Sectorium
Load to work. Unload to pause. Disconnect to unplug.
Sectorium manages file-based development volumes such as DEV_APFS. Your external drive stays one physical drive; its development volume is shown underneath it. AUV includes Sectorium — no separate app download.
Mac 0.18.4: the basic Load → Unload → Load and Disconnect cycle has been confirmed on the developer’s Mac and external DEV_APFS volume. Sectorium is unchanged since 0.17.2, where that cycle was confirmed. Windows 0.18.6 has the interface only; its storage actions are unavailable.
Use an existing development volume
- Connect the external drive, open AUV → Sectorium, and find its card. External drives appear above internal storage.
- If your existing volume is not registered, use Register existing volume, or the drive’s menu → Register existing… to choose its image. Registration keeps your existing files in place.
- Choose Load. Enter an unlock password if prompted, then wait for Loaded before opening your development work.
Register once. Switching between AUV and Sectorium keeps the registration and last observed state; it does not require starting over.
Choose the right action
| Action | What happens |
|---|---|
| Load | Mounts the development volume so you can use its files. |
| Unload | Unmounts only the development volume. The physical drive remains connected and available. When it finishes, Load is available again. |
| Disconnect | Unloads the related volumes and safely ejects the whole external drive. Wait for the success message before unplugging. |
Save work before Unload or Disconnect. If an application is using the volume, follow the displayed prompt to close it and retry. An incomplete operation is not permission to unplug. Internal storage cannot be physically disconnected through Sectorium.
Reconnect and keep the status current
Connect the drive again and use Load when its registered volume appears. Per-volume automatic loading can be enabled in its settings.
Sectorium listens for macOS disk appearance, disappearance and property changes. It also performs a consistency check every five minutes and runs deeper checks when something changes. Returning to the tab does not restart a full check; Refresh remains available when you need it.
Create a new volume
Create volume lets you choose a drive, name and logical capacity for a file-based APFS image without repartitioning the physical disk. Logical capacity is a maximum, not space reserved immediately. Creation and encryption still need broader real-device validation; try them only with backed-up, noncritical data.
If a step does not finish
Read the message shown and expand History and diagnostics on the volume card. Use the offered retry or return-to-development action after resolving it. If the disk has been unplugged, reconnect it before loading; registering the same image again is not a repair.
Privacy and validation scope
Sectorium observes disk identity, mount state and supported whole-drive I/O statistics. It does not scan project file contents. Unknown statistics stay unknown; they do not mean zero activity.
The confirmed lifecycle applies to the developer’s current Mac and external volume. It does not establish reliability for every drive, encrypted image, new-volume creation or recovery scenario. Mac 0.18.4 includes Apple silicon and Intel code for macOS 14+, but physical Intel hardware and macOS 14/15 have not been tested. See the installation guide for the compatibility checks.