• MacTest Pro

    The MacTest Pro (MTP) family of software-based diagnostic programs is made up of two applications: MacTest Pro and MTP Emergency, both of which run only on Mac OS 9. If your test Mac can't boot into Mac OS 9, use Apple Service Diagnostic (discussed next) instead of MacTest Pro.

    MacTest Pro is a modular, customizable diagnostic program that can help you identify problems with a Mac and its peripherals. The availability of individual test modules allows customization of testing for a wide variety of environments. Apple distributes MacTest Pro on a bootable CD, and in most cases you will want to run it from that CD. This approach enables you to run tests using known-good system software.

    MacTest Pro allows looping for extended testing of the system. Looping is particularly useful to track down intermittent issues and to verify that any upgrades or repairs have been performed correctly.

    MTP Emergency is an application that contains a subset of the diagnostic tests in MacTest Pro. Apple distributes MTP Emergency on the MacTest Pro CD as a disk image that Disk Copy can use to create a bootable 3.5-inch disk for use on a system without a functioning optical drive.

    There are several versions of MacTest Pro for different Mac families. Each version comes on its own bootable CD (or as a disk image) that includes the MacTest Pro application, the MTP Emergency application, a bootable disk image, user documentation, system enablers, the System folder, and the Utilities folder.

    Required Tools and Equipment

    To complete this section, you need the following tools and equipment:

    How to Get MTP

    MacTest Pro is included in the Apple Macintosh Family Diagnostic Starter Kit that is required for all AASPs. This kit includes the complete set of MacTest Pro CDs. AASPs can also download the latest MacTest Pro applications.

    Service Diagnostics Matrix."

    NOTE

    The public and AppleCare Technician Training (ATT) users do not have access to the Service Source area where CD images are stored. However, the companion CD includes several MacTest Pro versions that are compatible with many different Macintosh models.

    MTP Exercise

    If a computer you are working with displays intermittent problems, more extensive testing may be required. Both MacTest Pro and MTP Emergency allow you to loop tests. In this exercise, you practice using MacTest Pro and its test looping function.

    1.

    Open the Memory control panel and turn off virtual memory.

    2.

    Locate the correct version of the MacTest Pro CD for the system you are testing and insert it in the drive.

    3.

    Choose Restart from the Special menu and boot from the MacTest Pro CD by holding down the C key at startup.

    4.

    Open the CD and open the Run MacTest Pro folder.

    5.

    Locate the appropriate test icon for the machine you want to test, and double-click the icon.

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    6.

    Click Operation Info and note which test modules didn't load and the reasons why.

    7.

    For each of the selected tests, click Setup to check available options. Repeat for each of the selected tests until you are satisfied with all of the options.

    8.

    Click Test to run the selected tests using the Setup options chosen in the previous step.

    The amount of time the tests take to run depends on the size of the hard disk, the amount of memory, the speed of the processor, and the test options chosen.

    9.

    When the tests are complete, click Test Results.

    10.

    View other test results by clicking Hardware Info and Software Info.

    11.

    If you want to run the tests repeatedly, choose Looping Preferences from the Edit menu. Specify the number of times you wish the test to loop, and then click OK.

    12.

    Make sure that the following functions are deselected:

    • Comprehensive Hardware Info

    • Comprehensive Software Info

    • System Software Tests

    Looping cannot work with these functions enabled.

    13.

    Click Loop to enable the looping function, and then click Test.

    The amount of time that it takes to complete the looping depends on the hardware configuration and the tests that you select. The Status Line indicates the number of the loop that is running.

    14.

    Click Test Results to view the looping test results.

    15.

    Quit MacTest Pro. When prompted about saving changes, click No.