Posted: 20-Jan-2002
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4 1/2 out of 5 Mice |
Author: MicroMat | Type: FREEWARE |
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Reviewer: Jim Melton | Class: UTILITY |
| Download |
TechTool Lite is a
freeware version of MicroMat's system utility TechTool Pro. This version is a substantial
overhaul of the user interface to make it more consistent with the commercial product.
TechTool Lite provides an easy to use interface to repair or rebuild your desktop
files, to zap PRAM, and to check the integrity of critical system files. It is not
as full-featured as the commercial version (no surprise there), but what it does
do, it does well.
TechTool Lite includes a number of test "panels" that allow you to evaluate
various facets of your system, including: Desktop, PRAM, File Lab, Information, Floppy,
and System Files. The on-line help fully explains the functioning of each panel as
well as why you would want to use it. TechTool Lite's repair functions (desktop rebuild
and PRAM zap) are more complete than Apple's own techniques.
The Desktop panel provides options to save/restore your desktop database (deprecated,
but perhaps useful in a few situations) as well as options to completely rebuild
the desktop and a new feature to analyze/repair the desktop database.
The PRAM panel includes tests to validate the integrity of your PRAM as well as zap
and save/restore options. Additional validity tests are included in the Pro version.
The System Files panel performs validity checking on the System and Finder files
(other files are tested in the Pro version). A failure in this test is a good indication
that a clean install is warranted. Unfortunately, this feature did not work for me
(TechTool Lite reported "System unavailable" and "Finder unavailable").
The File Lab panel provides direct access to all the Finder information. The most
obvious use of this feature is to change the owner (creator) and type of a file,
although all other attributes, including date and time of creation, are editable.
The Information panel is similar to Apple's System Profiler, reporting on the hardware
and software configuration of your Mac.
The Floppy panel provides a simple test interface for those of us with Macs old enough
to have floppies. The best feature of this panel is the cleaning option. Designed
to work with a commercial cleaning kit, TechTool Lite steps the drive head over the
cleaner for even and thorough cleaning.
Often, Macintosh troubleshooting is more a matter of urban legend (did you rebuild
your desktop, zap your PRAM, do a clean install?) rather than an understood process.
TechTool Lite helps demystify some of these elements. It should definitely be a part
of your maintenance toolkit.
Pros:
Cons: Can you downgrade a lite version for lacking features?
Rating: 5 mice
Pros:
Cons:
Can you downgrade a lite version for lacking features?
Rating: 5 mice
Pros
- Comprehensive desktop rebuild
- Comprehensive PRAM zap
- Complete file Finder-info edit
Cons
- Experienced problems with System and Finder validity checking
Overall Rating
4 1/2 out of 5 Mice