What is TechTool Pro 2.5?

There is one certainty when it comes to computers: Things will go wrong, no matter how careful you are. Most of the time, simple software problems are to blame. But for more complex problems you have to call in the big guns. Micromat has released the newest version of its own big gun, TechTool Pro 2.5.1, a notable upgrade from previous versions. It is available as a full retail package or as a free downloadable update for owners of version 2.0 or greater. TechTool Pro is a hardware diagnostic utility as well as a full-featured disk repair and optimization tool. In short, it does what Norton Disk Doctor and Speed Disk do, and then some!

TechTool Pro ships on a bootable CD that works on anything from a Macintosh II up to the current crop of Macs and blue-and- white Power Mac G3 towers. This version of TechTool Pro claims full compatibility with Mac OS 8.6 and HFS+ volume formatting.

TechTool installs easily and adds only a few items to your computer: a control panel, an extension, and the application in its own folder. The TechTool Pro application has three interfaces: simple, standard, and expert. It defaults to the simple interface, which gives only one option: examine. Though we appreciate simplicity, it would be nice if the default interface had a little more to it. It seems as if the really good stuff is hidden behind the expert interface — not to mention that the standard interface seems downright unnecessary. The expert interface is where you do all the real diagnostics. We love the never-ending tests you can run. You can check your RAM, mouse, and processor, as well as rebuild the desktop! Checking every nook and cranny of your Macintosh is a geek’s dream.

The most important feature of TechTool Pro is how it handles disk errors. It is able to find and repair many more disk errors than Apple’s free utility Disk First Aid. TechTool Pro also has a tool for optimizing or defragmenting your hard disk. This theoretically allows your computer to run faster and more efficiently since the tool groups all the related files together. The new optimization tool is fast — it optimizes the drive in about half the time it takes Norton Speed Disk.

TechTool Pro’s newest feature, Trash Cache, helps protect your data in case you ever have a disk problem. With Trash Cache you can recover items from the Trash. Need that shareware installer you deleted last week? No problem — you can now get it back. This is no doubt a great new feature, but it is also a potential secu- rity risk. Sometimes trashed files are trashed for a reason. You do have the option of excluding files with certain names or files created by specific applications. In our opinion, this limits the usefulness of the feature. A better solution would have been to simply password-protect the ability to recover trashed files.

TechTool Pro is a world-class utility with lots to offer Mac addicts. It is on par with the venerable Norton Utilities. Norton may offer more options, but TechTool Pro edges it out by being more current and offering users a more direct interface. It’s time to “Think Different” about Mac utility software. If you already own Norton Utilities, there is no need to run out and purchase TechTool Pro, but if you don’t have a utility already, it’s a strong contender. It comes down to one simple fact: TechTool Pro works, it really works.

Zoller, Buz. (November 1999). TechTool Pro 2.5.1. MacAddict. (pg. 80).

Serial Number: 313766014212

See also: TechTool Pro 1.0.x, TechTool Pro 2.1.1, TechTool Pro 3.0.1, TechTool Pro 3.0.6 + 3.0.9 Update, TechTool Pro 4.0.2

Download TechTool Pro 2.5 for Mac

Architecture

68K + PPC (FAT)

System Requirements

From Mac OS 7.0 up to Mac OS 9.2

Compatibility notes

Any 68k or PPC Macintosh:
• Macintosh Plus or above
• System 7.0 or later
• 4 MB of RAM minimum
• Hard disk drive

Emulating this? It could probably run under: SheepShaver