Originally published at: Techtool Pro 16.0.2 - TidBITS
Major upgrade for hard drive repair and system maintenance tool introduces new Techtool Monitor. ($159.99 new, upgrade pricing available, macOS 10.11+)
I’d prefer hearing an honest evaluation of TechTool Pro 16 vs. an announcement that Micromat releases a “major” upgrade. The lack of any substantive assessment of this product makes you look more like a “salesman” for Micromat. Are you?
My only problem with TechTool was that is would only be guaranteed for the current OS and the moment you upgraded to the next whole number version, a disclaimer would come up saying it may not be safe to use. I upgraded one year and they changed the version with and I was not able to use it. Stopped using it in 2019, though I found it helpful, especially the eDrive.
I have other Drive repair applications, but my favorite one Disk Warrior, stopped working with the new drive formats. I eagerly await its update, though it is taking forever. I am not sure that Apple has revealed all the data they need to make sure it works.
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I suppose I should just let Agen speak for himself, but almost daily his role here has been to simply announce updates/upgrades to Mac software. I suspect he doesn’t actually own/use them all, so asking him to review each one seems unreasonable, IMHO.
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Mac, we’ve been doing Watchlist items like this for 13 years now. Our goal is for them to alert users of Mac apps we consider sufficiently interesting to new versions that they might have missed, and to inform those who don’t yet own an app of significant new features that might make it worth checking out.
They are not, have never been, and never will be evaluations of apps, much less of versions that shipped in the last few days. We encourage users of these apps to share their experiences for additional background.
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Adam,
Thanks for getting back. I understand. I was just searching for any recent legitimate review on TechTool Pro and thought I’d ask if you happened to know of a review somewhere. I thought it was really odd that I couldn’t find ANY real reviews on it… only very old user comments from quite 2007 or so.
Cheers,
Mac
No, I haven’t seen any reviews. It’s part of the problem with tech companies not supporting independent publications with advertising anymore—there simply isn’t budget to commission many reviews these days.
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I have just upgraded to Techtool Pro 17, but am thinking I should not have bothered. In version 16, and now with 17, I am given the error that Techtool Monitor and/or other items are damaged and it can not be installed. The program itself seems to work. Am I alone? Apologies if this is not the proper forum to voice this concern.
There’s nothing wrong with asking here, but I think you’re much more likely to get an answer from TechTool customer support.
Thank you! I have not yet found a way to submit a direct question to Micromat support and get an answer - phone, email, etc. With Carbon Copy Cloner, for example there is a direct email link from the program and a problem solving answer usually appears within hours. For Micromat I have found their known base and their blog, but no direct way to ask a question.
I’ve been using TTP happily for many years, and IMO each iteration seems to be an improvement. The only other serious fixit app I relied upon was DiskWarrior, but, alas, that’s no use on our new OSs, and they seem to have stopped trying. Since I haven’t ever used the few others, I can’t compare.
IME Micromat has been been eager to improve their app, so I believe the TechTool Monitor problem, which I also have, will soon be fixed.
Whenever I’ve had a question or problem, they’ve been pretty responsive. Use Email: help@micromat.com.
The bottom of this page confirms the address of help@micromat.com for technical support, along with their hours of operation and information you willl need to include with your request.
Contact - Micromat
Thank you! I did get an email response which solved the issue.
I upgrade TTP with every new OS release. Some may think it’s a waste of money, but it’s good for peace of mind to have the current diagnosis/repair utility handy.