How much wasted space will I recover after converting my disk to HFS Plus?
Besides safety, are there any other great advantages to using PlusMaker?
Will using the smallest allocation block size affect my hard disk performance?
If I convert my disk to HFS Plus with PlusMaker, do I still need to install Mac OS 8.1?
Will PlusMaker encounter any problems with disks formatted with non-Apple hard disk drivers?
Does PlusMaker replace my existing hard disk driver or modify it in any way?
Do I need any special software to use the converted disks?
What if I have multiple disks or partitions?
What is HFS Plus?
HFS Plus is the most common name used by to identify a new disk format introduced in Mac OS 8.1. Officially, this new format is called the Mac OS Extended format. To use HFS Plus disks, you must install Mac OS 8.1. Earlier versions of the Mac OS cannot directly access files stored on volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended.
How do I benefit from HFS Plus?
The most significant improvement in HFS Plus is an incredible improvement in file storage efficiency achieved by an equally incredible reduction in allocation block size. This means that files occupy less space on disk than the previous HFS format. As a result, you can also store a much greater number of files because the available space can be more finely distributed among a larger number of files. If you convert a disk from HFS to HFS Plus, you will recover wasted space from each file.
How does PlusMaker work? Is it safe?
PlusMaker is an in-place converter. It is extremely safe for numerous reasons. PlusMaker keeps your data intact because it does not move all your files to achieve the conversion. It simply converts your disk's directory. Advanced directory diagnostics are performed prior to conversion. Verification of the converted directory ensures proper conversion. For the ultimate in protection, PlusMaker is designed to safely permit interruptions of any kind, including power loss.
How much wasted space will I recover after converting my disk to HFS Plus?
You will recover wasted space directly proportional to the size of the disk and the number of files on the disk. The larger the disk, the greater the potential space wasted for each file. For example, if you have a 4 GB disk, the potential wasted space is 65 KB for each file. If you have 10,000 files on your disk, you have the potential of recovering 650 MB of wasted space. But let's not forget the continuing space saving benefits of HFS Plus. Regardless of how many files you have on your disk, as you add more files to your converted disk, each file will occupy less space.
Besides safety, are there any other great advantages to using PlusMaker?
PlusMaker is very fast compared to the alternative options available for converting. Without PlusMaker you have to initialize your disks and restore them from backups. This process can take hours, your aliases won't work when you are done, and you still will not get the maximum storage efficiency from your disks because initializing disks with the Mac OS Extended format results in an allocation block sizes that are still up to 8 times larger than the format allows.
With PlusMaker you don't need to initialize your disks to take advantage of Mac OS
Extended format. Converting your disks allows you to enjoy the maximum benefit of the
Mac OS Extended format without the hassle. Your aliases will still work, plus your
disks will have much less wasted space and the allocation block size will be a tiny 0.5 KB.
Will using the smallest allocation block size affect my hard disk performance?
No, PlusMaker's use of the smallest allocation block size does not affect your hard disk
performance as measured by MacBench® 4.0.
Ziff-Davis' MacBench 4.0 Disk score
HFS Plus 4K block size: 145
HFS Plus 0.5K block size: 146
Ziff-Davis' MacBench 4.0 Publishing Disk score
HFS Plus 4K block size: 123
HFS Plus 0.5K block size: 122
Tests were performed with Ziff-Davis' MacBench 4.0 with Mac OS 8.1 installed on an Apple® Power Macintosh 6300 with 120-MHz PowerPC 603e CPU, 256 KB L2 RAM cache, 32 MB RAM, 2 GB hard disk, SCSI controller, and no hardware disk cache.
Tests were performed without independent verification by Ziff-Davis and Ziff-Davis makes no representations or warranties as to the result of the tests.
If I convert my disk to HFS Plus with PlusMaker, do I still need to install Mac OS 8.1?
Yes, PlusMaker is a converter. After the conversion, Mac OS 8.1 is required to use your converted disk.
Will PlusMaker encounter any problems with disks formatted with non-Apple hard disk drivers?
Ultimately, you should ensure that your third party driver is Mac OS 8.1-compatible.
However, there are no known incompatibilities between PlusMaker and any disk driver that
is compatible with Mac OS 8.1.
Does PlusMaker replace my existing hard disk driver or modify it in any way?
No, PlusMaker changes the disk format from HFS to HFS Plus without modifying the
disk's driver.
Do I need any special software to use the converted disks?
No, PlusMaker creates a true Mac OS Extended disk that can be used on any computer with
Mac OS 8.1 installed without any additional software, including PlusMaker itself.
What if I have multiple disks or partitions?
When you use Mac OS 8.1, you can convert none, any, or all of your disks and/or partitions to HFS Plus. PlusMaker treats each disk or partition as a separate disk to convert.
