Monthly Archives: October 1999
AMI – AMIDIAG 6.0
There are plenty of Windows-based systems diagnostics tools available, but for really thorough hardware burn-in and evaluation, something more low-level is required. AMI, previously best-known for BIOSes and motherboards, has recently released version 6.0 of its diagnostics package, called AMIDIAG. This is intended for system builders and power users who need accurate, low-level system information….
PowerQuest – SecondChance
If there’s one thing that Windows doesn’t manage particularly well, it’s uninstallation. Or de-installation. Or application removal, or whatever you prefer to call it; getting rid of programs that have outlived their usefulness. Using the built-in Windows installation tracker can sometimes result in ‘droppings’ being left behind, whether they’re configuration files, data files or perhaps…
Panasonic – SD120S 2X SuperDisk drive
The 120MB SuperDisk high-capacity floppy disk standard looks like it might become the de facto successor to the ubiquitous 3.5-inch 1.44MB floppy drive, with which it retains backwards compatibility. We’ve had a play with one of the new double-speed drives from Panasonic, available as the SD120S retail internal drive upgrade kit. SuperDisk, or LS120 drives…
Mindscape – Prince of Persia 3D
There’s a clever bloke by the name of Jordan Mechner who created one of the most ground-breaking computer games of its time, just over a decade ago. Called Prince of Persia, it stunned players and press alike because of the supremely fluid and realistic movement of its main character, the Prince of the title. He…
Psion – Revo
As far as pocket-sized computing goes, for something a step up from a cheap databank your choice has always been limited to 3Com’s ubiquitous Palm Pilot family and the keyboard-less Palm-style Windows CE imitators. Now Psion is having another stab at the market with its curvaceous new Revo. It’s not as small as a Palm…
Ontrack/Mijenix – ZipMagic 2000
Compressing large files into small spaces has always been a popular pastime for the PC user, whether because of limited drive capacity or to reduce phone bills during modem file transfer. In the early days the compression tools were rather arcane, often requiring complex command-line options. Things progressed in leaps and bounds when Windows 95…
Speakers with sub-woofers group test
Whether you’re blasting away in Quake III or listening to your favourite CD, adding a third, sub-woofer, speaker to your PC sound system makes a big difference to the richness of the audio experience. Here we evaluate two entry-level three-speaker amplified offerings from highly respected names in the PC audio business – Labtec and Altec…