[danvendel]

I bought TT Pro, and it's boasting a feature called "eDrive". What they're saying is that by hitting a button, TT will create a "partition" on any disk which will contain the basic OSX plus TT Pro and I will be able to boot from that "partition" and repair/diagnose the actual system on the same disk. The installation of the "eDrive" will not affect the other system or files on the disk, they claim.
To my knowledge, there is no way one can create a partition on a disk without wiping out the entire disk, so I'm not too eager to test this without getting some confirmation from someone who actually have done it.
So, can someone provide some input on this?
TIA
Dan
PS: If you have any other viewpoints about TT's features, e.g. the defragmentation or whatever, I'm eager to know.

[DPG4450Guy]

Go here:
http://www.macfixitf...&Board=micromat
Micromat will answer you directly.

[albloom]

Actually, one can partition an in-use drive without
reformatting. You can find at least one app in
versiontrackercom that does so.
That said, creation of eDrive works flawlessly. On
my systems and on those of everyone I've heard from
on several forums. And its a heckuvalot faster boot
than from the CD.
And you can update the TTP via download instead of
buying/creating a new CD. And you can copy Disk
Warrior onto the eDrive, to have all the tools in
the same place. Can't do Norton -- too complex.
Short answer: Good product. No sweat.

[Rugby]

Agree, have an edrive on my external LaCie Firewire and it is faster to boot from. You will hardly notice the edrive axcept at at booting the computer when it is displayed for a shortg second.
Only caution is that if you are a running a series of diagnostics via Techtool it can give you a " negative" response" until you remove the edrive, run the hard drive diagnostics etc. and reinstall (at least in my case)

[danvendel]

Thanks for replies, all.
The eDrive is installed.
Dan

[Philbert]

eDrive - schmeeDrive!
Just set up a small partition, load it with the apps you use for repair/maintainence and be done with it! It's what many have done for years, including myself. I never trust using software trickery over the real deal. Since you need to back up everything before making an eDrive anyway, I see no benefit whatsoever to using it.
(And yes, I've set up an eDrive with TT. It worked but seemed rather flaky. Thanks, but I'd rather have a real partition.)

[danvendel]

Thanks Philbert,
But that's no option, and too late now. I have no desire to wipe everything off the disk and start all over. In case of emergency, I have a number of CD:s (DiskWarrior, Drive10, TT) I can use. Just thought I'd try the eDrive thingy.
Cheers,
Dan

[Philbert]

I understand the "too late" part (we cross-posted), but "no option"? Why wouldn't it be an option? Unless you mean because you couldn't, or didn't want to back everything up before making it. If so, you took a huge risk of losing data. I've even had the much touted, PartitionMagic for PCs make mince-meat of my drives when making a new partition. They claim in-place partitions too ...
Glad it worked out (so far), for you but I still say there's absolutely no benefit to an eDrive.
/forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Grant_G]

I agree. I have an eDrive on my wife's iMac, but much prefer the "maintenance partition" I made on my external Firewire drive to it. Also, Rugby posted that he added an eDrive to his external. My question is (??). I mean, WHY? An eDrive is meant as an emergency repair mechanism on the main drive that it's installed on. Setting up a standard partition on the external greatly simplifies everything, especially when you consider the very quirky way TTP takes over the eDrive when it's active. Not to mention the simplicity of adding Disk Utility and DiskWarrior to it, something that can be done on an eDrive, but not easily or intuitively.
G

[albloom]

Dunno how to tell you this, Philbert. I didn't back up anything
before installing eDrive. And I don't know anyone who did.
Software trickery? Pulleeze! The fine folk at MicroMat do
nothing less than software chicanery! /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
C'mon! Micromat has been doing such good work for the Mac
community for so many years that you'd think someone might
have noticed had they started behaving like, say, Symantec.
And here I thought I was this forum's resident curmudgeon.

[Grant_G]

Oooh, no. Phil's been around ... and been curmudgeoning ... for a long time now. Best thing is, there's not a bad bone in his body and everything he says is with the best intentions, based on his own experience. If he thinks something isn't right or necessary, he'll say so. And he'll never call you a schmuck for doing otherwise. I've noticed too how helpful you are, Al. Great to have another like you -- and Phil -- around!
Also I'm glad you've had such good experiences with Micromat. Mine have been otherwise for more than a year now. Total oblivion to my pleas for help during the long wait for TTP 4 (it was almost nine months late, with no intermediate development of TTP 3). Nary an email answered, and I had been an annual subscriber for several years. I'll say this in their behalf: they didn't "cash my check" until it was finally time to ship it though.
G

[Grant_G]

Also, "nothing less than software chicanery???"

In reply to:

---

Definitions of chicanery on the Web:
trickery: the use of tricks to deceive someone (usually to extract money from them)
www.cogsci.princeton.edu/cgi-bin/webwn


Chicanery (sh-kne-r) noun. 1 Mean or unfair artifice to perplex a cause and obscure the truth; stratagem; sharp practice; sophistry.
www.mindspring.com/~bartgr91/definitions.html

Trickery; clever but misleading talk; deception.
www.diallo.net/glossary.htm


n 1) Deceptive trickery. Good times. 2) Jackassery; Skullduggery; Tomfoolery. [Fr. "chicanerie"] She was so annoyed with their constant chicanery, she screamed the ultimate vulgarity: "Boo you."
www.personal.psu.edu/users/p/j/pjs237/dictionary.html

---

Are you sure you meant to use that word?
G /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[Philbert]

Curmudgeon? Moi? /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Nah ... I just calls 'em as I sees 'em.

In reply to:

---

Dunno how to tell you this, Philbert. I didn't back up anything before installing eDrive. And I don't know anyone who did.

---

Oh gosh. I didn't realize .... sorry. That certainly makes all the difference! If you and those you know didn't back anything up, I stand corrected. </heavy_sarcasm> /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
Seriously, all that proves is that you didn't mind risking the data on the drive. Guess what? When I installed the eDrive, I didn't back anything up either. But it was on my (sometime test-ground), Powerbook where NO essential data is stored. Never, EVER would I have attempted it on a drive where important files were kept without making sure I had a current backup. Which again, throws any advantage of using an eDrive out the window. If someone goes to the trouble of making a current backup, they might as well wipe the drive and partition the old-fashioned way. And as I said, the eDrive was funky - too proprietary. If it made an actual partition, I might see some benefit - but not when I have to jump through hoops to install other stuff.
(btw, albloom - my post frequency has dropped considerably over the last 6 months but I do check-in now and again even if I don't make a post. Grant's right - you are a valuable contributor to the forums. It's long overdue (from me), but consider this my official welcome.)
Shucks, Grant ... back at ya' buddy. Thanks. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[Nobody]

Dan,
Many of us who believe that having multiple partitions on each drive is a good idea for several reasons, have been using the practice just suggested to you; I have been doing it since the days of SCSI drives. It allows you to have an opportunity to repair your main volume, should something go wrong an at the very least salvage files from he effected volume. By using multiple volumes and devoting one volume primarily to all the repair utility you own, you increase the odds of succeeding. For additional safety, you can also buy an external Firewire drive and have a full backup (cloning via CCC) of your main drive. this way, not only you can safely repair the internal drive/volumes but you have a duplicate of all your files, applications etc, which makes for a tremendous amount of savings in time should the internal drive need a reformat or replacement.
In the past utilities such as TTP could run from the CD (bootable) but these days things have become a little tricky and not only the CD booting is excruciatingly slow, in 10.3.x it may actually at times cause damage to the files when one attempts to repair the internal volumes on HD.... some of the reasons why Micromat ended up with convoluted eDrive scheme.
Even if you like a single volume on your drive, you could always buy an external FW drive, larger in capacity and have a fail-safe method of backup and repair.