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Mac Forum / General / Networking / November 2004Mac testing tool?
Where I work we have received a number of Macs that have no OS on them. Frankly I'm a PC guy and don't know much about Macs, we want to be able to boot these machines and do some very basic testing without spending the money for a full OS. In the PC world this is easy, Macs are different (but you knew that!). What tools are out there that we can buy or download to check out these machines? It looks like Norton Utilities might do it, but that is a lot more software than we need, we just want to find out if these machines work. By the way, I've seen the insides of a LOT of computers, and am not easily impressed, but the first time I saw inside of a G4 I was impressed. Neat, elegant design, a really nice piece of work. Thanks in advance. Jeff DeWitt JeffDeWitt@nc.rr.com > Frankly I'm a PC guy and don't know much about Macs, we want to be > able to boot these machines and do some very basic testing without > spending the money for a full OS. In the PC world this is easy, Macs > are different (but you knew that!). Well, you need *some* kind of OS to boot the machine from, whether it's a Mac or a PC. Most disk utilities come with a bare-bones OS on the CD so you can boot from it for testing. But, of course, you still have to buy those utilities. > What tools are out there that we can buy or download to check out > these machines? It looks like Norton Utilities might do it, but that > is a lot more software than we need, we just want to find out if these > machines work. If these are recent machines and will be running OS X (if they're G4s or G5s, that's pretty much a given), then avoid Norton like the plague. It sucks, and has been discontinued for Macs anyway. Check out TechTool Pro. It'll do all kinds of hardware checks as well as the usual hard drive checks. Of course, if you just want to see if they'll boot up, you could try contacting your local Mac user group (MUG). Perhaps someone will let you borrow a copy of the OS. If they're G3s, you're in the gray zone. Some can run OS X, some can run only some versions of OS X, and some can't run OS X at all. Apple's web site or your local MUG should be able to help you figure this out. If you need Mac OS 9, Norton would be okay (though not ideal), but I think TechTool Pro would still be a better option. Oh, and note that if you manage to get hold of a copy of the OS, you can just use the Disk Utility included to do any hard drive checks.  Signature-Thomas <http://www.bitjuggler.com/> > Where I work we have received a number of Macs that have no OS on > them. [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > easily impressed, but the first time I saw inside of a G4 I was > impressed. Neat, elegant design, a really nice piece of work. There are two major disk utility programs for the Mac - Norton (which Symantec is discontinuing) and TechToolPro (Micromat). These are unnecessary for most Mac users for whom Disk Warrior is sufficient. DW does only directory repair, but since this is the most common Mac problem, it is adequate for most users. Cathy Signature"there's a dance or two in the old dame yet." - mehitabel C.Stevenson, M.D. cats1921@invalidsonic.net > Where I work we have received a number of Macs that have no OS on > them. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > JeffDeWitt@nc.rr.com Yellow Dog Linux? http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/ Darwin http://developer.apple.com/darwin/ Bob Harris > Where I work we have received a number of Macs that have no OS on > them. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > spending the money for a full OS. In the PC world this is easy, Macs > are different (but you knew that!). Different, yes, but it's still easy. > What tools are out there that we can buy or download to check out > these machines? It looks like Norton Utilities might do it, but that > is a lot more software than we need, we just want to find out if these > machines work. For the past several years, Macs have shipped with a diagnostic CD that can be used for exactly the purpose you describe. If you've got one of these or can get one, it would probably be the best choice. If not, personally I'd get a copy of Tech Tool Pro (see <http://www.micromat.com/>> and use that. You can boot the Macs from a Tech Tool Pro CD, and the Tech Tool application will do detailed hardware analysis in addition to fixing corrupted hard drives. SignatureTom "Tom" Harrington Macaroni, Automated System Maintenance for Mac OS X. Version 2.0: Delocalize, Repair Permissions, lots more. See http://www.atomicbird.com/ <snip> > For the past several years, Macs have shipped with a diagnostic CD that > can be used for exactly the purpose you describe. If you've got one of > these or can get one, it would probably be the best choice. Do those CDs work across different models? I know I have gotten one with each computer, but I don't remember getting one with the Panther "universal" disks. If I did, I can't find it. Since the disks troubleshoot hardware, it would be difficult to make a universal version. Cathy > If not, personally I'd get a copy of Tech Tool Pro (see > <http://www.micromat.com/>> and use that. You can boot the Macs from a > Tech Tool Pro CD, and the Tech Tool application will do detailed > hardware analysis in addition to fixing corrupted hard drives. Signature"there's a dance or two in the old dame yet." - mehitabel C.Stevenson, M.D. cats1921@invalidsonic.net > <snip> > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > troubleshoot hardware, it would be difficult to make a universal > version. The label on the CD suggests that they don't work across different models. I've never tried it to see if the labeling can be believed. SignatureTom "Tom" Harrington Macaroni, Automated System Maintenance for Mac OS X. Version 2.0: Delocalize, Repair Permissions, lots more. See http://www.atomicbird.com/ >> <snip> >> [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > The label on the CD suggests that they don't work across different > models. I've never tried it to see if the labeling can be believed. Which is what this boils down to: try it and see. It's unlikely that anything is wrong with the OP's bevy of Macs unless someone's been inside the cases monkeying around. If nothing else, seeing if they'll boot will be informative. If they boot, run the Disk Utility and format teh drives to HFS+ if they are not already. Try an install. There's nothing to lose but an hour or two. > Where I work we have received a number of Macs that have no OS on > them. [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > JeffDeWitt@nc.rr.com OpenBSD http://www.openbsd.org Serge |
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