Micromat Released Universal Binaries of TechTool Protege and DiskStudio

Micromat released 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. 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. Current owners of TechTool Protege may purchase the TechTool Protege CD Update from Micromat for $25.

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 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 will be available to current owners of DiskStudio for $25.

For more information, visit the Micromat Web site. [Bill Fox]