What is the best shipping tool for Directory care for the Macintosh OS?
Right To The Point
Hands down, DiskWarrior™ by Alsoft™, now at version 2.0*, has been, and still is the reigning Champion Supreme of Directory care.
While Norton Utilities™ v5.x, MacMedic™ v2.x and Micromat TechToolPro™ v2.5.2 seek to repair (patch) the existing Directory structure, leaving the possibility that each repair might create or uncover yet another error, DiskWarrior instead creates an entirely new Directory, and at the same time optimises it by excluding old, irrelevant information, and frequently recovering data thought to be "lost"; and further writing that new Directory in one, new, contiguous file.
Not only do you get a more-stable, more-complete Directory as a result, but your volume performance is increased, thus making file access and disk I/O noticeably faster (benchmarks forthcoming). Compatible with all versions of the Mac OS from System 7.1 through OS 9, with an optional CD that will boot every Macintosh shipped to date (with an CD drive attached) DiskWarrior is every Mac's best friend.
We've reviewed the other utilities in more detail in our Software section, for now we're going to concentrate on Diskwarrior, and how it compares to the others for the purpose of Directory care.
How Often?
To see if your Directory is in need of optimisation, despite the impression that no errors exist in it and your Mac seems to be zipping along just fine, you can use the Directory Optimisation Grapher, now integral in version 2.0, and free to anyone to download separately.
Users of any other Directory care utility, such as Apple's Disk First Aid, Norton Disk Doctor™, TechToolPro, MacMedic™, and even the venerable MacToolsPro will get quite an eye opening picture from this handy little tool, and will also gain a better understanding of what all this talk of Directory optimisation really is.
Alas, it will only show you an image representing the state of your Directory fragmentation, it will neither report errors or inconsistencies that other utilities overlook, nor will it rewrite that Directory. You need the full version of DiskWarrior to really appreciate what it can do for you that the others can't. I hope that one day Al Whipple of Alsoft finds it in his best interest to write a demo version of Disk Warrior that times out in a few days, and uses it to overcome the remaining NUM and TTP loyalists who simply refuse to believe there is indeed a better way. Until then, you'll need to find a buddy or a local MUG who'll run DiskWarrior on your Mac for you, and show you just how sweet it really is.
To help you imagine it in the meantime, just recall how sweetly a Mac flies and zips through your files and folders immediately following a disk initialization and fresh (re)installation of the OS. With DiskWarrior, you get that each and every day.
Danger, Will Robinson!
DiskWarrior also has an amazing track record in recovering entire volumes of data previously thought lost forever; or requiring a higher caliber, more confusing recovery tool, such as Data Rescue.
If you're ever greeted with the ominous flashing '?' on a Restart after a crash, chances are pretty high that if you are able to boot from another volume (like the Disk Warrior CD), a quick once-over by DiskWarrior will bring all your data back intact and make your System once again ready to reboot. If not, you've really, really done some damage, and it's going to take that High-Caliber Hero, Data Rescue2.x from WildBits to save your day.
Now, of course, you could just go straight to Data Rescue, and be certain of recovery of your critical files the first time; but, unlike Data Rescue, one (most often) does not need a second drive with which to copy the recovered data upon. Instead, because Disk Warrior is creating a new Directory altogether, one can generally recover all data in place and, in many cases, simply go on about one's business without worrying about that volume or disk again*.
I have on only three occasions encountered a circumstance where Disk Warrior was unable to recover a volume's data in place, but it very clearly and helpfully explained why and how to proceed with moving the data to another volume (drive). (This is yet another reason that having multiple partitions (volumes) even on a single drive is extremely benifical. See: Partitioning Your Hard Drives
In the past six months or so, I have only found a couple dozen occasions where DiskWarrior could not repair or Recover the Directory at all, and that's when I had to pull out my trusty, now getting somewhat dusty standby, Data Rescue.
*Note: There are many factors that play into a major crash resulting in a loss of ability to mount (see, or Startup from) a volume, such as corrupt preference files, corrupt System files, defective media structure, etc., one should not assume Disk Warrior will repair all these items. Further, one should seek the source of the originating crash and eliminate it so that you do not repeat the error. For more information see: Macintosh Troubleshooting and Repair and Macintosh Crash Prevention Routines and Schedules.
Just The Facts, M'am
I won't begin to tell you that Disk First Aid 8.2 or greater, TechToolPro, MacMedic and Norton Disk Doctor won't, for many, many people, serve as a fine overall Directory care tool. When it comes to Directory care, like in many things, and in most cases, anything is generally better than nothing at all. Norton and Disk First Aid, after all, have a long history of saving peoples butts.
However, unlike Disk First Aid (and any good physician), Disk Doctor, MacMedic and TechTool do not have a 'Do No Harm' policy. As stated earlier, they can often cause more problems than they solve (don't even get me started on the '98 Norton HFS+ Debacle of version 4.x). The 'Patch'n'Fix' approach to Directory care, is, without a doubt, yesterday's technology. Without question, DiskWarrior, the only shipping tool that uses a replacement technology for which it has won many awards, is far and away the best choice for your Macintosh Directory care.
What's The Catch?
Now, that said, DiskWarrior (excluding the new DiskShield feature discussed in part two of this article) is a one trick pony; i.e., it does Directory care (and thus file recovery) and only Directory care.
There are many other facets of proper Macintosh maintenance and care, such as volume and (visible and invisible) file optimisation and defragmentation. Please do not confuse Directory optimisation (invisible structure that is the literal catalog of all your files and System parts) with volume and file optimisation (structure and priority placement of mostly visible files and parts). While similar in concept and resulting performance, they are addressed by two different functions.
Now, currently, Alsoft is offering a free copy of PlusOptimizer 1.x with each purchase or upgrade of DiskWarrior 2.0. However, don't let the name fool you. PlusOptimizer is not an optimiser, like it's big brother, Disk ExpressPro, or Norton Speed Disk, but merely a defragmenter; i.e., it can only defragment your files (write them as contiguous files, instead of parts), and not re-order them on your disk for maximum efficiency, i.e., optimised performance*.
One can also minimize the effects of both Directory and file fragmentation, and perhaps more importantly, risk of data loss by using disk partitioning and proper disk-use targeting. For more information see: Partitioning Your Hard Drives
*Note: For simple configurations and very casual usage, defragmenting is often enough, and certainly better than nothing; but for professionals who depend on their Macs for a living, nothing short of true optimisation can be settled for. Also, even folks who just use their Macs frequently for Web surfing can benefit greatly from optimisation versus simple defrag. In fact, anyone can note benefit in just Startup times, application launching, and file Open, Save, Save As... operations, video and audio playback/capture performance, as well as overall System stability and more; for even the home user is also greatly increased. See: Optimisation versus Defragmentation
. . . And What Else?
There are many other features included in TechTool Pro, Norton Utilities, and MacMedic that you will not find in DiskWarrior. The question you have to ask is, just how useful or necessary are these features. Then again, if you're reading this article, you're probably asking me how important these features are. <w>
One very, very important feature, physical media testing and repair, is not included in Disk Warrior, but is included in Apple Drive Setup, TechToolPro, Norton Utilities, and Mac Medic. That said, none of those tools can do that job as well as at least one other. For more information see: Physical Media Repair
. . .And What Else?!
Without getting into a huge product-feature comparison list here, I will say that TechTool Pro does include several hardware testing features, a few of them very helpful, and just about all of them are fun to play with; however, many of them, such as the Memory Test (RAM integrity evaluation) can be obtained separately with freeware and shareware applications specific to each purpose. See: Repair and Troubleshooting
TTP also has an "Optimizer" feature (again, just a defragger, and a very poor one at that), and it conveniently wraps up all these features in one neat package with multiple-levels of user interface (simple, intermediate, etc).
So, while you can certainly assemble nearly all TTP has to offer via other sources, it is rather nice sometimes to have it all wrapped up in one package. Again, however, its Directory and Volume care, as well as its file recovery features pale when compared to DiskWarrior. If you already own TTP (or NUM, etc) I strongly advise you only use their additional features as required, and use DiskWarrior for Volume and Directory care.
Take My Rant, Please.
TechToolPro, as well as Norton, also offer a bunch of other "features" that many users seem enamored with, such as the TTP TrashCache extension, which I like to call the "Help me from doing stupid things with my important files at a high cost to my disk performance and available space." device.
Basically, TrachCache is the City Dump of Finder Enhancements, in that whatever you throw in the Trash and then empty isn't really and immediately gone; you can use the TrashCache control panel to go after stuff you put in the Trash, and then emptied.
Normally, this action would indeed delete the files from the Directory and make it next to impossible to recover intact (experts can get the data back if you really, really need it and can afford it); but Trash Cache keeps that stuff around in the computer equivalent of a landfill, its size set by the user, and the oldest stuff kept at the bottom, constantly being crowded with new loads of waste and eventually is covered (overwritten) when the maximum size is exceeded.
Like that winning Lotto ticket you accidentally threw in the kitchen trash and allowed to be taken away on the garbage truck, TrashCache lets you throw on your dirty boots and speed off to the dump to search for it, hopefully before it is forever covered in rotting coffee grounds and disposable diapers.
The drawback is that, like a landfill, Trash Cache takes up real space, space that you might otherwise want to use for other purposes. It also smells bad, i.e., forces the volume's Directory to continue to keep track of all these (presumably) useless objects, unseen and apparently unneeded by the user, further taxing the Finder and Disk Manager's resources each time you ask for, or give it a new file to deal with. The Norton File Recovery feature is similar in its intended purpose, but more flexible than TTP.
Thankfully, DiskWarrior does not include such a feature to cause trouble.
Tutti Gusti Sono Gusti
So, while I admit that even the best of us will accidentally throw away important things now and again, I, for one, would rather use my common sense and practice alert behavior when managing files, rather than become complacent and downright lazy, expecting a feature that sacrifices my performance and stability to cover my butt if I don't think before I act.
But, thankfully, we're all different creatures with different tastes, and some people are willing to make such tradeoffs in favor of working in a more relaxed, forgiving environment.
I see and identify with that POV, and when we have a better file management system and media device that doesn't slow down my work and thus my income potential, I'll happily adapt to such luxuries. For now, for me, It's as simple as inspecting the contents of the Trash before you execute the command to empty it, and the Finder, in its infinite wisdom, still gives you one last chance with, ". . .Are you sure. . .?"
The Last Word? Not By a Longshot
In other articles in this series, I have and will address in detail other features included, and not included in the major utilities. For the time being, if you want to get my impressions about each utility for each intended purpose, check out my Top Tool Picks article.
Bottom Line
As I said at the outset, DiskWarrior is, without question, your number one pick for Directory care. As soon as you can pop the US$69 for it, I suggest you buy it, and use it in place of any other tool (except the Disk First Aid routine integrated in OS 8.5 and newer's System Resources) for your Volume and Directory care. You'll still need a few other tools now and then, and if you already own TTP or NUM, great, but, trust me, with regular use of DiskWarrior, combined with a good prevention schedule, you'll have rare need for much else.
In part two of this article, I will discuss the new feature of DiskWarrior 2.0*, DiskShield.
*Note: This article is based on the results of using DiskWarrior 1.1, as version 2.0 had not shipped in time for publication. It is our best guess that no functional changes have been made to the core of DiskWarrior's repair and recovery routines, that it is only a bundling release with additional new features.
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Article Created On: 3 February '99
Article last revised on:9 January '00
Author: Frederico
Editor: WebClub '00
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