 How can I make a bootable TechTool Pro 3 CD?
- If necessary, update TechTool Pro 3 that is installed on your hard drive to the latest version of the program. You must have launched the program at least once to enter the serial number. Updates are available from the Downloads section on our website.
- Create an empty folder named whatever you wish on your desktop. You might want to name it "TechTool Pro 3.x.x" for ease of recognition.
- Using a Mac OS installation CD that you know will boot the computer, drag the System Folder from the CD and drop it into the new folder on the desktop.
- Find your TechTool Pro 3 folder and drag it into the new folder as well. There should now be two folders in the new folder on the desktop: System Folder and TechTool Pro 3. NOTE: The TechTool Pro 3 folder must be named exactly "TechTool Pro 3".
- Inside your System Folder in your hard drive you will find the Preferences folder. Inside that folder is the TechTool Pro Prefs folder. Drag this folder, "TechTool Pro Prefs", into the TechTool Pro 3 folder located inside the new folder on your desktop. NOTE: This folder must also be named exactly "TechTool Pro Prefs".
- What you should now have in the new folder on your desktop is:
- System Folder.
- TechTool Pro 3 folder with the "TechTool Pro Prefs" folder inside.
As long as you have all these pieces in the new folder exactly as described above, you should be able to create a bootable CD containing the contents of this folder using your third party CD burning application. Keep in mind that Apple's free Disk Burner software cannot create a bootable CD.
Please refer to your CD burning application manuals for instructions on how to create the bootable CD if necessary.
NOTE: Micromat will not be able to provide technical assistance beyond this point. If you have problems creating a bootable CD you will need to contact the makers of your CD burning software.
How do I run TechTool Pro 3 from a different volume (Zip, Jaz, or other hard drive)?
- Using the TechTool Pro Installer on your TechTool Pro CD, install TechTool Pro 3 on your hard drive and then run it in order to enter your serial number information. Updates are available from the Downloads section on our website.
- Copy the entire TechTool Pro 3 program folder from the hard drive to the second volume.
- Copy the TechTool Pro Prefs folder from the hard drive's System folder's Preferences folder into the TechTool Pro 3 folder you copied to your second volume.
Now you should be able to run TechTool Pro 3 from the second volume.
Can I run TechTool Pro 3 under Mac OS X? Will it check drives with Mac OS X installed?
You should not run TechTool Pro 3 when booted under Mac OS X in Classic mode. Boot from Mac OS 7.5.5 to Mac OS 9.x to run TechTool Pro 3. You can boot directly from the TechTool Pro 3 CD if you wish. TechTool Pro 3.0.5 and above can check and repair drives with Mac OS X installed, even though you have booted under Mac OS 9.x or below.
How do I remove TechTool Pro 3 from the hard drive?
The easiest way is to run the TechTool Pro 3 Installer booted from the CD. Then choose the Custom Uninstall option.
To remove TechTool Pro 3 manually you will need to remove the following four items:
- The "TechTool Pro 3" program folder.
- The "TechTool Pro Prefs" folder, located in the "System Folder's" "Preferences" folder.
- The "TechTool Protection" file, located in the "Control Panels" folder.
- The " Protection Extension" file, located in the "Extensions" folder (note the "space" in front of the "P" in " Protection").
I bought a new Macintosh and my current TechTool Pro 3 CD doesn't boot it. What can I do?
Apple often requires new Mac OS components for its new computers. These new components may not have been available when your TechTool Pro 3 CD was made and hence it may not be able to boot your new computer. This is an unfortunate fact in the rapidly changing world of computers. We release an average of four updates a year, in part to support newer computers. These updates are always free downloads from the Downloads section.
The following are possible solutions to doing volume repairs or other operations that require booting and running from another volume:
- Burn a new TechTool Pro 3 CD with a system which will boot your computer.
- Run TechTool Pro 3 from a different volume (see above), while booted from your Mac OS CD.
- Purchase the latest version of TechTool Pro 3 on bootable CD from Micromat Sales at 1-800-829-6227 or 707-566-3831. It is also available from the Online Store.
You may also want to consider joining the TechTool Pro Quarterly service. The TechTool Pro Quarterly service allows you to stay up to date with the latest version of TechTool Pro. You will be automatically mailed the latest version of the program when a new version is ready to ship. This comes to you on a bootable, emergency CD. TechTool Pro Quarterly updates are also sent out before any updates to TechTool Pro are posted.
The Optimization button is grayed out when I select my drive. Also, I cannot choose Rebuild in Directory Maintenance. What is wrong?
To perform Directory Maintenance, Volume Structure, and Surface Scan repairs, the Mac OS requires that the drive be inactive in order for it to be unmounted. This means that nothing can be running from the drive. Hence, you must boot and run TechTool Pro 3 from another drive. Usually, the easiest way to do this is to boot and run TechTool Pro directly from the TechTool Pro 3 CD.
How often are the Virus and Conflict databases updated by Micromat?
Luckily new Macintosh viruses are very rare, unlike PC viruses. The virus and conflict databases are updated as a part of the regular program updates, which are released an average of four times a year. However, if a new Macintosh virus appears, we may release an update earlier to detect and resolve a new virus. Updates are available free from the download section of our website. Under the Edit menu in TechTool Pro there is an option "Check for Updates." that will connect you with our site to confirm that you are running the latest version.
Does the MultiTester run all the tests in TechTool Pro 3?
No. The MultiTester contains enough tests to do a reasonably thorough check of your computer. It runs these tests with settings that will do a good job of finding most common problems in a reasonable time. For more thorough checking of a particular component or subsystem you should run the tests individually directly from the Navigation window. This will allow you a wider selection of test options. Also, some functions, such as Optimization and Modem test, are only available from the Navigation window.
How do I turn off the automatic virus scan?
TechTool Pro 3's automatic features (Diagnostics, Trash Cache, Protection, and Virus Scan) are all configured via the TechTool Protection control panel. To turn off the virus scan, just open the control panel, choose the Virus button on the left, and turn the "Feature Enable" to "Off."
How can I keep TechTool Pro 3 from automatically writing Protection Files when I launch the program?
TechTool Pro 3 version 3.0.4 and below may automatically write Protection Files for all drives on launch. If you hold down the "Option" key when you launch TechTool Pro 3, no Protection Files will be written. You can disable this feature in the Preferences portion of the TechTool Pro 3 application.
The System Files test is reporting a damaged system file. What does this mean?
When TechTool Pro 3 checks the system files it compares the resources in them against a known database of good resources. Some programs and extensions modify system resources even though Apple recommends against it. This does not necessarily mean that your system is faulty or has problems. TechTool Pro 3 is simply reporting that something is different--and this may be cause for suspicion if you are having problems and other aspects of the computer seem all right. If you are having problems that may be system related, then you might want to consider replacing the problem file or doing a "clean" reinstall of the System from the Mac OS CD. As Apple makes changes to the system, and other software companies make modifications to system resources, we are constantly updating our resource database so that future updates to the program will not flag new or properly modified resources.
The Software Conflict test is reporting conflicts with Mac OS 9, but that is not the system I am using. Do I need to be concerned?
The Software Conflict test will compare all the software on the selected drives against its conflict database. If any conflicts are found you will be notified. Even though you are not using Mac OS 9, there may be Mac OS 9 files on one of the drives being tested. If you do not use Mac OS 9 then you can simply ignore the conflicts since they will not affect you. Any conflicts between items that are not used together can be ignored.
I cannot boot my computer from the TechTool Pro 3 CD, even though it should boot my computer. What can I do?
Try the following:
- Choose the CD as the startup disk in the Startup Disk control panel.
- Disconnect all third party peripherals, including USB hubs. Have connected only the original Apple keyboard and mouse if possible.
- Zap the PRAM
- Be sure the CD is not smudged or dirty. If it is, then carefully clean it.
I have downloaded a TechTool Pro 3 updater, but get an error when I run it. What is wrong?
Most likely the version of TechTool Pro 3 you have currently installed is either missing a component, or one of the components is corrupted. We recommend deleting all of TechTool Pro 3 currently on your normal startup hard drive (see Deleting TechTool Pro 3 above), reinstalling directly from the TechTool Pro 3 CD onto your normal startup hard drive, and then doing the update. Search for the words "TechTool" and "Protection" to be sure you have gotten rid of all the old pieces of TechTool Pro 3 before reinstalling from the CD.
I have an older TechTool Pro 3 CD. Can I purchase a bootable TechTool Pro 3 CD with the latest version?
If you currently own TechTool Pro 3, you can get the latest version on a bootable CD for a small fee. You may order from our sales department at 800-829-6227 or 707-566-3831. It is also available from the Online Store.
When trying to optimize, I get a message that there is not enough contiguous space on the disk. What should I do?
TechTool Pro 3 optimizes by moving pieces of a file onto a contiguous area of the drive in order to defragment it. Once reconstructed it then deletes the old file. It does this for safety's sake--otherwise a crash or program abort could cause irreparable damage to your data. Unfortunately this means that you must have a contiguous space on the drive large enough to hold your biggest file. TechTool Pro 3 should tell you what file it stopped on so you can get an idea of the size of the problem file. If there is not enough contiguous space, you need to temporarily copy files off the drive until there is. You do not necessarily need to copy the flagged file to another drive--you just need to free up some space or perhaps even empty the Trash. Usually, temporarily copying large files to another drive works the best, since they are most likely to be stored on a contiguous area of the drive.
I lost my TechTool Pro 3 manual. Can I purchase another one?
You may purchase a TechTool Pro 3 manual from our sales department for a small fee. Note that the TechTool Pro 3 manual is on the TechTool Pro CD as a PDF file.
Can I use TechTool Pro 3 to check and repair my RAID array?
TechTool Pro 3 has not been tested for compatibility with RAID arrays. Consequently we cannot recommend it for use on them.
I have Digital Performer installed on my hard drive and TechTool Pro 3 refuses to optimize the drive. What can I do?
Digital Performer installs an invisible "key" file on your hard drive as part of its anti-piracy scheme. If this file is moved, which is likely to happen during TechTool Pro 3's optimization, then your Digital Performer installation will no longer be valid. In order to address the issue of the authorization key for Digital Performer, we are not allowing TechTool Pro 3 to optimize the volume in which Digital Performer is installed. You would need to uninstall Digital Performer in order to optimize and then reinstall it afterwards.
We are planning on making the Optimization feature overcome this issue in a future update of the program so that the volume can be optimized with no ill effect to the authorization key. We received many reports from users of Digital Performer about this issue in the past. This was the only way to address it until we are able to fully resolve it.
Other Questions or Problems.
If you have other problems with Micromat products that are not answered here, please email techsupport@micromat.com or call (707) 566-3860. |
