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Review of DiskGuard
Table of Contents
- Product Specifications
- System Requirements
- Product Description
- What I Liked about the programs.....
- What I didn't like about the programs.....
- Ratings
- Contact information
- Pricing
- Computer system this software was reviewed
Product Specifications
Platform: Macintosh
Media Format: 3.5 Floppy
Single copy or Network MultiPack
System Requirements:
|
Macintosh |
|---|
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Macintosh with system 6.0.7 or later |
General Product Description
DiskGuard is a disk security program with a few additional features. It provides two levels of security for your hard drive and any removable media such as floppies, Zip, Jaz, etc. Each level has a password. The first level is the master password. This password unlocks everything and gives full access to the computer. The second would be used in a situation where you are not the only user of the computer. The second password's access level is defined through the DiskGuard control panel.
On the second password, called a user password, you can restrict the time of day, day of the week, and which folders the user can have access. It will also offer protection of the System folder, write protection of the hard drive, and whether or not you give permission to allow floppies to be inserted.
One of the other features is a screen lock. This locks the screen after a specified amount of time has passed. To gain access again you have to type in the Master password or the user password (Second password). This feature is designed to work with After Dark if installed. There is also a log feature that logs all the changes made in the DiskGuard control panel.
A few important notes. You must make sure that your hard drive is free of minor defects that may cause a problem when you install this software. This is easily corrected by running Apple's Disk First Aid or any other hard disk repair utility first. Also, you must remove all compression utilities as DiskGuard cannot protect a disk compressed by such utilities. (This general applies to all volume protection programs, not just DiskGuard). Of course, make sure that DiskGuard is the only protection utility running. The last note applies to disk repair programs like Norton's; make sure that you do not try to repair a disk that has the DiskGuard protection installed and active. If you feel that you need to repair a disk for any reason, make sure to remove the copy protection first. If you do not, you may lose the data on the hard drive.
What I Liked about the programs.....
The program is easily installed and configured. After entering the master password, you are instantly protected from prying eyes with the basic settings. I particularly like the option of protecting floppies, Jaz cartridges, Zip cartridges, etc. This is particularly useful these days as many of us do not have a large enough hard drive or we archive important data on such removable media and want to secure it. One feature that is enable on the removable media that I like a lot, considering I'm forgetful, is that if you put this disk into a computer that does not have DiskGuard on it you still have a way to access the data. Each disk protected also has a mini program installed on it. If the disk is inserted into a computer that does not have DiskGuard, the user will only see a document that says "Open Me" and all the other documents will be invisible. If the user opens this document they are informed that the disk is protected and if they wish to access the disk they must install an extension that will enable that Mac to read the volumes protected by DiskGuard (as long as they know the password of course.)
What I didn't like about the programs.....
Other than the possible conflict that may arise if you do not read the READ Me or follow the instructions in the manual, I have found nothing that I didn't like about the program.
If you are looking for a disk locking program for your computer and/or your removable media, then this will meet your needs just fine.
Ratings
(Rated on a scale from 1 Dome to 5 Domes. 5 Domes being excellent and 1 Dome being not worthy)
Value for the Money: (4)
Usability: (4)
Installation Ease (4)
Manual (4)
Contact information
ASD Software, Inc.
4650 Arrow Highway, Suite E-6
Montclair, CA 91763
Tel: (909) 624-2594
Fax: (909) 624-9574
Product Information sales@asdsoft.com
Web Page http://www.asdsoft.com/
Pricing
Suggested retail pricing is $129
Computer system this software was reviewed.
These programs were review on a Powerbook 160 with 8mb or RAM and a 120mb hard drive running System software 7.1.