Troubleshooting utility news and updates

Our utilities update report is a column on updates for Mac utilities that have been released in the past week. Though a utility can be any tool that helps you perform a routine task (including image manipulation and synchronization), our focus in this column is on bringing you those tools that help in troubleshooting Mac hardware and software problems. This week there were updates to a couple of maintenance utilities, one file duplicate management tool, and two file recovery utilities.

Maintenance

Two popular cleaning and maintenance programs have been updated this past week. OnyX is a free utility that interfaces with a number of built-in maintenance routines in OS X, and can help keep temporary files and cache repositories in proper working condition. The latest update is a beta release but it does add options to purge inactive memory and manage installed packages in OS X, in addition to enabling or disabling virtual memory swapping. Beside these new features the program has improved the management of browser histories and optimized the maintenance and automation panels.

Beside OnyX, the utility MacCleanse was also updated. This latest version fixes problems with the CUPS maintenance script being missing for some users, and also adds an option to use the program's "Scan and Delete" feature. The program is $19.95 for a license.

File management and recovery

The other utilities updated this week are for file management and recovery. The tool TidyUp!, which is used to manage duplicate files on the hard drive and locally mounted file systems, has been updated to implement a small usability feature that allows you to check items in the results list with a press of the space bar. Other than that, the program also addresses numerous small bug fixes. TidyUp! is a $30 utility and may be beneficial to people who regularly copy folders to different drives.

The final two updates this week are for recovery utilities, both of which are very reputable options. The first is for Data Rescue, from the makers of Drive Genius. Data Rescue is a relatively long-standing file recovery option for OS X that will learn file structure information from existing file types and then better locate and recover any that have been inadvertently deleted. The latest update adds and improves recovery for a number of file types, and also adds support for exFAT and SMART monitoring during scans, which can be useful if you are recovering from a drive that has failed. Beside these options, a number of bug fixes and improvements to existing features have been implemented. The program is $99 for a license.

The second file recovery software update is for the new Disk Drill utility. This program offers a unique approach to file recovery by actively monitoring your drive during normal use, and cataloging file metadata information so details such as file names can be properly recovered along with the files. The latest update adds options for viewing drive temperature in different units, and implements a new recovery core that produces quicker and more accurate results. It also fixes a couple of reported crash situations in the program. The basic Disk Drill tool is free, but licensing for advanced recovery and deployment options can cost between $89 and $299 for a license.

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