WinDelete: Recover Lost PC Performance Safely and Easily with IMSI's New WinDelete 5 Uninstaller - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, Nov 23, 1998

IMSI, a leading developer and publisher of business productivity software, Tuesday announced the release of WinDelete 5, the company's next- generation Windows uninstaller designed to remove unnecessary hard-drive clutter safely, easily, and quickly.

"IMSI's research department conducted an extensive survey of customers who use our entire line of WinDelete products including WinDelete 97 and WinDelete Deluxe," said Zeev Shpringer, general manager for IMSI's utilities applications division. "They told us that safety, ease-of-use, and speed are the most important features of an outstanding uninstaller program. Those features are the building blocks of WinDelete 5."

Safety First New safety features built into WinDelete 5 include:

* A function that hides critical operating system files, making them invisible to the user;

* Colored icons to identify sensitive files;

* Undo features that quickly reverse deletions and restore files to their original location;

* A safety net that allows users to identify and protect specific personal files;

* InnocuLAN's Anti-Virus protection;

"You would be surprised how much faster and efficient a computer can run once unnecessary cache, backup, and temporary files are eliminated," Shpringer said. "WinDelete 5 accesses the hard to reach areas of a PC's hard drive and thoroughly cleans up the clutter."

Ease-of-Use WinDelete 5 has incorporated a variety of features that have made it user-friendly -- even for the novice user.

* A customizable CleanUp Wizard(tm) easily guides users through basic hard drive cleanup steps by allowing them to check-off tasks to be completed.

* A one-button schedulable auto-clean allows users to run a set of predefined tasks that quickly and safely clean at the touch of a button.

* A step-by-step assistant helps users through the steps of a manual in-depth cleaning.

* A dual interface button offering basic and advanced paths that let users specify their level of computing knowledge.

"Basically, WinDelete 5 holds your hand," Shpringer said. "Handholding is a pretty important quality in an uninstaller. If it's easy to use, you are much less likely to make mistakes."

Speed With its improved WinDelete Agent, WinDelete 97 (the release prior to WinDelete 5) won a performance test designed to gauge the speed with which major uninstallers scanned a hard drive before and after a application installation. According to the March 28, 1998 test by PC Magazine, WinDelete 97 took less than one second -- making it the undisputed winner in this challenge. WinDelete 5 utilizes the same speedy WinDelete Agent.

Internet Management Technology WinDelete 5's Internet Manager monitors an Internet browser's cache, emptying accumulated and unnecessary files including Active X, and Java Plug-Ins. With Online Internet Help, WinDelete 5 connects users to an Internet knowledge base providing them with instant answers to their questions. Updates to WinDelete 5 can be delivered and automatically installed over the Internet. WinDelete searches for multiple Internet caches for thorough hard-drive cleaning.

Shpringer notes that a customer using an earlier version of WinDelete illustrated clearly to his team why improved safety features in WinDelete 5 were needed. While cleaning the hard drive on her husband's computer, the customer inadvertently deleted his doctoral thesis -- which he had been laboring on for several years. In a panic, she called IMSI's Technical Support Team. After nearly two hours, the technician was able to talk her through the process of retrieving the important file.

"This is why we have taken the time and made the effort to create safety nets that in essence 'protect the user from themselves,' Shpringer said. "The average user does not have the expertise to identify the content within a particular file. Although no uninstaller program is a fool-proof system, WinDelete 5 certainly has addressed the most common safety issues that can cause problems."

Price and System Requirements WinDelete 5 will be available in mid-November, in retail stores nationwide that sell computer software, for an estimated street price of $29.95 after a $10 mail-in rebate. The system requires Windows 95 or 98; 486 or better; 16 MB RAM; 15 MB hard disk space; and a CD-ROM drive. For Windows NT 4.0 users, a 486 or better system; 32 MB of RAM; 15 MB of hard disk space; and a CD-ROM drive.

Founded in 1982, IMSI (International Microcomputer Software, Inc.) is a provider of computer-aided design, business productivity, utility, and visual content software. Headquartered in Novato, IMSI has offices in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Australia, South Africa, Sweden, Brazil, and Japan. The company produces and sells its software in 13 languages and in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information, please contact IMSI public relations at 415/878-4000, or visit www.imsisoft.com.