1st Aid Kit, by Datawatch Corp. (formerly 1stAid Software)
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Audience Level: Novice to Intermediate.
A general trouble-shooting package, including file and disk recovery. The main feature of the system is its 300-page manual. This manual describes many of the errors a user may receive, including printing/Chooser errors, memory problems, and Finder messages (such as, "Trash could not be emptied,") and lists procedures to solve that problem. It also includes detailed information on what can go wrong with a disk, and how 1st Aid Kit can fix it. The manual is fully indexed and cross-referenced.
It includes a software program intended to aid in the recovery and identification of lost or deleted files, and also contains capabilities for extracting files from crashed disks. It does NOT alter the original crashed disk, or offer sector editing. This program contains extensive on-line help.
The File menu includes: Eject All, Archive volume Info, Check for Uninitialized Disk, Erase Deleted Files, Initialize, Help, and Quit.
The Edit menu includes: Undo, Cut, Copy, Paste, Clear, and Help.
The Disk Repair menu includes: Diagnose & Recover, Salvage Files by Tags, Zero Out Bad Sectors, Fix Boot Blocks, and Help.
The File Repair menu includes: Work on File, Undelete Files, Rejoin File, and Help.
Disk First Aid v7.2, by Apple Computer, Inc.
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Audience Level: Novice to Expert
Disk First Aid is a utility which verifies the directory structure of any hierarchical file system (HFS) based storage volume. Many hard disk drives, floppy disk and compact disk (CD) drives are examples of HFS-based storage volumes.
If imperfections are found within a volume, Disk First Aid can be used as a "first step" to repair the defects/ if a volume has suffered several corruption other utility programs or repair methods may need to be used.
Disk First Aid 7.2 (released August 1993) checks for and repairs following volume attributes:
• Disk volume
• Extent B-tree
• Extent File
• Catalog B-tree
• Catalog File
• Catalog Hierarchy
• Volume Info
• Search for locked volume name
You can save the results of a verification or repair scan as a TeachText (text) document.
Disk First Aid cannot scan for deleted or trashed files or folders on a volume. There are several third party products which perform these tasks, however.
FEdit, by MacMaster Systems
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Audience Level: Intermediate to Expert
This is a Block Editing system for HFS and MFS floppies and hard disks.
Version 1.0.5 lets you open either a file or disk volume for examining and editing. You can read sectors in their raw form, or view the VIB, Boot Blocks, and file headers in an interpreted form. You can perform sequential and multiple read/writes using multiple block buffers. Editing and display can be set to Hex or ASCII. File options allow you to open either the Data or Resource fork, and even exchange them. Search capabilities let you enter either Hex or ASCII data, and will even search the sector tags if present. Special options let you create or delete files, set the end of a file, recreate the volume bit map, analyze the state of file fragmentation, and recover deleted files. Support for HFS file recovery and display is not fully implemented.
Version 2.0 now contains support for full HFS recovery, including the use of sector tags for file recovery and low-level SCSI routines.
MacTools, by Central Point Software, Inc.
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(Disk Editor and File Utility included with Copy II Mac)
Audience Level: Intermediate to Expert
This program includes: Copy files/disk, rename files/disk, verify that a file/disk has no errors, view and edit file and disk sectors, format a disk, delete a file, lock and unlock files, make file visible or invisible to the Finder, protect or unprotect files from normal copying, change the startup application on a disk to something other than the Finder, recover deleted files and repair some damaged disk, look or change the information stored on disk, print a list of files on the disk.
MacTools offers two methods of files recovery. The first uses the tag information on floppies and hard disks that support them. The second involves an INIT program that saves information about deleted files into a data file as they are deleted. A routine in MacTools can then be used to extract that information and recover the deleted files.
MacTools also offers a limited form of disk recovery. If a disk cannot be mounted (the Finder displays the "This disk is damaged" dialog box,) you can use MacTools to mount the disk, erasing the directory at the same time. If the disk supports tags, you can use MacTools to recover them. If you don't want to erase the directory, you can use a disk editor provided with MacTools to examine and patch the disk.
MacZap, by Micro Analyst
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Audience Level: Intermediate to Expert
This is a three-part disk and memory utility. It contains many programs that can be used to recover some damaged files and disks, to compare disks, analyze disk structure, and make back-up copies of most disks.
Version 5.0 includes Disk Clinic, a program that helps diagnose a disk and recommends recovery procedures.
Norton Utilities v2.0.3, by Symantec
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Audience Level: Novice to Expert
Data recovery, disk repair and backup Macintosh Plus or larger; 2 MB of RAM (3 MB for System 7); hard disk drive; System 6.0.4 or later.
Norton Utilities for Macintosh combines and enhances the features from two products: SUM II and Norton Utilities. The combination of these two products results in a utility software package that offers fully integrated advanced disk repair and recovery, automatic backup, data security, productivity tools and system enhancements in one informative, easy-to-use product. Version 2.0.3 goes deeper to recover lost or damaged data in a wider variety of circumstances, and the Norton Disk Doctor diagnoses and repairs damaged hard disks and floppies automatically with a single click of the mouse. Norton Utilities allows users to protect valuable data and make day-to-day functions a breeze.
Public Utilities by 5th Generation Systems (bought by Symantec)
