Ease of Use:  

This software comes bundled with several other programs, including Norton Disk Doctor, System Doctor, WinDoctor, Optimize Disk, Wipe Info, and Explorer Shell Extensions. And although Norton SystemWorks 2009 is easy to navigate, adjusting to the different additional navigation layouts as you switch from program to program is difficult. There's a lot of features packed into Norton SystemWorks, and though it's effectively organized, it is sometimes difficult to manage.

Ease of Setup:  

The first time we tried installing Norton SystemWorks, we received an error that shut our computer down. Although our second attempt was successful, Norton SystemWorks was not simple to install; requiring us to go through several update checks and to restart our computer at least four times in the process. The installation process, like the navigation, might be overwhelming.

Maintenance/Diagnostics:  

Norton SystemWorks offers many maintenance and diagnostic tools including a Quick Status screen, a process blocker and the ability to clear Internet activities.

This software also has a One-Button Checkup that does a Windows Registry Scan, Program Integrity Scan, Virus Definition and Last Virus Scan Check, Auto-Protect Check, Shortcut Scan and a Norton Cleanup Scan. Once completed, this tool tells you the number of errors found a the location of each problem.

This software also comes with a Startup Manager, a tool that we feel every good PC System Utilities software should include.

New to this version is the ability for Norton SystemWorks to complete a performance test that evaluates your computer and hardware and compares it with other systems.

Repair/Recovery:  

Norton SystemWorks comes with a Secure Delete tool that wipes out any file or folder so completely that the strongest recovery programs cannot restore the data, including the Department of Defense Wipe.

The software also comes with an Unerase Wizard that keeps a record of all deleted files and allows you to restore them at will (not the files you securely delete obviously). Although our test document was restored, we had a difficult time finding it. The system also comes with an individual undo as well as a complete undo tool, which restores changes made while using the software.

The program's registry repair tool, WinDoctor, allows you to choose which areas you want to scan for errors. When finished, it breaks the errors into categories but can't take you to the actual error in the registry.

Optimization:  

Norton SystemWorks includes an additional program to take care of your optimization needs; System Optimizer allows you to personalize hundreds of Windows settings in one convenient place. However, the Norton System Optimizer is difficult to navigate.

The software includes a defrag tool for optimizing your hard drive, but the defrag process does take quite a while to complete.

One nice feature of the software is that it automatically schedules updates and scans to happen when you aren't at your computer. Furthermore, the program is set up so that it won't interupt you in the middle of a game or movie.

Feature Set:  

There are several additional features in Norton SystemWorks, most notably an antivirus program. One of the other additional features is Norton Cleanup, which is used to get rid of internet activity that not only compromises your privacy, but slows down your computer.

Help/Support:  

Norton provides a good set of help and support features with Norton SystemWorks, including a context-based help button (which provides in-context help information), email support, paid priority support and a decent knowledge base online.

Norton SystemWorks 2009 from Symantec is a fair PC System Utilities software with the added bonus of antivirus protection. But for the same price you could purchase both the PC System Utilities software, Advanced System Optimizer, and the antivirus software, BitDefender, giving you two powerful products—both top in their fields—in place of one. Norton SystemWorks works well, but leaves a bit to be desired in PC utilities.

For reviews of additional Norton products, click here.