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Micromat Announces TechTool Protogo |
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Monday, 01 January 2007 |
 Micromat today announced the upcoming release of its latest product, TechTool Protogo. TechTool Protogo is a Mac OS X application that lets a Macintosh user easily turn an old iPod, a flash drive or other similar device into a bootable diagnostic tool that contains several of Micromat's utilities. Users may also install other utilities if desired. This device can then be used to boot, check, maintain and repair Macintosh computers. It allows a customer to create a tool similar to Micromat's TechTool Protege on a device they already own.
Lorene Romero, a local Macintosh expert and president of NCMUG was given an advanced copy of the program to test. She was impressed with the feature set and said, "This will allow me to use my iPod to repair my Mac and others on the road. I also like the fact that it allows me to create configuration profiles specific to my needs. What a great concept."
TechTool Protogo ships on a DVD that includes the Protogo configuration application, as well as Micromat's TechTool Pro Classic (for Mac OS 9 systems and below), TechTool Pro 4 (for Mac OS X), and DiskStudio. Protogo includes several profiles for standard system/utility configurations, making it easy to set up a device for specific needs. One can also create and save custom profiles that include third-party utilities as well. The standard profiles included with the program range from a minimal bootable system with TechTool Pro 4 and DiskStudio, to a full-blown Mac OS X installation including a Finder, Classic, and multiple utility programs.
With Protogo, it is possible to create a portable diagnostic device that can:
Boot most Macintosh computers
Diagnose and repair hard drive problems
Test major hardware components
Find viruses*
Find system conflicts*
Optimize and defragment hard drive volumes
Rebuild volume directories
Recover data from damaged volumes
Repartition hard drives without losing data
Boot different Mac OS versions from different partitions
Run a variety of utilities
And much more...
Price and Availability:
TechTool Protogo will begin shipping at Macworld Expo on January 9th, 2007. The retail price will be $199.00 with an estimated street price of $135.00. It will be available through select dealers and resellers worldwide, as well as directly from Micromat, Inc. An upgrade will be available as well to those who currently own TechTool Pro 4.
* Features denoted with * are only available on OS 9 compatible systems when used with the included TechTool Pro Classic application.
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TechTool Pro 4.5.2 Released |
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Thursday, 02 November 2006 |
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE NOW!
Version 4.5.2 of TechTool Pro is now available. This is a minor update from version 4.5.1. Owners of version 4.5.1 of TechTool Pro will not need to update to version 4.5.2 unless they have acquired a new Mac model that is not fully supported by the earlier version of the program. The version 4.5.2 DVD will boot all currently shipping Mac models, including the Mac Pro and the 24" iMac. In addition, it will properly perform the Video Memory test on those two models. Current owners of TechTool Pro 4 can purchase the TechTool Pro 4.5.2 DVD Update for $25. Micromat also offers an Annual Subscription Service for $99. This is geared to owners of TechTool Pro 4 who wish to receive each update or upgrade automatically on DVD as soon as it is released.
Version 4.5.2 Change List:
- Fixed Video Memory issue for specific Intel Macs.
- Fixed Main Memory RAM calculation size issue for Intel Macs.
- Fixed Wipe Data issue for GUID partitioned volumes.
- Fixed Data Recovery issue for GUID partitioned volumes.
- Updated Volume Structures test.
- Addressed eDrive free space capacity issue.
- Other minor changes and feature enhancements.
Purchasing shortcuts:
If you don't currently own TechTool Pro and would like the complete package, click here.
If you do currently own TechTool Pro 4 and want the 4.5.2 update DVD, click here.
If you own an older version of TechTool Pro and would like to upgrade to 4.5.2, click here.
If you own TechTool Deluxe (from AppleCare) and want to upgrade to TechTool Pro 4.5.2, click here.
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Micromat Announces Universal Protege |
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Wednesday, 13 September 2006 |
 Micromat is pleased to announce the release of updates for
both TechTool Protege (a bootable FireWire flash drive that contains
both TechTool Pro 4 and DiskStudio) and DiskStudio (a disk partitioning
utility). These updates provide Universal Binary support for both
products so that they can be used on either Intel or PowerPC-based
Macs. All of the features that were previously available for
PowerPC-based Macs will now be available for Intel-based Macs as well.
Unlike
most application software, utilities require more than a simple
re-compile of the program to support the Intel-based Macs. Because
utilities work with the computer hardware at the lowest levels, it was
necessary for Micromat to completely re-engineer the software from the
ground up. In order to support the new models, Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is
required to run the programs.
TechTool Protege is a compact,
bootable diagnostic and repair tool. It contains the full-featured
Macintosh troubleshooting program TechTool Pro, Micromat's disk
partitioning program DiskStudio, as well as several other utilities on
a compact, one gigabyte FireWire flash drive. Its tiny size makes it
easy to carry at all times so that a user can test and repair Macintosh
computers whenever the need should arise. TechTool Protege is able to:
- Diagnose Macintosh hardware
- Diagnose and repair hard drive problems
- Optimize and defragment hard drive volumes
- Rebuild volume directories
- Recover data from damaged volumes
- Repartition hard drives without losing data
- And other diagnostic functions
To
provide Intel support for TechTool Protege, Micromat designed a new
utility called Protege Manager. This utility allows the user to easily
set up the TechTool Protege flash drive for use on either a PowerPC or
Intel-based Mac as desired. Protege Manager will ship on a CD.
DiskStudio
allows a user to change the partitioning of a hard drive on the fly.
Reinitializing the drive is not required. In addition to Universal
Binary support, the updated version of DiskStudio adds support for the
new GUID partitioning scheme for Intel Macs and also support for the
Master Boot Record partitioning scheme for DOS. It now includes the
ability to identify NTFS volumes as well.
DiskStudio Features:
- Add new partitions to a hard disk without the need to reformat.
- Delete partitions previously created by DiskStudio or Apple's Disk Utility.
- Erase and reformat existing partitions in a number of standard formats.
- Completely erase and repartition an entire hard disk.
DiskStudio
ships on media capable of booting both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs.
Since the system components needed to boot both platforms are too large
to fit on a CD, the program will ship on a DVD. The DVD will
automatically boot the correct system version needed for the host
computer. A DVD update is available to current owners of
DiskStudio for $25.
Price and Availability
TechTool Protege
and DiskStudio can be ordered through select dealers and resellers
worldwide or directly from Micromat, Inc. The retail price for TechTool
Protege is $229. DiskStudio is $49. Current owners of TechTool Protege
may purchase the TechTool Protege CD Update from Micromat for $25.
Current owners of DiskStudio may purchase a DVD upgrade for the same
price. |
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TechTool Pro 4.5 Released |
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Friday, 21 July 2006 |
CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE UPGRADE NOW!
Micromat is pleased to announce that we are now shipping the Universal Binary version of TechTool Pro 4version 4.5.1. As previously announced, this major update ships on a dual-boot DVD that will start up either PowerPC or Intel based Macintosh computers. We've moved from CD-ROM format to a DVD to accommodate both the PowerPC and Intel systems. When booting from the TechTool DVD, the proper system is automatically selected based on the type of operating system needed by the Macintosh. In addition to providing support for Intel based Macs, TechTool Pro 4.5.1 has a number of other significant enhancements, including improved Disk Controller and Volume Structures tests. German language support has been added as well.
Current owners of TechTool Pro 4 can purchase the DVD update to version 4.5.1 for $25.00 directly from from our online store by clicking here or by calling Micromat directly at 800-829-6227 (outside of the USA call 707-566-3831). Due to the sheer size of this new release, we are unable to offer it as a download. In addition, Intel based Macs require the new media in order to boot. Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is required to install TechTool Pro 4.5.1. The DVD contains a disk image of the TechTool Pro 4.1.2 CD for those who wish to install TechTool Pro 4 under Mac OS X 10.3 (Panther).
Owners of TechTool Protege can expect an update to support Intel based Macs sometime in early to mid August. This update will include TechTool Pro 4.5.1, the Universal Binary version of DiskStudio, and the ability to boot Intel based Macs. It will also include a new utility to conveniently re-flash the TechTool Protege device with the latest software and system updates. We are putting the finishing touches on the updater at this time. TechTool Protege owners will be notified via email as further information becomes available.
Purchasing shortcuts:
If you don't currently own TechTool Pro and would like the complete package, click here.
If you do currently own TechTool Pro 4 and want the 4.5.1 update DVD, click here.
If you own an older version of TechTool Pro and would like to upgrade to 4.5.1, click here.
If you own TechTool Deluxe (from AppleCare) and want to upgrade to TechTool Pro 4.5.1, click here.
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TechTool Pro 4.5 Universal |
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Tuesday, 13 June 2006 |
Micromat today announced the imminent release of TechTool Pro version 4.5. This is the eagerly anticipated Universal Binary version of TechTool Pro that will run on both Intel and PowerPC-based Macs. It fully supports the hardware changes introduced to the Macintosh platform with the introduction of the new MacIntel chipsets. All of the features of the program that were previously available for PowerPC based Macs will now be available for Intel-based Macs as well. This includes the innovative eDrive (emergency startup partition) feature of the program, found nowhere else. In addition to Universal Binary support, the new release will also include some significant program enhancements, including improved Disk Controller test routines.
Unlike most application software, more than a simple re-compile of the program was required to support the new Intel-based Macs. Because TechTool Pro 4 works with the computer hardware at the lowest levels, it was necessary for Micromat to completely re-engineer the software from the ground up. In order to support the new models, Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger) is required to run the program.
TechTool Pro 4.5.1 will ship on media capable of booting both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs. Since the system components needed to boot both platforms are too large to fit on a CD, the program will ship on a DVD (a first for Micromat). The DVD will automatically boot the correct system version. Due to the sheer size of the program and system files, a downloadable updater from earlier program versions will not be available. However, a DVD update will be available to current customers of TechTool Pro 4 for $25. This update will be automatically mailed for free to current subscribers of the Micromat Annual subscription service.
TechTool Pro 4 is included as a part of Micromat's TechTool Protege product. TechTool Protege is a small FireWire flash drive geared toward Macintosh professionals. It includes both TechTool Pro 4 and the disk partitioning utility DiskStudio.
Micromat is also working on an upgrade for TechTool Protege to support the new Intel-based Macs. Like the TechTool Pro 4.5 update, Protege owners will be offered a low cost update as well. Micromat expects to have this update available to Protege owners in approximately 30 days after the release of TechTool Pro 4.5. This update will include a convenient "flash" application that allows the user to quickly and easily configure Protege to the system(s) on which they intend to utilize the device. As with the TechTool Pro update, Micromat expects this update to ship on DVD media for $25.
TechTool Pro 4.5.1 will begin shipping in early July 2006. It can be ordered through select dealers and resellers worldwide or directly from Micromat, Inc. The street price for new users is $98. Micromat offers an upgrade for $59 if you own a prior version of TechTool Pro or Drive 10. Current owners of TechTool Pro 4 may purchase an update DVD from Micromat for $25; a valid version 4 serial number will be required.
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