<b>You <i>can</i> get MacTools 4.0.0 after all

Previously, we discussed how MacTools may solve some problems that Norton Utilities does not solve. Unfortunately, the last released versions of MacTools (4.0.3 and 4.0.4) do not work in Mac OS 8. Earlier versions work but they are no longer available. Many readers, wanting to get an earlier version, appeared out of luck.

Happily, Richard Kunert has come up with what is at least a partial solution. He writes:

"In 1995, Symantec distributed a MacTools emergency disk with enablers for some new machines. They were able to distribute it on Info-Mac because you need MacTools FastCopy to open it and copy the contents to a floppy (so anyone without some version of MacTools could not use it)." It's still on Info-Mac. To download the file [1867K], click here.

Richard adds some hints on getting the file to work:

1. MacTools FastCopy may not work on some newer Macs and/or with newer Mac OS's. If so, you will have to find an older system to access this file.

Update: Several readers have now pointed out that ShrinkWrap 3.0 can mount FastCopy files.

2. The MacTools Clinic on the disk is a stripped down, low graphics version with an unusual name; it's called "Finder." If you can't boot from the disk, you can simply copy the "Finder" file to your hard disk, rename it and run it from there. However, you will probably want to change its Type from "FNDR" to "APPL" (using a utility such as Snitch). Increasing the file's RAM allocation may help speed things up. (Thanks also, George Papanicolaou.)