Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Premium Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As a Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign user since the very start Adobe has it easy. They have made the dominant series of software for so long it is a given that they should continue their regime.
The problem is they have gotten insane with power. Without anyone to check them, the price grows along with the absurd use of memory.
Examples:
- Adobe used the worst installation process ever created by man and made a quick joy of using new programs into a day or two slog through hell. If there ever was a reason to pirate software, this punishing of paid users is definitely it.
- You can't throw this application away. You need to find a hidden program in your computer to uninstall it first, then trash.
- If you accidently trash it you need to run a script that they provide. The problem is this script (which isn't exactly simple) could erase you hard drive. Have fun!
- If you decide that you'd just like to reinstall after trashing you can't. You need to use the script. A bit of DRM will not allow this to be installed, thus forcing you to potentially destroy your computer so they can avoid possible piracy.
- Bridge while in concept is nice, is in functionality, less then useless.
- Stock Photos? See above.
- And Acrobat is the crown jewel of uselessness. It is so bloated and unintuitive it makes me wish Adobe had some real competition. When every other program can open a PDF faster then the company who created the file type you know there is an issue here.
- Updates are welcome. Auto-updates are even nicer. That is until you learn the hard way that auto-updates delete preferences and color-palettes. So behind the scenes you are about to lose all of your work randomly. Sweet.
- The improvements to all other applications are fairly minor outside some solid GUI tweaks
My main complaint here is that the much touted connected community of applications still doesn't work. Transferring from one application to another is meant to be seamless and quick, but it is still a chore. These are not streamlined apps nor are they speedy workhorses - they are stuck in between and set to make very few power users happy. Even less for first time folk.
On the plus side, the intel boosts are wonderful. And the rewritten InDesign makes me love that I switched from Quark so long ago. The new Flash is nice, and it integrates the best of all, but Actionscript 3 is a major step backwards in my opnion. It is far too code oriented for designers, and almost useless to coders.
But in total, if you have a version of any of these apps on your computer this simply isn't worth your money or your time.

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VideoStudio Express 2010 Education Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)As of this writing, Corel has just announced the new VideoStudio Pro X3 product. I really like the VideoStudio Pro X2, and qualify for the educational discount, so I was excited to see this here and ordered it. What was sent was the Corel VideoStudio Express 2010 - a totally different (and IMHO inferior) product. I wrote to customer service and they promptly replaced the software. However, once again, I got the wrong software. They really need to change the product listing, because VideoStudio Pro X3 is NOT what you get.

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Digital Orchestrator Review

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(More customer reviews)I am sorry, but I have to differ from the other reviewers on this one. In the mid-eighties, Voyetra made one of the very first midi sequencing programs. It was called "Sequencer Gold", it ran on DOS, and I started off with it. Voyetra was ahead of the pack in those early days.
Since then, Voyetra took over an excellent soundcard manufacturer (Multisound) and changed their product line from pro-audio to consumer-level gaming soundcards. Voyetra also brought out Digital Orchestrator. This program is plain mediocre in my point of view - and not very stable. Furthermore, support is not very good.
I much prefer Cakewalk. With Cakewalk you can "paint" in modulation, velocity changes, etc - a task which will take a long time in Digital Orchestrator. There are of course the big guns as well - programs like Cubase and Logic Audio. Because I am mainly into Digital Audio, these are overkill for me.
If you are on a Windows PC and have medium level needs for MIDI, yet something reasonably sophisticated and with time-saving functions, I recommend you stick with Cakewalk. If you are a technology-challenged beginner with lots of patience and a small budget, then maybe buy Digital Orchestrator.

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Proventure Database Review

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(More customer reviews)I have a small business and wanted a database software program that could help me organize information and keep track of my customers. This software product works great for me and my needs.

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My DataBase is a powerful, yet easy-to-use program that lets you quickly build in-depth databases with your company's most important information. You can easily import data from most software programs. Input directly into MyDataBase's ten (10) pre-installed record templates or customize your own data entry form. The output design window then lets you organize, sort, filter and print your data using over 70 high-impact report styles. You can even output your data as mailing labels, envelopes, Rolodex cards, Day-Timer pages and many other standard and custom formats.

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ACDsee 7.0 Powerpack - Professional Photo Management Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very good software but you need lots of time to get to use it.

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Memeo AutoBackup Review

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(More customer reviews)AutoBackUp Revisited - 19 January 2009
I wrote my original review about two and a half years ago and gave it four stars. The AutoBackUp product I reviewed at that time was version 1.6.xx. The software has since devolved... as opposed to evolved. Beginning with Version 2.0.xx it was completely rewritten and has never worked properly since. It would take excruciatingly long times (DAYS!) to create its initial backup files. Then it would hog CPU time while performing its updates. It also began creating enormous log files that would eventually fill all available hard drive space (gigabytes and gigabytes!).
I rolled back to the original v1.6 for a while but even that began to act erratically after several months of stability. Finally I removed the program from my system. I replaced it with the freeware XXCOPY. I wrote a couple of batch files using XXCOPY to create and maintain backups of my data files. Now when I'm done with a session, I start a batch file for each backup location and my ~25 gig backup files are updated completely in about 1/4 hour. It isn't instantaneous, but it is almost as effective and I haven't had any of the aggravation that I experienced with AutoBackUp.
I no longer recommend AutoBackUp; I give it zero stars and ask that you disregard my earlier review. --------------- Original review ----------------------
I bought AutoBackUp on a whim when I saw it for sale in a retail store with a hefty rebate attached to it. I thought when I was buying it that this was a total backup package, but it's not. The packaging doesn't really claim that it's a total system, but neither does it explicitly say that it isn't. That aside, this seems to be extremely good at doing what it was designed to do: back up your DATA files.
First, some things this software does NOT do:
1) Does not back up operating system files.
2) Does not back up installed program files.
3) Does not back up Windows Registry.
4) Does not compress backed up data.
5) Does not currently support backup to CD or DVD.
So you still need a utility like Norton Ghost in the event of a catastrophic system failure.
What good is it, then? Plenty good:
1) It creates and maintains backups of any DATA files you select. Selection can be made by folder, file type, or a few other criteria. For instance, you can tellit to back up JPEG files and it will search your drives to find all .jpg files and back them up.
2) It can simultaneously create many backups at various locations on your computer, or even at an internet site. You can have a backup on a separate partition, a separate internal hard drive, an external drive, etc. or send it to an offsite storage location via the internet.
3) Once the backup files are created, AutoBackUp maintains them in close to real time. For example if you created a backup file for photos from your digital camera then every time you download new pics to your master file, AutoBackUp automatically copies the new pics to the backup location(s) as well!
4) If your backup is to a device that is unavailable - say a USB drive - then AutoBackUp keeps a list of updates to the backup file and makes the modifications as soon as the device is available.
5) It maintains several layers of backed up files. If you make changes to a Word document and save it periodically, it gets backed up every time you save it. There is a user control that lets you select how many copies of a changed file to keep.
6) There is very little impact on system speed. When you perform an operation on a file that is being monitored for backup, the program saves to backup as soon as it detects low CPU usage. This usually occurs within a few seconds of your saving the changes at the master file level. If you are running CPU intensive tasks, however, AutoBackUp will wait until CPU activity has slowed down before performing backup operations.
7) Restores can be made from an entire backup file or from selected elements of the file.
8) Backup files can be encrypted and password protected.
9) It lets you know it is working. When sending files to backup, a small pop-up window is generated to let you know what operation is taking place. The pop-up goes away when the operation is complete. An operation log is also maintained for each backup file on the system. I found the pop-up window useful for the first day or so, but when I was confident the program was working it became annoying, so I disabled it.
Installation only took a couple of minutes. Set-up and execution for initial backups of about 5.5GB to two internal hard drive locations took about two hours with the backup creations running simultaneously. Updates to the backups are continuously monitored by the program and changes are almost instantaneous.
Two final notes: First, the software requires a unique activation code for each computer installation. Mine came with three codes, allowing use on three computers. Second, AutoBackUp is only compatible with Windows 2000 or XP.
If you want to investigate a little further on your own, a visit to the manufacturer's website should be helpful. Navigate to the support section for the FAQ and forum.
To sum things up, this truly is "set it, forget it" software. Once it's installed and functioning, you'll never have to worry about maintaining data backups. This software takes care of it automatically. Highly recommended.

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Macromedia Flash MX 2004 Review

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(More customer reviews)- FEATURES - I like it! From the beginning, gave me a screen on what I would like to make and had a simple template for everything. Movie sizes were smaller and liked how I can preview movies in another tab.
- COMPATIBILITY (HEADACHE)- If you want to use their latest components or library, be prepared for users to install Flash Player 7.0+. This part is giving me a headache since my users are very novice with these things.
- UNSTABLE - This has to be the biggest flaw of this software. Now I'm use to saving after every change because of how unstable it is. I get the annoying "Windows cannot recover Flash MX 2004" and it crashes out.
- OVERALL - NICE, if it worked the way it's suppose to be. I would NOT recommend it to other buyers. Develope in Flash MX until Flash Player 7.0 has gone around the world. Remember to save frequently. I wish I can get my money back =(.

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Macromedia Flash MX 2004 is the industry standard tool for creating effective rich content across desktops and devices. Designers and developers use Macromedia Flash MX 2004 to accelerate projects while maintaining a high degree of creative control. Jumpstart projects with Templates and Components, and take advantage of the vast Macromedia online Resource Library. Speed workflow by directly importing media including digital video, PDF and EPS files. Add interactivity with powerful scripting. Enhance content with custom effects from third-party extensions. Deliver consistently to over 97% of Internet users worldwide across all major platforms and on popular devices with Macromedia Flash Player.

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SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional Review

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(More customer reviews)Once again SuSE delivers yet another product that I have looked forward to receiving and with little to no dissapointment. Personally I don't care for the YaST (which is YaST2) for the command line version, but overall very satisfied with this product. The thing I like best about SuSE is that it has the ability to hold your hand if you are on new ground and stays out of your way if you know what you are doing.
SuSE continues to be one of my favorite distro's that sticks to what sold me on it the first time I gave SuSE a go.
If you are teetering on the edge of whether or not to buy this you really should try it. SuSE provides enough add-on value that I doubt you will be unhappy with your purchase. Run it lean and mean or slow and bloated, you do have a choice, you do have control.

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SuSE Linux 8.0 Professional is designed for easy implementation of servers, network solutions, security concepts, cross-platform data exchange, and multimedia systems. Many of these solutions are even preconfigured. SuSE 8.0's seven-CD-ROM package is an encyclopedic collection of some of the best solutions on Linux, giving system administrators a full tool chest. The YaST2 installer has been revised and enhanced with newly developed modules, and features improved and automated hardware detection.
With SuSE Linux you can read the data of all Windows systems. On Windows 95, 98, 98 SE, and Me, Linux can even write data, so the Windows partition can be used to store data you process in Linux. Whether you want to process image, text, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint files, the applications in Linux can read many formats of the Windows world. And with StarOffice 5.2 you can do more than word processing, spreadsheets, and presentations. It also provides a mail client, an HTML editor, a database, a scheduler, a drawing program, an image-processing application, and several other practical utilities.
SuSE Linux 8.0 is the first version to offer the KDE 3.0 desktop environment, which makes working, playing, and surfing even easier for newcomers and equips professionals with complex, adaptable tools. KDE 3.0 boasts a host of innovative features that help save time and money. Use smart menus, the extensive help functions, and the individual customization functionality. Configure your desktop according to your needs. Set up your own menus, the menu bar, background, and screen fonts.

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Smart Steps 3rd Grade Review

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(More customer reviews)This software looks promising. I will have to update this review once the software gets used more. My 8 yr old daughter is more interested in playing some other learning software we have at the moment, so this just received a quick glance-over.
I just wanted to let those of you who are browsing for educational software know what is included on this disc. It says that it's for children ages 8-9. It covers Math, English and Science, with "other" 3rd grade essentials. It states that it is the 2007 edition and it's for Windows 98/ME/2000/XP/Vista. I hope this helps!

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Punch Professional Home Design Review

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(More customer reviews)I dont usually WRITE reviews, but I do find them VERY helpful when deciding to buy a product so Im trying to return the favor.
It was with some hesitation that I bought the above software- reading many positive and equally negative views for the various packages. I went with "professional" so that I could change elevations for uneven lots- very useful feature.
what I was looking for in software was something that i could easily draw my own plans for a home, add textures, furniture and be able to easily view it in 3-D to asssess for room space, design etc. I didnt expect the software to be able to generate professional, usuable plans to construct a home for (not my goal). This software does a GREAT job with my objective, and its rather easy to use.
Ive constructed a 3 level complicated outer wall home(not a simple box) without much difficulty
(Ive spent 3-4 hours, all 3 levels are essentially done, just adding a few more windows, furniture etc)...(not in the computer field, reasonably computer savy)
I must admit, when I first sat down, I wasnt impressed with the program....so I opened the manual- pleasant suprise! After I began to build the home, using the steps in the manual (very clear) it was easily accomplished.( I was afraid i would have to build a simple home to get used to the features , but it wasnt necessary)
Some VERY nice features:
1) Live view in a window- 3-D as you build it - it shows up view.
2) Importing scanned plans- that you can resize and draw on- VERY nice feature
3) walk through in 3-D- after I figured out to drag around the small arrow on the 2-D blueprint and watch the 3-d window- realized how nice this program is. you can get a really good feel for how big the home is/ rooms are- how open etc.
PROBLEMS:
I was unhappy with the textures- there was "bleeding through" of the exterior textures into the interior and vice-versa- went to the user support groups off punch website and found out the the software works better when you turn your pc graphics accelerator down(or off in my case)(renders 3-D in software- not hardware) - now the textures look really nice. they turn off while im moving through the house- and draw back on once I stop.
UNKNOWNS:
havnt used the estimator, deck builder or done much landscaping(added a few trees) so cant comment much about these- again...not my main focus for the software
BOTTOM LINE:
I think this is an INVALUABLE tool if youre planning on building a home - If you want to be able to walk through a home in 3-D, design it easily and not spend alot of time this works VERY well.
got a manufactures rebate on the box and purchased it for a very reasonable price at Bestbuy.
I would buy this again without hesitation.

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Professional Home Design offers 12 programs on one easy-to-use interface to help you design all of the critical components of your home, including foundations, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, custom windows, custom roofs, and much more. This package includes 3D Home Exterior & Interior Design, 3D Landscape, and Ultimate Deck, plus a 3-D scale model creator and an autoframing feature with a cost estimator.
Use the 3D Home Exterior & Interior Design program to view your home in thousands of subtle paint color choices, or design walk-out basements and split-level designs with the slope tool. The ClearView tool renders your design with a glass-house effect, giving you a wire-frame perspective of your topography without your landscape plantings. A user-definable database helps you find the right plantings for your planting zone based on your search criteria. More than 2,000 selections of flowers, shrubs, trees, ornamental grasses, ground cover, and more are featured. As you design, the Landscape Estimator compiles planting information, producing a report in an editable, printable, exportable spreadsheet format.
Design the perfect deck for your home plan with Ultimate Deck. Multilevel or multistory decks with 3-D photorealistic textures, stairs, railings, object placement, and color capabilities give you the ability to design exactly the deck you want. Deck Wizards walk you through railings, baluster options, and more. And make sure everything is planned to perfection with tools for foundation, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing planners.

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Punch Architectural Series 5000 V12 Review

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(More customer reviews)The main difference between AS 5000 and its predecessor AS 4000 is the incorporation of 3D Custom Workshop Pro, which is a restricted/modified version of Punch's basic ViaCAD 2D/3D application. Overall, this is a positive change as Custom Workshop Pro allows importing designs from other software into Punch's 3D Object Library, including those that are widely available as Google Sketchup files. However, the implementation of Custom Workshop Pro is flawed. The program is unstable and crashes even with some of Punch's own objects and does not render imported object textures properly.
Otherwise, AS 5000 offers little additional features and remains problematic and seriously flawed, especially when designing any even slightly non-traditional constructions. Despite the wide array of poorly documented features and peculiar behaviors, you will be forced into making design compromises, even if you critically comb through all available instruction materials such as printed manuals, the program's electronic help and tutorial videos, and internet resources including the heavily advertised Punch University online video courses. I cannot recommend this software to any user. Entry level users are better served using any of the widely available cheap, low-end products to decide if house design/CAD is for them or not. Once you have made the decision to proceed with your own design and creation (and I would bet any money that this would only be the case for a small minority), Punch AS 5000 will quickly show its limitations to you, especially when any non-conventional designs are concerned. If you are planning a conventional design, then why purchase a high-end architectural CAD product in the first place?
Having used the features of Punch AS 5000 extensively for real projects, and now comparing it to the trial version of Chief Architect X1, I came to the conclusion that the higher priced Chief Architect X1 is well worth every penny that you would spend on it (not to mention the available support options), provided you are REALLY SERIOUS AND COMMITTED about using it. I am in no way affiliated with Chief Architect and I really wish their product was more affordable, and did not have a USB locking device, etc. However, even if your time would be worth minimum wage, Chief Architect would be worth its high price economically. Remember that no software will allow you to develop new ideas, or implement them with a few mouse clicks. In my case, I was able implement my plan using Chief Architect literally in a matter of hours, which was a task that had proven itself impossible while using Punch AS 5000 for several weeks.
Designing a house plan is a long and arduous process, requiring far more time, patience, and perseverance than you would expect, as well as innumerable visits to libraries and other sources for reference. As always, the Devil is in the details, and this is precisely where AS 5000 falls short. The user will be forced to compromise for example on floor plan/wall layout in order to create a desired roof. These compromises not only cost you time and force you to troubleshoot after minor adjustments, but they also make the difference between a spectacular versus mediocre-at-best end-result.
Unless you are a qualified professional, you will also need to have your plans reviewed, approved and signed off by a qualified professional. In this context, I have not come across any professionals who either use or recommend using Punch's line of house design products for obvious reasons. They all use products of AutoCAD's and Chief Architect's caliber and reputation. And speaking of low-end products, why use Punch's if they all culminate in AS 5000, when Chief Architect also provides low-end, affordable consumer products that would offer a more convenient transition to Chief Architect?
The bottom line is that Punch has put out the same interface and underlying design year-after-year. The limitations of the program's current implementation undermine the user's creativity and impair the overall work flow. The incorporation of additional features and wizards do not save the flawed overall program design, even if any of the included wizards/components/features would shine individually. Punch should finally start listening to its more knowledgeable consumers and should also try to offer its services to professionals whose feedback could in turn improve its overall product line. I would have considered a higher rating as appropriate if the program was being sold as something for entertainment rather than for such a serious undertaking as designing a house. Support options are inadequate. For example, you cannot expect any support if you happen to use even a high-end laptop PC. The questions on their user forums are of the variety of "how do I register my program" or "how do I return my software" and there is an inadequate number of entries that offer any complicated help or advice.


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Punch! Architectural Series 5000 provides you with out matched performance and realism for all your Home, Landscape, and Design needs.Commanding power, versatility and our trademark LogiCursor technology, a patent pending technology, that predicts your next move and thinks as you draw, makes this new software solution, a must have, for anyone thinking about building a home, remodeling a home, refreshing a bathroom, redesigning a kitchen, and even your landscaping! These features along with exceptional Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools and several various 3D capabilities make this a comprehensive all inclusive software package that can save you time and money that might otherwise be paid to architects and design professionals.Take the guess work out of leaving your design ideas to others, show your style and save time and money! You can even print blue prints or make a model with our patented Real Model 3D Modeling tool! Think you can't start fast enough? Our Quick-start tools get your started fast, with integrated videos and players let you watch or repeat Tool Tips whenever you like!

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GTR 2: Game of The Year Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Simply the best simulation race game in existance today by far. You will need a machine with a good video card and atleast 2 mg. of memory in order to realize all of the visual dynamics of the game. A very large and well organized software community exists online to support this software allowing for extensive enhancements to the original software - more tracks and cars. If you want a serious race simulation software package that visually renders what it is like to drive and race a sports car look no further than GTR2.

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Magix Music Studio 12 Deluxe Review

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(More customer reviews)I was very excited to receive this program had used a later version of it. My laptop is about three months old and the software wasn't able to load. It said something about not having administrative rights as if the software had been used before. The I realized that I didn't have to put a product key in when I initially loaded it. Hmmmm...I am going to say this product was used even though I thought I was buying it new.

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Quickbooks Premier 3 User Industry Edition 2008 Review

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(More customer reviews)I have been using Intuit products since Quicken first came out for my business. They are a great low end accounting product. Very user friendly and they are able to manage larger companies all the time.
Support with Intuit has always been expensive and now is NOT domestic. With the purchase of the 2008 Quickbooks you get free 30 day support for your start-up. What needs to be made clear is, this means "Web Call Back Service". In other words, you go on the web, submit your question and return phone number, and they are supposed to call you back within 30 minutes. I say supposed because they took 1-1/2 hour to call me back the first time from India. This can be very maddening when you are in the middle of an install, especially in a multi-user environment like I have.
All in all though, still a very good accounting product that I would recommend to anyone doing 5m or less in volume for their business.
Remember to google "Quickbooks Coupons" prior to buying. I saved $350 from list price by doing that and buying here at Amazon.

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QuickBooks:Premier 3-User Edition 2008 offers industry-specific and business planning tools tailored to your business type.Along with saving you time on routine accounting tasks Premier makes it simple to monitor business performance build forecasts and manage payables and receivables.Premier also includes tools for tracking inventory creating purchase orders and setting pricing levels.System Requirements:Recommended System ConfigurationQuickBooks Pro/Premier on XP At least 1.8GHz processor 2.0GHz recommended At least 256MB (512MB recommended) of RAM for a single user At least 512MB of RAM for multiple concurrent users 1 GB of disk space (additional space required for data files)QuickBooks Pro/Premier on Vista At least 2.0GHz processor At least 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended) 1 GB of disk space (additional space required for data files)Format: WIN XPVISTA Genre:BUSINESS / FINANCE UPC:028287017665 Manufacturer No:404586

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Symantec AntiVirus 2004 Professional Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I've been using Norton Antivirus for several years. It's been pretty solid, maybe a bit slow. I thought an upgrade to the latest version would be routine. How wrong I was! The product activation has a bug on Windows XP Professional that makes it "forget" that it's been activated. And after you activate a few times, it locks out your product key leaving your computer completely unprotected. The Symantec knowledge base acknowledges the problem but cheerfully tells you they don't know how to fix it. Testing? What testing? I think it's time to get my money back and buy a product that actually works.

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Corel WordPerfect Office 12 Standard Review

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(More customer reviews)Having now had WordPerfect 12 installed for some time, I can say that Corel has done well in their target area of improving compatibility with MS Office. There really isn't much else new about this version, but improving WP's ability to co-exist with MS Office may be what is needed to keep this once-great suite going.
Why consider WP12 if you're looking for an alternative to MS Office? Put simply, StarOffice/OpenOffice just isn't ready yet. Every part of the WordPerfect suite is more polished, more powerful and more flexible than the equivalent component in SO/OOo. Of course WP12 has Reveal Codes, which neither SO/OOo nor MS Office has, but even in features that they have in common, like Publish-to-PDF, WP's version is more professional than the SO/OOo equivalent.
QuattroPro sometimes gets a bad rap, but it is a very powerful spreadsheet, with its own Pivot Tables (the equivalent of Excel's CrossTabs), and it offers 1 million rows and 18,000 columns, far more than ANY of its competitors.
Paradox is the sort of database app that makes its MS Office "equivalent" look like a child's toy, if you are prepared for the steeper learning curve.
Of course the heart of the suite is the incomparable WordPerfect itself, and version 12 is not an embarrassment to its predecessors. Even though the only major improvements have been to compatibility with MS Office (significantly better in WP, QP and Presentations), there have been some other useful bug fixes and refinements.
The really exciting thing about this release is the evidence that Corel (now owned by Vector, and in a much healthier financial situation than it has been for years) has renewed its commitment to the suite, and is being realistic about what is needed to protect WP's niche in the market. Planning for version 13 is apparently already under way, as is a trial of a version for Linux, so WordPerfect is definitely here to stay for the foreseeable future.
Having used both OpenOffice and StarOffice for over a year now, I can honestly say that, if you are looking for an enterprise-quality, professional business suite alternative to MS Office, WP12 is a much better choice. The quality difference is especially noticeable in the respective spreadsheet applications, with QuattroPro being several orders of magnitude more powerful and useful than Calc.
In summary, if, for any reason, you want an alternative to MS Office, WP12 is it. Sure, it's not free, but the competitive pricing structure for upgrades make it a very economical choice, and the quality of the product is such that the cost is money VERY well spent. WORDPERFECT LIVES!

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System Care Professional Review

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(More customer reviews)This is the same program as System Suite 7. Same VCOM programs, VCOM support and utilities. Same add-ons. Same everything except this has more features that the "new" version eliminated - probably to market separately! It just doesn't look as "cool" in the simple blue box under the Vanquest label. If in doubt, just compare the two. Just wanted to let all know that, because this program can be found in electronics stores at a highly discounted price since the packaging and title was changed by Avanquest. I bought this program for fifteen on clearance at Staples. A couple of differences... This version gives you 5 licenses, not 3 that the new marketing line (System Suite 7) offers in the fancy red box. This one also offers a Home Network Setup in which you can network all your home computers to monitor them and the peripherals, such as printers, cameras, etc.
BY THE WAY, A COMMENT FROM ANOTHER OVER AT MY REVIEW OF SYSTEM SUITE 7 MADE ME LOOK AT VISTA COMPATABILITY OF THIS PROGRAM.
IT IS COMPATIBLE, BUT REQUIRES A FREE SOFTWARE UPGRADE. INFO IN OBTAINING THE FREE DOWNLOAD WAS FOUND IN THE BOX I PURCHASED (DOWNLOAD AT THE AVANQUEST WEBSITE).
Now, onto the Review...
I have never been more pleased with a Systems Program, as this one. I was ready to upgrade and if by dumb luck, I hadn't had both in my hand in the store, I never would have noticed that this and SS7 were the same. I bought this one because of the significant price difference and every once in awhile you get lucky.
Installation was a breeze. I removed any conflicting programs, like my other anti-virus (a-vast! is a free program and a very good one that I knew I could download again if I wasn't happy with this one) and my old utilities program before loading this one. It has been running smoothly ever since.
This thing rocks. The Firewall notifies you when another site is attempting to communicate (usually by your action in trying to connect) and if you recognize it, click "yes" and "never ask again" to avoid being bothered in the future about that particular site. (Be careful clicking "No" and "Never ask again," as it may be safe and seeing it again is a chore to correct.) You can also monitor your Firewall to see outgoing data, incoming data, and intrusion attempts. You can also generate emails to yourself to inform you of intrusion attempts, by using notification settings in the program.
The registry cleaner (it also has a registry defragger) found about 50 additional dead registry addresses I removed. The spyware program found a dozen that my Ad-aware program missed.
Automatic updates notify you when new downloads are available for additional virus protection and upgrades.
The Control Panel is easy to navigate and understand. Setting your preferences and choices of items to fix, optimize, change, or whatever needs to be done are simple for anyone intelligent enough to use a computer.
The Hard drive failure warning is a nice feature that supposedly tells you if your hard drive is about to crap out, or on its' last legs. Don't know if it really works, but hoping I won't ever need it to. Though, wish I had it 2 months ago!
Hardware Diagnostics is something everyone should have and this one performs. Again, the ability to run this on a schedule you set up is quite handy. Memory (RAM Sticks) diagnostics can take over an hour or 2 to run, depending on how much you have. Scheduling it while you sleep is great. Wake up and have your results. Of course, you can also run diagnostics of your Motherboard and other items at the same time.
Optimizing my entire system has shaved another 12 seconds off my boot time - and that is after having used my previous program to do the same thing, before installing this one!
Disaster recovery should be a must for everyone. One of the first things I did was make Recovery discs using this program. It comes with a bootable Rescue disc, but I wanted recovery discs on 3.5" Floppys. If you have a major crash, you're screwed if you think your ROM Drive is going to work. Always have a Floppy Drive available! (Probably the only thing it is good for these days).
Auto-save. Nice! My last program didn't do it automatically. Before I knew it, I had a ton of stuff that I had to back-up. No more worries now. It saves everything without me having to do it manually. For those of you without a second hard drive, have one installed as a slave or buy an external... save yourself the heartache in the event of a major meltdown. It happens to the best of us.
Yes, many features but, more importantly, an easy user interface that everyone should be able to master in short time.
For those with horror stories about this program, it is most likely:
A) Used on a system that did not meet minimum requirements.
B) Used on an O.S. that was incompatible.
C) Failure to remove conflicting programs or close all Windows programs that were running before installing.
D) A pirated disc bought off eBay or some other auction site.
I recommend this highly. Nothing better - and that includes comparing it to the over-hyped "Fix-it Utilities 7" that has numerous bugs. Every PC should have something other than what M$oft offers in their O.S. and this is it!


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