To analyze a collection for data damage, first make a backup copy of the collection. Then launch the Helix Utility. Select Open from the File menu and select a copy of the collection.
A dialog box will appear with a warning about backing up your collection. if you made a backup copy, press the "OK, I have a backup" button. If you didn't, click "Cancel, I'll make a backup first" and do so.
The Helix Utility will read the collection into memory and a thermometer bar will indicate its progress.
When the Helix Utility is finished reading the collection, select Data Damage Repair under the Tools menu. Another thermometer will indicate the progress of the data damage repair.
Tip: If you do not want to wait for Helix Utility to finish reading the collection before starting the Data Damage Repair, you can press Command-R (the command key equivalent for Data Damage Repair) while the collection is being read. When Helix Utility is finished reading the collection, it will automatically start the data damage repair. All that is left to do is wait for the final dialog box that reports the result of the repair.
The performance of Helix Utility can be improved significantly — particularly for large collections — by making sure the Collection Buffer is set correctly. Under OS X you simply set the buffer (found in Preferences) to a value large enough to hold your entire collection.
Information on setting up RAMJet (found in Helix Classic applications) can be found on this page.
Beginning with version 5.2, Helix Utility is scriptable via AppleScript. See the documentation that comes with your version of Helix Utility for instructions and sample code.
Beginning with version 6.0.1, Helix Utility contains an additional Diagnostic Mode that can be used to pre-diagnose the extent of fatal damage. This is useful when trying to decide whether to schedule a collection repair or to revert to a backup copy of the collection.
Because of the dangerous nature of the diagnostic data, the method of invoking Diagnostic Mode is given on a ‘need to know’ basis. If you have a collection that reports Fatal Damage, contact QSA ToolWorks Technical Support to see if Diagnostic Mode is of use to you.