From...

April 19, 1999
Web posted at: 3:14 p.m. EDT (1914 GMT)

by Christian McIntosh

LOS ANGELES (IDG) -- Are you squeezing every last drop of performance out of your computer? Network Associates' new PC maintenance portal, McAfee.com, tackles that challenge and throws in a security compliance check for good measure.

Network Associates on Thursday announced new system maintenance features on McAfee.com, expanding its portal service to focus on contextual, intuitive PC optimization.

This service "allows [users] to keep their PC maintained at the optimal level," says Srivats Sampath, McAfee.com's general manager.

Most consumers don't even know what upgrades are available for their particular system, Sampath notes. "McAfee.com provides a very contextual way for people to find out what's out there."

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Newbie and veteran services

McAfee is defining the online PC management market at a time when computer prices are dropping and neophytes are flocking to the Web.

"Since the bar of entry is dropping, more and more less-experienced people are getting online," says Jim Balderston, an analyst with Zona Research. "These users are going to need help dealing with the mundane aspects of PC maintenance.

Mcafee.com will help these (and more experienced users) with automated solutions they can't find in traditional manuals, Balderston says.

The portal's user interface is clean and navigation is inuititive. Its tabular architecture, similar to that used on Amazon.com, makes for easy access. Users park their PCs on the McAfee.com home page, register for a specific service, and McAfee.com's seamless back end goes to work.

McAfee.com offers three services: Oil Change, PC Clinic, and the McAfee Online Store where consumers can shop comparatively for the upgrades that McAfee.com recommends.

The Oil Change service is free to anyone on the Internet. It scans a user's entire system and then recommends system upgrades, references, and software updates. McAfee can even supply some of the recommended patches, add-ins, and help files.

"Oil Change will detect all of the hardware and software on your PC and ... compare it with our database," says Sampath. McAfee's database currently supports more than 3000 software titles and related updates.

Network Associates plans to expand the Oil Change service categories to include support, training, product reviews, and product news, Sampath adds.

Park and clean

PC Clinic is a PC management hub where visitors can clean up their disk drives, remove unwanted files, free up cache, and scan for viruses.

PC Clinic includes the 2000 Toolbox Online, which checks for Y2K compliance; VirusScan Online; QuickClean Online; and First Aid Advisor, which diagnoses and remedies more than 6500 common software problems.

McAfee's PC Clinic includes a sophisticated help desk that gives users step-by-step solutions to their computer problems.

McAfee.com has been up and running with 3.5 million registered users for several months. The next step is to approach major Internet players with partnering proposals. "We anticipate a rash of relationship announcements over the next three months," Sampath says.