DiskWarrior Overview | Macworld

Value When Reviewed

$119.95 (plus $8.95 for transport flash drive)

Finest Costs Immediately: DiskWarrior

For over 20 years, software program developer Alsoft has been cranking out a number of the greatest utility software program accessible for the Mac. And in case you’ve been a techie at any time between 1998 and now, you’ll know that DiskWarrior was the tried-and-true utility to assist dig by a broken arduous drive. Whoever had the vaunted DiskWarrior CD-ROM might boot off this, rebuild corrupted directories, and both get the drive operating properly once more or no less than put it able the place the working system might mount it and information could possibly be recovered from it, and nobody appeared to do it higher than Alsoft and its Mac-specific focus.

Quick ahead to 2024 and model 5.3.1 of its DiskWarrior utility and issues are in good condition, however really feel as in the event that they’re beginning to be left behind the place software program and file system assist.

Learn how DiskWarrior compares to different options for recovering information from a Mac arduous drive.

DiskWarrior, which helps Mac OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) or later, retails for $119.95 for brand new customers and $59.95 for customers upgrading to the brand new model, continues to assist the HFS+ format, in addition to a wide selection of protocols together with FireVault 1 and a pair of, Core Storage for Fusion dries, RAID configurations, and disk pictures and sparse bundles however has but to be upgraded to assist the APFS format, which is turning into increasingly more prevalent on new Macs and the file system customary that Apple is pushing its customers in the direction of. The software program, which has moved on from its traditional CD-ROM format, now arrives as a bootable USB flash drive that can be utilized in addition your Mac in a pinch, and might readily sort out all Macs operating HFS+ format volumes. You pay additional for the transport of this flash drive ($8.95 within the U.S. $21.95 exterior the U.S.), and there’s no possibility to not choose it throughout buy.

DiskWarrior’s ease of use has by no means let up for a second, and it’s easy to obtain the software program after paying for it, set up it, open it, wait a number of moments for DiskWarrior to begin system providers, learn by accessible volumes in your Mac (which is able to kick off the spinning rainbow wheel, if solely briefly), and get to work. It’s right here that the software program nonetheless excels in working with faltering volumes, and will get all the way down to enterprise when it comes to finding corrupted directories, rebuilding file buildings, and repairing the usual put on and tear that happens inside file programs to get your information again so as.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

All through my testing, it was simple to mount and unmount drives and volumes, carry out fast exams on them, simply carry up technical specs, arrange automated diagnostics within the desire settings, in addition to notifications by alerts, emails, AppleScript packages, or textual content messages, and it felt as if an ideal program hadn’t misplaced a step. This was the DiskWarrior I liked, and I felt if I ran throughout a severely broken quantity, I’d have what I wanted to kind issues out and get to the info I wanted, the software program inspiring the identical confidence it had all these years in the past.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

That’s the excellent news.

The dangerous information comes with the cruel actuality that DiskWarrior 5.3.1 continues to lack assist for the APFS customary, that increasingly more drives are heading in the direction of this file system, and that the corporate’s relative silence as to this matter isn’t reassuring. A consultant inside the firm confirmed that Alsoft is at present engaged on model 6.0, which is able to provide full APFS assist, but additionally famous that adjustments from Apple’s ends, corresponding to not permitting third-party kernel extensions and different technical adjustments have made the event course of that rather more tough and created extra roadblocks than had been present in creating earlier variations of DiskWarrior. The consultant cited Alsoft’s good relationship with Apple, however famous that there was no official date for DiskWarrior 6.0, as tedious as this may be.

Foundry

Foundry

Foundry

Lastly, the dearth of a free trial model of DiskWarrior 5.3.1 brings potential prospects up in opposition to the cruel actuality of a steep new consumer value and a considerably steep improve value, particularly when the software program lacks APFS assist and might solely work with sure volumes.

Must you purchase DiskWarrior?

Generally an ideal utility will get caught in improvement, and it’s arduous to know what the developer’s subsequent steps may be. There’s nonetheless an ideal utility available right here, however it wants to determine its path, and if that features semi-heated negotiations with Apple to completely assist APFS, so be it. Alsoft must put itself able the place it could actually readily announce that an up to date model shall be out at a given date and that it’s going to provide APFS assist, which is able to enable it to stay a aggressive product. Till that time is reached, it’s arduous to guess as to what DiskWarrior’s destiny could also be, one thing the shopper by no means needs to listen to earlier than making a purchase order.