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Helpful programs for Apple OS X users.
 technofile
Al Fasoldt's reviews and commentaries, continuously available online since 1983

T h e   R o a d   L e s s   T r a v e l e d
The best utiity software for Mac OS X: Programs to clean up the system, rescue files and more


June 11, 2006


By Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2006, Al Fasoldt
Copyright © 2006, The Post-Standard

   It's no surprise that there are far more utility programs for Windows than there are for Mac OS X.
   Utilities -- programs that solve a particular problem or perform maintenance of one kind or another -- are especially needed for Windows PCs. This is true partly because Microsoft left out many functions that are found in Mac OS X, leaving those tasks to extra utility software, and partly because Windows is so frail and unreliable that it needs the ministrations of multiple utilities (and perhaps of The Higher Power Himself) to continue to run properly.
   But Mac OS X does need an occasional utility now and then, in five broad categories:
   CLEANUP SOFTWARE: OS X does its own cleanup operations every now and then, getting rid of old temporary files and other junk. Unfortunately, these cleanup routines are scheduled in the middle of the night, so it won't run if your Mac isn't turned on then. (A dumb design? You bet. But Apple fixed this in current OS X Macs by having the Tiger version of OS X run the cleanup while your Mac is running if it was missed at its scheduled time.)
   If you're not running Tiger (the base version is OS X 10.4), you can install a utility that will run the cleanup routines at any time. MacJanitor is what I use. There are others that do the same thing, and they're probably just as good in most ways, but MacJanitor has an outstanding interface and has never let me down. Get MacJanitor from http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill/macjanitor.html. It's free.
   DISK AID: Mac OS X has a capable disk utility (called Disk Utility, of course) in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. It's able to fix minor disk problems and is the program you should use when you add a new disk (as a second hard drive, for example) to your Mac; it will get the disk ready for use. Disk Utility also checks and repairs disks. Most power users already know that Disk Utility repairs "permissions" on an OS X disk, too. Permissions are crazy, stupid, dumb and outlandish properties of files and folders in OS X, and they don't get messed up often. But when they do, you need Disk Utility a LOT.
   Also helpful is a free utility called WhatSize, which quickly shows the size of every item on your drives. WhatSize can help you locate and delete monstrous files or folders that were left over when a program was terminated abruptly. It freed up 20 gigabytes on the four drives my main Mac uses. Get WhatSize from http://www.id-design.com/software/whatsize/index.php.
   For serious disk problems, Drive Genius is a smart choice. It's $99 to keep but free to try. Get it from http://www.prosoftengineering.com/index.php.
   If the problem is a CD that is damaged or seems blank when you know there's something on it -- this kind of thing happens a lot -- try FileSalvage from www.subrosasoft.com. It's free to try, $90 to buy.
   FILE RESCUE: FileSalvage, mentioned above, is my utility of choice when you need to restore files after you've deleted them (and emptied the trash!) or when you can't seem to access files from a disk that's malfunctioning. It works unerringly. Another utility that has never let me down rescuing files is Data Rescue II from the folks who make Drive Genius. Try for free or pay $99 to buy, from http://www.prosofteng.com.
   SYSTEM TWEAKS: Apple left many options hidden in OS X. My favorite tweak is changing the system fonts. You can do that and much more with Tinker Tool, from www.bresink.com/osx/TinkerTool.html. It's free and essential. If you choose one utility, it should be Tinker Tool.
   PRUNERS: Your OS X computer has menus and documentation in every language known to humankind -- or at least to Apple. Save hundreds of megabytes of space by getting rid of the ones you don't want. Do it with DeLocalizer, free from www.bombich.com/software/local.html. The Web site says the software hasn't been tested with current OS X versions, which is true. But I know users who have had no trouble with DeLocalizer on OS X Tiger. Note: You will have to reinstall the operating system if you mess things up with this utility. Be careful. Don't blame anyone else if you make a dreadful mistake.