General

• System Problem? Check Your User Files
• Size of Disk/Available Disk Space
• Web Problems
• Clicking on a Document Launches the Wrong Version of the Application
  (You want the OSX version to launch, but instead Classic/OS9 launches)
• OSX Packages
• Passwords
• Save Software Updates
• Security by Encryption

 

1. System Problem? Check your User Files-dmp
   • A problem with OSX, may lay within your individual user directory. Test this by creating another user, log in as that user and see if the problem exists. If it does not, then the problem is within the original user account.
   • Consider deleating it, but clean up ownership issues of files and folders before deleating the user. If a folder has no owner, OSX won't let you delete it as an administrator. You can log in as Root to attack the problem. See below.
2. Size of Disk/Available Disk Space (MA09-01) View Menu>Show Status Bar.
3. Web Problems (MW10-02 p54)
   • Image file (.dmg) shows up in OSX as text. Double clicking launches Text Edit.
     • Drag the file to Disk Copy or mount from within Disk copy.
     • DMG Fixer (freeware http://homepage.mac.com/mnkd/dmgfixer10.sit)
4. Clicking on Document Launches Wrong Version of Application (MW10-02 p54)
   • If application has both an OS9 and OSX version, when a document is clicked on, Classic and the OS9 version of the application may launch when you really want the OSX version.
   • Drag the the version of the preferrred application to the Dock. Typically OSX will launch the version of the application located in the Dock.
   • Second Method- Specifiy which application should launch when a file is double clicked on.
     • Use Show Info (Command I) and select Open This Document With a Specific Application.
     • Or select: Open This Document with The Generic Application For Documents Of This Type. If necessary, click on the change Application button to select the application you desire.
     • If the Change Application button is dimmed or does not work, try xFiles ($20 shareware http://personalpages.tds.net/~brian_hill ) a utiility that allows the Creator code assigned to the document to be eliminated.
       • Launch the utility and drag the file onto it.
       • Delete whatever code is listed in the text box next to Creator.
       • Click on Change.
       • Double click the file and see if the proper application launches.
       • If still not fiexed, return to the Show Info (Command I) and hopefully the Change Application button will be enabled.
     • Note: OSX uses 3 letter file-name extensions to identify the file type. Try changing that to the application you want it to launch.
       • .doc= Word documents
       • .txt= TextEdit
       • .tif= Preview
       • .cwk= Appleworks
       • The creator code may still hve to be eliminated as describe above.
         
         
5. OSX Packages (MW 10-02, p51) Almost every application in OSX is actually a package, a special type of folder made up of the application and support files. This is a great way to keep associated files together. But when you double-click on a package icon, instead of the folder opening, the application launches.
   • To Open Package- Click on Package while holding the Control key and select Show Package Contents.
   • For Example, in the Appleworks 6 package, there are two application files, the Carbonized version (inside the Contents/MacOS folder), the Classic version (inside the Contents/MacOSClassic folder), and support files like Appleworks Essentials, Clippings, and Starting Points folders.
   • Installer Docs- Packages are also used to create installer docs. There could be a case where instead of reinstalling the entire update, an individual file can be extracted to replace a corrupt file. Here's how:
     • If necessary, download update. See Save Software Update below.
     • Control-click on Package and select Show Package Contents.
     • Open the Contents folder/Resources folder.
     • Find the file that ends in .pax.gz
     • Drag file to desktop to make a copy of it.
     • Decompress file with OpenUP (free www.stepwise.com/Software/OpenUP/)
       
       
6. Passwords Always Appear as 13 Dots in OSX regardless of how many letters your password really is. (MA 08-01p28)
   
   
7. Save Software Update If you install software using Software Update, the update file will be automatically deleted the next time the computer is started. Here is how to save the package:
   • Use Tinker Tool (free www.bresink.de/osx/TinkerTool.html) to select Show Hidden And System Files option.
   • After the Software Update is finished downloading and installing the update, a dialog box appears- ignore it.
   • Select Go To Folder from the Finder's Go Menu.
   • Enter /private/temp. The resulting window will typically contain a folder with a 3 digit number as its name (such as 401). Open this folder.
   • Inside will be the update.pkg file. Hold Option key and drag to desktop to make a copy of it.
   • Go back to the Software UpDate dialog box and click restart. when you log back in, the installer file will be sitting on the desktop.
   • Receipts located in the Library folder/Receipts folder, are file names with the same name as the installer packages. But they lalck the .pax.gz files that contain the update. they are used by OSX to keep track of what updates have been installed.
     • When reinstalling an update, if a message appears saying the update has already been installed, go to the reciept folder and remove the receipt for this particular package to the desktop. The install should proceed. After the install is complete, trash the receipt file you moved to the desktop.
       
8. Easy Encryption on Your Mac (MW Dec06)
   • Using Disk Utility you can create a secure space on your hardrive that is encrypted and password protected. This method is superior for protecting a group of files as many file encryption programs can only encrypt individual files. When the image is open, files can be dragged into and out of the image at will.
   • Use Disk Utility (Applications/Utilities) to create a Blank Disk Image.
   • Choose File: New:Blank Disk Image.
     • Choose Max size: 4.7 GB for DVD or one of the CD sizes offered.
     • Encryption: choose AES-128.
     • Format: Sparse Disk Image.
     • Name Disk Image and select storage location.
     • Select: Create Button.
   • Authenticate Window
     • Create password.
     • If needed select the key icon by the Password window for help from the Password Assistant.
     • Be sure to leave the Remember Password check box unchecked.
     • Select: OK.
   • The image file will appear as a name.sparseimage file (where name is the name you gave the file) and the image will mount on the desktop. When finished adding files, you can eject the image by right clicking the image and select eject. To reopen the disk image, doubleclick the .sparseimage file and enter your password.
   • WARNING:
     • Be sure you test this image for functionality- eject/remount image; log in and out of your account; verify the files you placed in the image can be opened and are functional prior to deleating any original files.
     • If you forget the password, there is no way to recover the data on this disk image.

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