Review: MacDrive 8
Almost a year and a half ago I reviewed MacDrive 7, and ever since then its been one of the most read articles on The Dojo. Not a month goes by that its not one of the top reviews. That means two things to me. One, that a lot of Mac users are also using Boot Camp, Parallels, or Fusion for their (ugh) Windows needs, and two, that its a tool which has a serious audience. I was pleased to hear, as I was working on two Windows 7 books, that MediaFour was working on MacDrive 8. Here, then, is the review for MacDrive 8 which was recently released.
MacDrive 8 is much like MacDrive 7 in that it adds HFS and HFS+ drive support to Windows machines. MacDrive 8, however, adds support for Windows 7, which I have tested and can report that it works very well. If that wasn’t enough, MacDrive 8 also automatically adds Mac folders to Windows 7 Library aggregation folders. That means that when you mount a Mac drive in Windows 7 and there is a Pictures folder, it will be added to the list of folders which are displayed in the Windows Pictures Library.
In addition to the Windows 7 enhancements, there’s plenty new for Windows XP and Vista. For one, MacDrive 8 adds support for 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Vista as well as Windows 7 (sorry 64-bit XP). There is also improved support for burning CD-R, DVD-/+R, and even Dual Layer DVD-/+Rs. I found the disc burning interface to be overly simple and lacking in functionality, but it worked every time, even when burning CD-Rs for my PowerBook 3400c running Mac OS 9.0.4.
Likely the biggest set of additions for MacDrive 8 are larger disc compatibility and the ability to browse Time Machine archives. MacDrive 8 is now capable of reading discs larger than 2TB which are formatted in HFS+, a very nice addition for shops who use Windows and Mac OS X in their video or audio production process. Adding the ability to look into and copy files from Time Machine archives is just icing on the cake. I haven’t had the chance to test this yet, but if there’s anything interesting about it, I’ll report on it.
All in all, MacDrive 8 is a polished, capable, easy to use software package which fills a gap in the cross-platform market. MacDrive 8 is available now from MediaFour as a download or on CD for US$49.95 or both for US$59.95. Just add US$10 for two copies, which is a fantastic deal. Just note that the CDs will start shipping on July 31st.
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One Comment on “Review: MacDrive 8”
This has been very helpful. The scenario I have is different, but I’m sure common to many of the users reading this review. I have 3 Mac’s and 1 High End PC. Instead of building my own NAS, I decided to by a Drobo and Droboshare, as it is compatible with Time Machine. However, you are stuck with the lowest common denominator scenario (must format at FAT32), which I didn’t want to do. According to your review, I should be able to use Time Capsule for my Mac’s, Leverage HFS+ for both my Mac’s and PC, and I should be able to use Windows 7 w/64 bit. It seems too good to be true:-)