Well, I got the download completed and ran the analyzer. I have already run an NSTL product (freebie) and a Survive 2000 product (freebie) which were in agreement regarding my real time clock, BIOS and chip set only.
Download and installation were easy. The file is a ZIP file, easy to unzip and execute. The install process went smoothly, with no apparent errors. The look and feel of the product is acceptable for a demo version. The product appears to be simple to use for people who are somewhat technically proficient. No help file was provided with the demo version or if one was included it did not unzip properly for me. I'll research further to see which is true. The software database (10,000+ entries?) is not included in the demo version, so I have only an inkling of what may be included in the real McCoy.
RESULTS:
S2000 said that my BIOS was fine (as did NSTL) but my real time clock and chip set were not. Analyzer said my BIOS failed, my chip set failed, but my real time clock is okay. Since all products were demos or freebies, I'm not really sure if Analyzer is correct or if S2000 is correct on the discrepancies. More research is needed on my part to ascertain which is true.
Analyzer also identified certain MicroSoft products (all part of WIN95 or Office) that were non-compliant. To the extent that the demo would run, it was correct. Don't go overboard on that statement. The modules identified by Analyzer have been clearly known to techies (I am a techie) for a long time now. But the product did know what I have, what I'm running and reported it as such. So the product did run. It didn't just present a long list of known possible problems.
OPINIONS:
This product, marketed properly, will probably garner an unknown percentage of the home PC users looking for a fix to their PC Y2K problems. Links to the MicroSoft web pages (or any web page for that matter) are not provided with the demo version, but may be included in the final product. If the links are not included, then the product is not capable of competing with similar solutions already on the net.
The price of $39.95 is low enough to attract some interest. As a general rule, I don't give out my credit card number on the net, and as many users feel like I do, the company would be wise to market a CD-ROM version of the product (which will increase marketing and production expenses) through retail outlets.
The internet site or press release said something like 10,000+ software references are contained in the software database. Since we are currently at 6/98 and 1/1/2000 is 19 months away, it is reasonable to assume that the company may well increase the software database to higher numbers and many more vendors. No mention is made anywhere on how the company intends to provide support for early purchasers of the product so that early purchasers gain access to any database updates. Until that issue is resolved, procrastination on purchasing would seem to be a good course of action.
All in all I was mildly impressed by the product. To be very honest I expected something really simplistic and cheap (sort of like Made in Japan used to mean). I would be interested in what other testers found on their machines and their opinions of the product.
KJC |
