Mac OS X to the Max: Other Data Storage Applications

Apple produces applications you can use to format drives and burn CDs; however, there are other applications for each of these purposes as well.

Hard Drive Formatting Software

Disk Utility works well in many situations; however, there are other disk formatting utilities of which you should be aware.

FWB Hard Disk Toolkit

FWB's Hard Disk Toolkit has long been recognized as one of the best drive formatting utilities available. It handles more devices than Disk Utility does and provides greater control over formatting and partitioning drives.

NOTE

Check out Hard Disk Toolkit at www.fwb.com.

Anubis

Charismac Engineering's Anubis Utility also provides support for a greater variety of devices than does Disk Utility. It also offers several features that Disk Utility does not.

NOTE

Check out Anubis on www.charismac.com/Products/Anubis.

CD-Burning Software

The Finder's built-in Disc Burner is a useful application, but its features are somewhat limited when compared to some of the other applications mentioned in the following sections.

Toast

Toast, from Roxio, has long been the king of Mac CD-burning applications, and for very good reason, too. Toast offers features not found in any other application on the Mac. For example, Toast enables you to quickly create CDs that keep your digital photos organized and accessible. If you regularly create CDs, you should explore Toast.

NOTE

Check out Toast on www.roxio.com.

iTunes

Apple's own iTunes is limited to creating audio CDs, but it does quite a good job at that.

To learn how to burn CDs with iTunes, see "Using iTunes to Create Custom Music CDs," p. 486.

Discribe

Charismac's Discribe is another full-featured CD-burning application. Similar to Toast, it offers many features not found in Disc Burner.

NOTE

You can check out Discribe and download a demo version at www.charismac.com/Products/Discribe/.