Micromat has announced the “imminent” release of TechTool Pro 4.5.1, a new version of their diagnostic and repair program for Mac OS X. Most notable in this new release is the software’s status as a Universal Binary that runs natively on Intel and PowerPC-based Macs. TechTool Pro costs $98; version 4 customers can upgrade for $25.
TechTool Pro ships on a bootable Mac OS X DVD, and includes optimization and defragmentation software, the abilit yto create an emergency repair partition; scheduled diagnostics and protection; e-mail notification when things go awry; volume structure rebuild and more.
“Unlike most application software, more than a simple re-compile of the program was required to support the new Intel-based Macs,” said the developers in a statement. “Because TechTool Pro 4 works 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 program.”
The 4.5 DVD update will be automatically mailed for free to current subscribers of Micromat’s TechTool Quarterly subscription service.
TechTool Pro 4 is also included as part of the TechTool Protege, a FireWire-based flash drive that also includes DiskStudio, a disk partitioning utility. Micromat said it’s working on an upgrade for TechTool Protege that supports Intel-based Macs.
TechTool Pro 4.5.1 will ship in early June. A public beta is now available for current owners of TechTool Pro 4.