes. To retrieve the file, open the zero-length file. ID pops up to instruct you which diskette you should insert, then loads the file.
The Windows 95 versions support long filenames. The Advanced version adds the ability to compress and archive seldom-used files automatically based on your specifications, and supports more storage devices, such as optical or removable cartridges, removable hard drives and network servers. The Professional version adds support for tape storage devices and automated hard-drive backup. Home, $39; Advanced, $69; Professional, $129. Chili Pepper Software, 800-395-1812, 770-682-7004.

Quick View Plus While Quick View in Windows 95 lets you view forgotten documents before you send them to the Recycle Bin, Quick View Plus includes more than 170 additional file viewers. QVP also lets you copy and print these documents with full formatting, and supports better control of typefaces and sizes, line spacing, and embedded graphics. QVP also lets you print all or part of a file, view multiple files and view ZIP files. Formerly called Outside In, Quick View Plus works within any application. $49.
Inso Corp., 800-333-1395, 312-329-0700.

Remotely Possible/32 Remotely Possible/32 may be the next best thing to being there. The remote-control program comes with scripting for automated tasks and automatic reconnect (including file-transfer restart) should your connection be interrupted. You can transfer files or entire directories using drag-and-drop.
Remotely Possible works over NetBIOS, IPX, NetBEUI, TCP/IP (WinSock), PPP, SLIP and asynchronous connections. With multitasking support you can have multiple host sessions (where you control the other PC) or viewer sessions (where you just watch), built-in chat and 32-bit color support. Two-PC license, $169. Avalan Technology, 800-441-2281, 508-429-6482.

TabWorks 2.0 Think of TabWorks as a replacement for your desktop that uses a notebook metaphor, complete with colored tabs for separating your work. At the screen's left are application quick-launch buttons and the tool area, which includes your printer or disk drives. At the center are the notebook pages, complete with an index on the last tab, in which you place files or programs. TabWorks will even ask you if you want to place an item on a page if the file's extension is found in the Windows 95 Registry.
You can use a "holding area" at the bottom of the screen when you want to drag an object between pages. You can also password-protect sensitive documents and customize the look of the notebook in many different ways. $49. The XSoft Division of Xerox Corp., 800-909-4446, 510-412-1426.

Turbo Browser for windows 95 I've always liked this browser for its file-management, searching and organizational features, and its thankfully low learning curve. The Windows 95 version supports fuzzy search of all drives in My Computer or Network Neighborhood. As you'd expect, the browser will support long filenames and shortcuts. $89.95. Pacific Gold Coast Corp., 800-732-3002, 516-759-3011.

Wintune 95 Once you have Windows 95 up and running, how do you know that it's operating at its best? You don't--unless you run Wintune 95. This update to WINDOWS Magazine's test and tune-up kit for Windows is specifically designed to analyze and optimize Win95's operation.
Wintune 95 examines your system's performance by testing the CPU, video, disk and memory components. It analyzes the results and lets you know how to get the best out of your system. Wintune 95 can also detect common Windows 95 configuration problems and give you specific instructions for fixing them. Wintune 95 offers an extensive database of systems that you can compare to your own.
Freeware. WINDOWS Magazine. Available from online forums (AOL, Keyword: Winmag; CompuServe, GO: WINMAG; http: //techweb.cmp.com/win/current/).