APS PowerTools 6.4 Updater (APS Updater 6.4) is now Mac OS 9.1 compliant and fixes a host of issues and provides the latest firmware update for your APS Tech USB/FireWire drives. Fixes include better handling of ATA, SCSI, FireWire and USB disk drives, reliable password protection, FireWire booting on selected Macintoshes with built-in FireWire ports, better plug & play USB/FireWire operations, optional 64KB block size capability for HFS+ partitions, and improved compatibility with Mac systems running Mac OS 7.5.3 up to 9.1.
UPDATE INSTRUCTIONS
(For APS PowerTools 6.0 to 6.3.2)
1. Before installing PowerTools 6.4 Updater, it is recommended that you backup your drive first and disable any running applications.
2. Launch and install the APS Updater 6.4, select the previous APS PowerTools version and the installer will automatically update the APS PowerTools Control Panel, FireWire APS Driver, USB APS DiskDriver, and USB APS DiskUTDriver to version 6.4.
3. Once successfully installed. Launch APS PowerTools from the Control Panels within the Apple Menu or double-click the APS PowerTools icon inside the Tools of the Trade 6.4 Folder.
NOTE: If PowerTools sees the APS Tech drive as "unknown", more than likely there is another driver controlling the APS Tech drive. Please see step 5. If APS PowerTools does recognize the APS Tech drive correctly, proceed with step 4.
4. Select your APS Tech drive icon and click on the Setup button, check the "Update Driver Software" box and click "Update". This will update the previous APS PowerTools drivers to version 6.4 and leaves the data on the drive untouched.
NOTE: If the "Update Driver Software" box is grayed out or cannot be selected, it may be because:
- The drive was previously formatted with Apple’s Drive Setup or another 3rd party formatting utility. APS PowerTools 6.4 will not update drives with 3rd party drivers installed. You must select the drive and use APS PowerTools to create a new file system (reformat the drive). WARNING!!! This will erase all data on your drive, so be sure to backup the drive first.
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- The drive has already been updated to the latest version of APS PowerTools. No driver update is necessary.
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- APS PowerTools does not install drivers on USB Hard Disk Drives, only on SCSI, ATA, and FireWire drives. Loading of USB drives are managed by APS's USB drivers or Apple’s USB Mass Storage Drivers located in the Extensions Folder inside the System Folder.
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5. If APS PowerTools 6.4 sees a APS Tech drive as "unknown" and the drive cannot be reformatted or updated, please follow the troubleshooting steps below. Instructions are primarily for APS Tech USB/FireWire drives on Macintoshes with built-in USB and/or FireWire ports running Mac OS 8.6 to 9.1.
- Disconnect your USB/FireWire drive(s).
- Go to Apple Menu, Control Panel, and open the Extensions Manager.
- Within Extensions Manager, go to the View menu and select "as Packages".
- Scroll and click the Selected Set pull-down menu and select Mac OS 8.x Base or Mac OS 9.x Base.
- Click the Duplicate Set button and rename the set as "Base + APS PowerTools 6.4" and click OK. Scroll down in the Extension Manager and click on the square box before the APS Hard Disk Management icon, then click Restart.
- Once at the Mac desktop, run APS PowerTools and then plug-in and power-on the USB/FireWire drive. Wait for approximately 15-30 seconds and PowerTools should be able to recognize and control the APS Tech drive. If drive is not being recognized, hit the Scan button several times and double-check that the drive is connected to the Mac’s built-in USB/FireWire ports and is powered on.
