MacCheck

Unfortunately you get what you pay for with this App. Speed that it runs hardware tests, it make it seem very cursory to me and it may be limited to finding only major issues which are likely tp make themselves evident in some manner before running the test. The results from the tests seem quite limited and they give me a feeling that they are not likely to pinpoint the location of the exact error such is indicating which memory card has gone bad as many of other memory tests often do. It is not possible to select a particular test to be run. It has to be all or nothing. The bar indicator seems to be a poor indication of the actual time it takes to run all the tests. With my tests the progress went to around 75% during the first 5 minutes and hung there for over 30 minutes which it check my backup drives which are 2TB each. After 20 minutes of testing the progress bar did not budge beyond the 75% mark. The program will totally freeze your machine while testing your primary drive. Nothing will respond, not even force quit. The only extits from this state are either to wait until it has finished checking your primary drive, or shut the machine down with the power button, or pull the plug or battery. Drive tests seem to be very slow, even for 2TB drives which would naturally take longer. While this test might have value for computer users that are not particularly computer literate, but just know how to use the Apps they need to use, I do not fined it that useful for those that are more knowledgeable about computer workings and are seeking a tool that will provide relevant information that will lead the user to the precise issue. For this function I feel there are far more useful tools for this purpose, with some of them being totally free. So if you are looking for an app that will give you a simple yes or no to if your computer is running correctly this tool might suit your needs. Otherwise I would suggest looking for another product. Given the concerns about registering to us the app, which in this age seems to be a quite valid concern, I have a suggestion for this concern. What I have done is created a 'junk' email account on gmail, with a 'dummy' name' and physical location and supply it with just enough information, often false,, to created the account. that is the email address I use when I have privacy concerns or junk mail concerns. The only time I actually send anything out of that email address is to verify that I wanted to create an account for the website in question. Other than that I never monitor the email address and only log into it on a monthly or longer basis just to clear out any emails in mass, without reading them to clean out the account for new ones. That usually takes less than 5 minutes to trash dozens to hundreds of messages. Because of the way I use it, I assume anything sent to it is junk and does not need to be read. This gives me access to the site or App without revealing any personal information. Doing this has proven to be a timesaver and reduce the proliferation of junk mail in my main account.

I expect MacCheck is an app for people who are new to system maintenance. Like other utilities out there today it does a basic system check. Unlike most of the others, MacCheck is made by a longtime, reputable Mac utility developer, Micromat. They stepped in when Apple introduced Mac OS X and Morton Utilities abandoned their own well regarded Mac utility set, headlined by Disk Doctor. I used Norton Utilities for years, from Mac OS 7 through system 9 and was more than a little distressed to see them go. Before Mac OS X, Micromat made a free utility called TechTool (before the Pro days) that did some of the same things MacCheck does now, though available system tests were less extensive in those days. Just as TechTool provided a bridge to TechTool Pro, no doubt MacCheck is intended as an introduction to Micromat for those who have not yet used TTP. They also have an app called CheckMate that runs in the background, more or less continually monitoring system performance. It includes many of the tests that MacCheck does but doesn't wait for you to launch it to do the tests. And CheckMate is relatively expensive at $49.99. It's fine if you like to have your system monitored in the background on an ongoing basis. I own CheckMate but don't use it because you have to uninstall it to turn it off. I find that annoying. YMMV. In regard to giving Micromat your e-mail address, in the more than two decades I've been using Micromat products they've never bothered me with unwanted or unnecessary e-mails. They use your e-mail address to keep track of your license code. If you actually buy a Micromat product they require you to set up an account that will keep track of all your software licenses and provides download links for the latest versions. I can understand why people who are not familiar with Micromat might find the need to give them your e-mail address to be off-putting. But in my long experience with the developer they've never taken improper advantage of my contact information. So, to review the app. It has a straightforward interface that's easy for novice users to understand. As has been pointed out by others, MacCheck is a monitoring and not a repair utility. You won't have to worry about fixing stuff until it finds a problem. Of course some people prefer not to think about problems until something seriously impacts their systems. If you're one of those ostrich people then MacCheck is not for you. On the other hand, if you prefer not to drive blind then you may find MacCheck useful.

NOTICE: In order to receive a license to use this "free" app, you must provide your email address and agree to receive spam from the company.
IF YOU UNSUBSCRIBE, YOUR LICENSE WILL BE DEACTIVATED.

Wikipedia considers this registerware, not freeware.
"Registerware forces the user to subscribe with the publisher before being able to use the product."

This is a quote from the license agreement:
"By providing a valid email address when requesting an activation or serial number for MacCheck, you grant Micromat the explicit right to contact you via said email address (and within the program’s message window within the program) with update notifications, product promotions and any other information Micromat deems suitable to relay. You may optionally “unsubscribe” from the email portion of this provision, with the understanding that this action will also deactivate the associated activation/serial number for MacCheck and eventually render the program unusable until another activation/serial number has been requested."

Micromat, I do not appreciate your sneaky, underhanded marketing scheme! Why do you bury the details in the agreement instead of posting them plainly in the description?


Despite the scam, I installed and ran the app anyway. I blocked all connections with Little Snitch.
Six of eight tests were run (my computer doesn't have a battery or RAID), and they were all listed as successful, even though the memory test only tested 2.21 GB of 16 GB installed.
That's an inadequate test as far as I'm concerned, but I know it depends on the amount of free RAM.

As Derekcurrie noted below, even if problems had been found, MacCheck has no tools to do anything about it - it's a diagnostic tool only.

My rating reflects my feelings about the deceptive licensing.

Installed this app, but clicking the start button doesn't start any check at all. The button is highlighted/active but nothing happens. I can also switch to the Messages and Log view while the app is pretending to check my system, which is strange too.

MacCheck is from Micromat, whose software I've been using for decades. It does require a registration serial number. You fill in your name and email address and they send you the number immediately. You fill it in and the app works. From what I can tell, this is a promotion for their TechTool Pro software, which I already own. Therefore, I don't mind the promotion.

It checks all the features pictured. Of course, these are just tests and MacCheck isn't going to fix anything. It's simply going to tell you if there are problems detected by the program. The RAM test is only basic and is not going to detect any deep problems. TechTool Pro has far deeper testing available.

As a free application, this is well designed and easy to use. The log provides enough detail to be helpful if a problem is found. I didn't mind registering it as I trust Micromat to not sell my email address to the spam rats. But I do expect them to use my email address to promote TechTool Pro, which as I say, I already own.

BTW: If you're experiencing déjà vu, Micromat used to have a very similar free app for old Mac OS. There's a promo video for MacCheck at:
https://vimeo.com/162190983

Cannot use it as it asks for a serial.