Checkit. (utility software) (evaluation)
by Richard Leinecker

Six months' work on COMPUTE's BenchMark Program for our hardware test lab section made me a veteran of hardware diagnostics and benchmark tests. When I got CheckIt, I was prepared to be highly critical of anythign that fell short of my expectations. Thankfully, CheckIT fell easily into the category of well done. This software should be in the library of anybody who needs quick, accurate, and comprehensive system information for IBM PCs and compatibles.

In maintaining collections of diverse hardware in company systems, correct identification of components is very imporants. CheckIt does this well and displays or prints easy-to-understand reports. But don't worry if you're new to computers. Getting the information is as easy as running the program and using the pull-down menus to view the system information.

Effortlessly getting system information doesn't mean techies won't find CheckIt useful. On the contrary--practically every nook and cranny of a system is explored when you ask for all tests to be performed. Hard and floppy drive performance, serial and prallel ports, memory, video, and mice are just a few examples of what you can test. A list of device drivers, interrupts, and IRQs will help you track down those notorious TSR conflicts.

CheckIt will give you the edge you need to keep equipment humming. It wil identify most of the problems you run into, and by knowing what's wrong (or getting ready to go wrong), you can take evasive action before your system gives you real trouble. I can't recommend this program strongly enough. Long after I'm done with COMPUTE's BenchMark Program, CheckIt will be beside it on my shelf.