Should you want to remove Iolo System Mechanic 7 Professional, there is no uninstall icon. You'd think you were entering the access code for Fort Knox. That's a lot of numbers to key in, and if you make a mistake it's hard to find which character is out of place or entered wrong. Even with a disc from Iolo, we were asked to enter a long license number, then enter an even longer registration number. The setup for System Mechanic 7 Professional on our Windows XP machine was unnecessarily challenging. You can download a full-function 30-day trial from CNET. System Mechanic 7 Professional runs on Windows 98 through Vista. At this writing we're still awaiting the latest release of Norton SystemWorks (which, we're told, will be redesigned and fully compatible with Windows Vista) stay tuned. For those interested in upgrading, we suggest you keep System Mechanic 6 Professional a while longer.

We prefer the older versions of System Mechanic, which focused on system utilities and clearly spelled out what it was doing and why System Mechanic 7 Professional too often feels like a hot-shot garage mechanic that recommends an oil change even though your car has barely driven 3,000 miles. System Mechanic 7 Professional has instead moved closer to Symantec Norton SystemWorks, loading itself up with extras you might not use while urging you to accept its findings without providing context or sometimes even a choice.

Part of System Mechanic Professional's allure was its position as the anti-Norton SystemWorks utility suite, providing useful system tools without all the extra baggage of a Symantec product. Also, Iolo has changed its core system utility tools, and not for the better. But Iolo has decided to play up the security suite features in System Mechanic 7 Professional, stating on the box 'Full service for your PC plus Internet Security' even though it lacks the antispam and antiphishing protection typically found in traditional Internet Security suites and new all-in-one security suites, such as Norton 360. Included within this latest release are other standalone Iolo products-including Search and Recover 4, Iolo Antivirus, Iolo Spython (AntiSpyware), Iolo Firewall, and Iolo DriveScrubber 3-which should, on the face of it, make this a great bargain at only $70. With its latest release, Iolo System Mechanic 7 Professional has lost its focus as one of the premier system utility suites on the market.

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