The Vista version lacks many of the features of the XP suite, while slowing down the PC noticeably in usage

When Symantecs Norton Ghost 2002 was released last year, it offered few improvements, with support for Windows XP the only significant addition. Not so with Drive Image 2002.

Legend QDI

Released already in the U.S. and due out here shortly, PowerQuest has announced Version 7 of its Drive Image software. Some significant changes have been made with the latest version including plenty of sensible features for offsite data storage and time and space saving.

Like its direct competitor Ulead DVD MovieFactory, Pinnacle Express can be used to create VideoCD and SVCD discs as well as DVD titles. Unlike Ulead's program, however, it supports slide shows as well as video...

By sticking with the same intuitive management console, the latest version of Computer Associates' (CA) antivirus software remains notably easy to use, and has increased its coverage by adding new virus-scanning capabilities for PDAs, plug-ins for a variety of gateways, and protection options for Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes/Domino. You also get remote browser access and the option to designate secondary signature servers, which clients will use if the primary distribution server fails.

This new version of PartitionMagic sees the main interface with XP styling, but at the top of the new features list is the File Browser, which allows you to view the contents of hidden and visible partitions and rename, delete or copy files.

This new version of PartitionMagic sees the main interface with XP styling, but at the top of the new features list is the File Browser, which allows you to view the contents of hidden and visible partitions and rename, delete or copy files.

A bargain route to getting HD DVD playback for your PC or Xbox, but there are limitations.

You still get a lot for your money, but HD optical burning only extends to data discs

A three-PC licence as standard, superb silent interface and effective security utilities make Norton 360 a tempting buy.

Once you have bought your digital camera it is easy to spend several hundred more dollars on photo editing software, but unless you are going to use a lot of time creating digital master pieces there are better ways of spending your money.

With the prevalence of Net connections and all the good things a connected society brings such as community, the ability to share ideas and the openness of information, comes the flipside of digital life -- hackers, spyware, viruses and spam.

Spam! spam! spam! spam! . . . if it had not been for Monty Python nobody would ever have thought there was anything funny about it. With almost 50 percent of the world’s email now junk mail, offering everything from unwanted penis extensions to stockmarket tips, spam has become as big a problem as viruses.

Macromedia Contribute (March 2003, page 57) caused considerable excitement with its ability to keep site content up-to-date, under control and within budget.

The only problem with email is that it is difficult to sort through them or track down any important attachments. Creo believes it has the solution in Six Degrees which can track down attachments and emails quickly by building relationships.

Encarta Premium Suite claims a base of 130,000+ articles, along with 25,300+ photos and illustrations and 1.8 million map locations. That's more than a bit of bedtime reading, although of course there are really only two reasons why people buy digital encyclopedias these days -- either they've got kids to educate, or they're after some verifiable and quotable facts for a research project. For almost anyone else, of course, there's Google.

Red Hat's latest offering is a finely tuned offensive into the lucrative corporate desktop market. With the Linux steamroller on a collision course for Redmond the last year has seen a number of major wins for the open source upstart with corporations such as IBM and governments that include Germany, France, China, Japan, Russia and Britain either already making the switch or considering it. And not just for servers, but on workstations too.

Released already in the U.S. and due out here shortly, PowerQuest has announced Version 7 of its Drive Image software.

Windows virtualisation that really works: it isn’t without foibles, but it’s a great way of running Windows from OS X.