TechTools

I have TechTools Deluxe that came with Apple Support Program and notice that it only check the computer internor hard drive and not any externor drives. How do you checks all hard drives? I am not sure where to post this questions.
MacBook Pro Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Before checking any hard drives, make sure their data is backed up as my FAQ* explains:
http://www.macmaps.com/backup.html
If you want to examine hard drives for issue, most appear first in the directory as my other FAQ* explains:
http://www.macmaps.com/directoryfaq.html
Others your only real indication will be unusual noises from the hard drive. Only a trained technician can tell you if a specific noise is unusual or not.
* Links to my pages may give me compensation.

Similar Messages

Acmcneill1ug 14, 2014 7:16 AM I have IMac OSX 10.9.4, 4GB,Processor 3.06 with Intell2Duo. I would like to check for Malware. I run a TechTool Pro 6 every month and that comes up great. When check how much memory I am using, with only Safar

Acmcneill1ug 14, 2014 7:16 AM
I have IMac OSX 10.9.4, 4GB,Processor 3.06 with Intell2Duo. I would like to check for Malware. I run a TechTool Pro 6 every month and that comes up great.
When check how much memory I am using, with only Safari open I am using 3.9 and more of her 4.0 memory. She is very. very slow in processing. I had 4000
trash to clean out and it took her over an hour to expel. Also for some reason Safari will not allow me to click on a link, in my G-mail, and let it go to the page.
It has a sign saying a pop-up blocker is on and will not let me do it. I must open the stamp to look at my e-mails and if I have redirected link now I can do it.
I have not changed my preferences so where is this pop-up blocker?
I have looked at preferences on Safari and Google, which I do not understand Google, and do not see where this blocker could be.
Malware is something I want to make sure is not on my computer. Tech Tool Pro 6 is all I know of and it does not detect Malware.
Help.
Ceil

Try Thomas Reed's Adware removal tool. He posts extensively in the communities.
Malware Guide - Adware
Malware Discussion

Persistent surface scan error on techtool- please help

My Powerbook started running slower than usual, so I decided to run the Techtool Deluxe cd I got with my Apple Care plan. I ran all the tests. My result: 5 errors in the Surface Scan test.
I didn't know what to do, so I took my Powerbook to the Apple store Genius Bar. The guy just said I needed to reformat my HD. So, I did the "erase and install" reformat at the store.
But, the genius bar guy didn't seem to know what he was talking about, so after I did all the software updates at home, I decided to run the Techtool Deluxe cd again. Again, the results showed I had 5 errors in the Surface Scan test, even after I had completely reformatted my hard drive.
I had the 3.0.4 version of Techtool, and just to be safe that it wasn't out of date, I installed it on my computer and updated it to version 3.1.2.
With the updated 3.1.2 Techtool Deluxe program, I ran all the tests again.
And STILL I have 5 errors on my Surface Scan test.
Here is a copy of my results (every thing else passed).
Surface Scan
Failed - 5 errors
The Surface Scan test will scan the disk for bad blocks.
Media defects cause this test to fail. You should consider backing up the device, reformatting the media, replacing the data, and then testing again.
Please help! What am I supposed to do???? (I don't think reformatting my HD will help, because I already did, and still have this problem)
Thank you!

Welcome to the Apple discussions.
When you reformatted the hard drive, did you do an erase and write zero's? That's important because that's what remaps the bad sectors of the hard drive. After booting from the OS X CD, choose disk utility, choose the hard drive, and on the erase tab, choose security options and write zero's. If you don't do this step, a plain erase or erase and install only deletes the index or catalog of the disk contents.

Data Recovery AFTER TechTool Deluxe "Repair" ?

Hello,
I have a PB from Fall 2005 (1.5 Ghz, 512 Ram, superdrive, 80 GB) running 10.4. Recently, performance really started to lag, so I began diligent monitoring and ordered an external HD to perform a more comprehensive backup. For the last week, although SMART status was verified on the internal HD, I've been running on a bootable external drive (that was too full to perform a full backup of the current system). When the new external drive arrived yesterday, I installed 10.4 onto a fresh partition and prepared to copy all my files over from the internal drive. Of course, in the midst of this process, but before I could begin the file transfer, the internal drive decided to die and list SMART status as failed. From previous TechTool and other diagnoses, I believe the issue was just a horribly corrupted directory rather than any real physical damage (despite being forced to use numerous hard shut downs due to a stalled, all-but-frozen system in the recent past).
Now, here's the crux of my question: I ran TechTool Deluxe (the version that is packaged with Apple Care) and again it reported a bad directory. I had to safe boot on the external drive to get the computer to complete log in, otherwise it stales as it "searches for local drives." So the drive was not mounting, but it was recognized by both Disk Utility and Tech Tool. Feeling that it was my only option, I decided to go ahead and let Tech Tool repair the volume structure. Tech Tool was "successful" but now I am left with a hard drive that mounts but only shows my applications and library folders, along with a folder full of gibberish index files. No system folder, no users folder.
Is there a way to step back from this repair? Apple Support suggested trying to use Disk Utility again to verify the disk, but I'm highly dubious. I've heard of Alsoft DiskWarrior and ProSoft's Data Rescue II--but I don't know if either are something that will work after-the-fact now that Tech Tool has done its damage. I also talked to Drive Savers and they're quoting $500-2400, with $1600+ the cost of anything approximating full recovery.
Any suggestions on methods, preferred vendors, etc? I've backed up sporadically and have fresh copies of most of my key documents, and 75-90% of my music, but I'd lose all my photos and my crucial contacts, emails, and calendars.
I've done some searches and found slightly similar issues to my particular problem (ie http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=1150247?).
I'll be monitoring this closely if I left any details out that would help in providing a recommendation.

Hi,
Thanks for your comments. I actually have not been able to boot from the "repaired" drive. It no longer mounts and disk utility reports it had a "fatal hardware error." I can still mount fine from either of my two external drives. Here's the current update. I downloaded the demo of Data Rescue II from Prosoft and am letting it performa thorough scan of my hard drive. It was about 2 hours from completion after 10 hours of scanning when I left for work this morning. If it turns up anything, I'll go ahead and buy the full version. If not, unless this board turns up anything else, yes, it looks like DriveSavers (or a similar alternative?).

My external HD won't mount anymore on Mac OS, Disk Warrior or TechTool Pro, but appears as "media" on Disk Utility. What do I do?

I have this 1 TB Caviar Black drive from WD, I've installed it on an external HD case and have been using to store large files like HD movies and old archive things. Its file system is Mac OS Journaled.
Last year, all of a sudden, it gave me the following error while trying to plug it in: "The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer"
I was mad and left it for dead while looking for a way to fix it.
Then, again all of a sudden, it started working again, flawlessly and without any problems.
It worked well for at least 5 more months and then BAM... same error again!
I've tried DiskWarrior, TechTool Pro, Disk Utility and nothing... The disk won't show up on any of these apps, except on Disk Utility as a "Media" drive with 0 bytes used and unformatted partition.
What do I do?
Could it be the external HD case?

It could be a problem with enclosure, but it also could be a problem with the drive itself or the drive is possibly corrupted. I would start by contacting WD tech support.
It may be possible to recover files from the drive using file recovery software:
General File Recovery
If you stop using the drive it's possible to recover deleted files that have not been overwritten by using recovery software such as MAC Data Recovery, Data Rescue II, File Salvage or TechTool Pro. Each of the preceding come on bootable CDs to enable usage without risk of writing more data to the hard drive. Two free alternatives are Disk Drill and TestDisk. Look for them and demos at MacUpdate or CNET Downloads. Recovery software usually provide trial versions that enable you to determine if the software would help before actually paying for it. Beyond this or if the drive has completely failed, then you would need to send the drive to a recovery service which is very expensive.
The longer the hard drive remains in use and data are written to it, the greater the risk your deleted files will be overwritten.
Also visit The XLab FAQs and read the FAQ on Data Recovery.
Otherwise, unless the drive fixes itself like before you should try repartitioning and reformatting to determine if the drive has failed or is now working properly.

My 5 yr old 2 GHz Intel Core Duo 20" iMac, right after I disconnected an external HD that had been on the desktop (i.e. I forgot to eject it properly), started displaying video anomalies (lines); testing (TechTool Deluxe 3.1.3) indicates the video is f

My 5 yr old 2 GHz Intel Core Duo 20" iMac, right after I disconnected
an external HD that had been on the desktop (i.e. I forgot to eject it
properly), started displaying video anomalies (lines); testing
(TechTool Deluxe 3.1.3) indicates the video is failing.
The graphics card is an ATI Radeon X1600. Is this reasonably
replaceable? If so, is the "MPC ClientPro 434 All In One ATI MXM X1600
PCIe 128MB Video Card" I found on eBay (for $25, used) essentially the
same unit?
My soldering skills are, sadly, poor.
And it only dawned on me a couple days ago that because this iMac does
not have a Core 2 Duo processor, it will not be able to enter the
"Lion" generation.
Thanks,
Patrick
PS Are manuals for this model available? I have a copy of the Peachpit
Apple Training Series "Desktop and Portable Systems, Second Edition"
but it only goes up to the G5 20" iMac. There doesn't appear to be a
3rd or later edition in the series.

My 5 yr old 2 GHz Intel Core Duo 20" iMac, right after I disconnected
an external HD that had been on the desktop (i.e. I forgot to eject it
properly), started displaying video anomalies (lines); testing
(TechTool Deluxe 3.1.3) indicates the video is failing.
The graphics card is an ATI Radeon X1600. Is this reasonably
replaceable? If so, is the "MPC ClientPro 434 All In One ATI MXM X1600
PCIe 128MB Video Card" I found on eBay (for $25, used) essentially the
same unit?
My soldering skills are, sadly, poor.
And it only dawned on me a couple days ago that because this iMac does
not have a Core 2 Duo processor, it will not be able to enter the
"Lion" generation.
Thanks,
Patrick
PS Are manuals for this model available? I have a copy of the Peachpit
Apple Training Series "Desktop and Portable Systems, Second Edition"
but it only goes up to the G5 20" iMac. There doesn't appear to be a
3rd or later edition in the series.

Techtool deluxe on osx lion does not run video ram test

I ran Techtool Deluxe after having installed OS X Lion. When it gets to the Video Ram test it quits. If I disable this test all is fine. What's wrong with testing video ram on OSX Lion?
Thanks.
G

Same problem. I've been having a lot of weird issues ever since Lion. Safari has crashed about ten times in the last two days and my mac keeps logging off all by its self. It seems that Techtool Deluxe and Lion don't go well together...when it starts it says that it hasn't been tested with Lion, and they no longer include it with AppleCare, so it seems that apple has discontinued the application. I'd say that from here on out, Techtool Deluxe will simply be a memory of the past...so probably just don't use it anymore.

How do I delete an old TechTools eDrive partition in Lion 10.7

Does ayone know how to get rid of an old TechTools Pro (I no longer have it installed) eDrive? How do you remove this partition in Lion?

There has been another onging discussion since July on this topic. No resolution yet. I finally ditched my BT mouse and went to a wired mouse because the jumping was driving me nuts.
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3200095?start=0&tstart=0

TechTool Pro finds a corrupted file

The latest version of TechTool Pro (v. 4.0.6) found a problem with a file and displayed the following message: "Type List Offset is invalid: Prop-Object.bmp." (Spotlight doesn't locate this file.) The file is probably an image according to Apple Care, but because Apple's Disk Utility gives the computer a clean bill of health, Apple Care says I needn't worry about it, and I don't. However the error/warning message is a minor annoyance whenever I run TechTool Pro. Has anyone on this forum had the same result with TechTool Pro? What is this image/file? Where is it? Can it be safely removed and/or rebuilt? Any information will be appreciated. I am using Tiger (v. 10.4.3) without any problems.
Any information will be appreciated.
Simm

Hi, Simmm —
I don't know the answer to your question. But, since it's otherwise gathering moss at the moment . . .
. . . I'll climb way out on the limb with a crazy thought from left field:
Though .bim is decidedly a graphics file suffix, the rest of the message sounds suspiciously like resource fork lingo . . .
Now — would someone who understands this ~better than I please try to rescue me (I mean Sam), please? (Or, I suppose, saw off the limb.)
Either way, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if this were — at "best" — an invisible file. If so, it's quite possibly something you don't want to mess with.
How thoughtful of TTPro 4.0.6 to leave you hanging like this. Have you considered posting a query to Micromat support?
Wish I could be of more help.
Regards,
Dean
p.s. Yes, I'm aware of surpassing any acceptable boundary against mixing metaphors...

Using techtool pro found problem with "volume structure". What to do?

Using techtool pro found problem with "volume structure" and this was not fixed by TECHTOOL PRO. What do you suggest I do?

I would boot from my gray install disk (put the disk in the drive and restart holding down the C key). Then choose Utilities and run Disk Utility and click Repair Disk. As always, be sure you have a back up of your data first.

"Volume Structure Failed" in TechTool Deluxe

I tried to run Disk Utility on my laptop last night and it said that it "stopped reapiring "XXX" because the following error was encountered. The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)" It said there was an invalid catalog record type and volume check failed.
I then ran the lastest update of the TechTool Deluxe CD. Everything passed except the Volume Structure.
There were some "used nodes" and "free nodes" that differed--those numbers showed up in green as "favorable changes". "Leaf Record Count" showed up in red as an "unusual change". When I go to repair, it says that "unusual values in the volume structure have been dectected. Before repairing the volume structure, it is suggested that you back up your data. FAILURE TO BACKUP YOUR DATA MAY RESULT IN PERMANENT LOSS OF DATA!".
I do have a Retrospect Backup on my external drive, but I'm still a little nervous about clicking the "repair" button. How likely is data loss with this particular error that it's trying to repair?
I'd like to call Apple Support (I'm still under AppleCare for another week or so), but I'm not sure if they have Saturday hours.

Okay, here's what I ended up doing. I did end up calling Applecare Tech support, but mostly only to inquire about potential coverage if I needed it--since I was one week away from the expiration of Applecare. They opened a "case" for me and Applecare would remain in effect for 30 from the opening of the case. This was good news.
I tried using Disk Utility to repair the problem but it wouldn't work. I had repaired permissions and attempted to run “Check and Repair Disk”. Disk Utility said that it “stopped repairing ‘xxx’ because the following error was encountered. The underlying task reported failure on exit (-9972)”. It then said that there was an invalid catalog record type-volume check failed-volume was not repaired.
A friend of mine has DiskWarrior for Panther so we were going to try that before trying the TechTools Deluxe CD that I had just updated from the Apple site.
Went over today to do that. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the computer to boot up with the DW disk. It would boot up with the Install disc & TTD, but not DW. We tried booting with the option key. It did show that we could boot from "utility CD", but the minute we hit the arrow key after selecting it, we got a circle with a slash through it. We called DW support and they said that my computer was newer than the CD. This was strange since my friend's larger G4 Powerbook was only a couple of weeks older than mine and DW works fine on hers.
Anyway, we ran TTD and let it repair. Ran DU again and it still showed a problem that it could not repair. Ran it again--same thing. Ran TTD again--just to test. It showed that there was nothing that needed repairing. Ran DU yet again--3rd time for the afternoon. Did repair permissions first, then Repair Disk. Strangely enough, now it said the volume was fine and needed no repairing.
So, at least for the moment, things seem okay. Not sure exactly which step worked or if it was just a combination, but I'm just happy that it finally passed DU check.
I will continue to monitor for the next few weeks.

Directory Scan and Volume scan failed on Techtool -- next steps?

I've been having serious problems with this MB pro, bought May 07, recently. There is a repetitive sound coming from the harddrive that freezes the computer while various processes are happening. The computer also takes a long time to start up and then only displays a fragment of my desktop picture (the original wavey blue background shows on the rest of the display). I did an extended hardware test and found nothing; TechTool shows the Directory Scan, Surface Scan and Volume Structure tests failed.
I'm downloading the bootable TechTool Deluxe file to try to do repairs, but I'm wondering what else I should be considering? I've backed up all data, but I'm wondering if I do a clean install of the OS if I'll lose applications that are currently on the hard drive?
Thanks for your input

Noises from the hard drive are not a good sign, especially along with the other symptoms you describe. Here is a utility that may be able to give you further insight into your hard drive:
S.M.A.R.T. Utility
http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/32454
You can attempt to repair the software on your hard drive with Disk Utility, Tech Tool Pro, or Disk Warrior. However, if the hard drive is failing physically, you will not be able to repair the software satisfactorily.
If by a clean install you mean an Erase and Install, you could certainly try that, but you will lose all the applications that are not included in your install disc and you will have to reinstall them separately. Here is an article on installation options:
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1545?viewlocale=en_US
One other thing you may want to check is whether you might also possibly have the NVIDIA chip issue:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS2377
Do you have an external FireWire hard drive with a bootable clone? If so, you could try booting from it and see if your video distortion is still there when booted from a different drive.
Good luck!

TechTool Deluxe resulted in failures

I ran TechTool Deluxe on my MacBook Pro, and "Format Check", "Directory Scan" and "Volume Structure" resulted in failure. I was unable to proceed with fixes. Can anyone advise me? Thank you.

To repair your Boot drive, you need to boot from another drive (like a DVD), so that your boot drive will be available for complete repairs.
One pass of Disk Repair can also be done by Restarting with Shift key held down, to boot into Safe Mode.

TechTool scan failure

I recently ran a techTool scan. The Format Check, the Directory Scan, and the volume structure "failed". What is my next step to repair?

Boot to your recovery partition (OS X 10.7 or 10.8) or to an external hard drive or OS X DVD, and run Disk Utility to do a repair your internal disk. (You didn't say if you are using TechTool Deluxe or Pro).
If that fails, then many use Disk Warrior to repair the hard drive, which works for many non-hardware-related issues. TechTool Pro can do similar repairs.
To get a second opinion on your hard drive, download SMART Utility.
PS. You do have a backup already?

Volume rebuild using TechTool Pro 5 - How long??

We put the OS X 10.5 install dvd in our Macbook with the intent to edit the administrator password and instead triggered what our Macbook thought was some kind of upgrade. We were afraid to cancel it, but about a minute in the "upgrade" ended up failing. We lost our ability to boot to the desktop and so we took it in to the Apple Store where they advised us that the node structure became invalid. They told us to either get Diskwarrior or TechTool Pro. We opted for the latter.
We've been doing a volume rebuild now for the last 27 hours. Is this normal?? We did not have an external drive, but there's no indication that this is required. In further searching, we noticed that it's recommended to have one, but we don't. The program has been sitting at "repairing directory structure" and occasionally the dvd drive spins. There's no progress bar, so we don't know what is going on. Does anyone have experience with this who can shed some light on what's going on??
Thanks!

http://www.micromat.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=29&Itemid=45

Volume error on 20" C2D which TechTool won't repair

My iMac was working absolutely fine last night, but when I went to boot up this morning, the blue "Starting Mac OSX" bar absolutely crawled across (it usually flies across) then, when it got to the right hand side, the boot hangs and won't go any further.
I tried zapping the PRAM - no change - so then I booted from the TechTool Deluxe CD. I ran all the tests except Surface Scan and it only failed on the Volume Structure test.
So I got TechTool to do the repair but, after a few seconds, it just defaults back to the entry "what language do you want to default to?" screen.
Running TechTool Deluxe again, it still fails the Volume Structure test and, when I try and boot the Mac, the same problem still occurs - it won't get past the blue "Starting Mc OSX" bit.
I haven't changed anything since last night, I haven't plugged any peripheral in or unplugged any.
I don't know what to do! Please help!
20" iMac C2D Mac OS X (10.4.9) 3Gb RAM, 500Mb HD, 2.33GHz processor

You will probably need a more industrial strength utility. I believe that you can upgrade to Tech Tool Pro. Many folks here in the Discussions swear by Disk Warrior. Some feel that if DW can't repair the problem, it cannot be repaired.
To be on the safe side, do you have important files on a back up?
Although you do not sound like the techy type I found this explanation of the issue;
http://computing.net/mac/wwwboard/forum/2584.html
<<To explain sibling links, first you need to
understand that most directory
information on Macintosh disks is stored
in data structures that are technically
known as B*-trees. Examples of B*-trees
on a Macintosh disk include the Catalog
File, the Extents Overflow File, the
Desktop Database, the Users & Groups
File, and several others.
Each tree has a number of data records;
for example, each record within the
Catalog tree describes one file or one
folder. The records are sorted and
indexed for fast searching. But for
efficiency, the records are also grouped
into fixed-length blocks called nodes;
because these nodes can be physically
scattered around the B*-tree file, they
need pointers to indicate their logical
ordering. So a given node has a "forward
link", which points to the node containing
records that are logically immediately
after the records in the current node;
likewise, a node has a "backward link",
pointing to the node containing logically
preceding records.
If these linkages are pointing to the wrong
place, some files or folders might be
inaccessible. Or the OS could even hang
up trying to find some. This makes the
link invalid.
In any case, Norton Disk Doctor reports
forward link and backward link problems
separately, whereas Disk First Aid just
refers to them collectively as sibling links.
Try DiskWarrior to build a new directory.
May fix the problem without having to
initialize the disk.

TechTools

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