Do I Need TechTool Pro For My New MacBook Pro?

[PKfanSteph]

I used TechTool Pro regularly with my PowerBook G3 (wall street) running OS 8.6, for repair. recovery, and defragmentation. It saved my life hundreds of times in the PB's later years Now that their UB version is out, I can upgrade my copy of v3 for $59. I understand OSX does it's own defragmenting, and I'm planning on purchasing AppleCare before the year is out (as soon as my wallet recovers from the first $2500!). If memory serves, that comes with some version of TechTool. So do I even need to buy TechTool Pro?

Thanks,

[torifile]

I've never needed it with OS X. Of course, YMMV, so it's up to you. If you can afford the $59, it couldn't hurt. It's a good app, as far as I can tell. But, again, I've never needed it.

[PKIDelirium]

TechTool Pro !?!?!?!

Ewwwww.... Don't do it.

[intlplby]

techtool pro used to be very good back in the day, but it's not as good as it used to be

if you get one, diskwarrior is the way to go. however i don't think it is universal yet.

i had techtools pro corrupt 2 hard drives and the only way i was able to recover my info was with DataRescue x

[Brad]

I've read mostly just horror stories regarding TTP. I dared try it on one of my partitions and TTP ruined it worse than it was before it started. I was able to recover it with other means, but TTP was less than worthless.

[scratt]

Yet another reason not to use the snake oil that is TTP...

December 13, 2006

Micromat, Publishing Your Mac's Serial Number

Did you know that when you install TechToolPro 4 it is constantly running an anti-piracy service? Did you know that it was sending your serial number out to every other Mac on your network? I didn't think so.

Micromat slipped some broad and sweeping anti-piracy measures into a TechToolPro update awhile back. TechToolProtection, the daemon that constantly runs on every Mac installed with TechToolPro, does much more than "protect" your Mac, as its name implies.

TechToolProtection starts a Bonjour service that is constantly broadcasting critical pieces of information about your Mac to other systems... information that anyone on a network subnet can read.

But, that's the least of your worries. It also broadcasts your Mac's serial number. This is something that even Microsoft refuses to do with their most stringent anti-piracy measures. Even Microsoft agrees that publishing your machine's serial number can place it at-risk for security attacks, as well as accessing your personal information.

Gaining your Mac's serial number can be used for pretexting with Apple, accessing insurance information about you, and places your identity at risk. Not to mention that should there be a recall on your Mac, anyone can claim parts for your Mac, and pocket the cash selling them.

I loathe TechTool Pro, almost as much as I loathe Norton, but this just takes the biscuit for stupidity and evilnessTM.

Source : http://www.powerpage.org/2006/12/micromat_publishing_your_macs_serial_number.html

[SpecMode]

And yet again I find myself tempted to post scratt's best (IMHO) reminder of why not to use TTP:

http://www.extremesportscafe.com/hosting_offsite/ttp_image.jpg

(I think I'm going to play around with the new Photoshop CS3 beta by making an alternative version of that dialog box. :D )