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Introductory Macintosh frequently asked questions (FAQ) |
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Archive-name: macintosh/general-faq
Version: 2.4.1
Last-modified: June 23, 1996
Maintainer: elharo@shock.njit.edu
URL: http://www.macfaq.com/generalfaq.html
MACINTOSH FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
====================================
comp.sys.mac.faq, part 1:
Introduction to the Macintosh Newsgroups
Copyright 1993-1996 by Elliotte Harold
Please see section 5.8 below if you wish to
distribute or revise this document in any way.
Version: 2.4.1
Last-modified: June 23, 1996
Address comments to elharo@shock.njit.edu
What's new in version 2.4.1:
----------------------------
Primarily this is a maintenance release to reflect changes in
various ftp and World Wide Web sites, particularly the official
FAQ site which has moved from rever.nmsu.edu to ftp.macfaq.com
and the revised filenaming scheme at ftp.support.apple.com.
2.6) What is .bin? .hqx? .cpt? .image? .etc.?
StuffIt is now at version 4.0.x.
3.5) Reinstall the system software
This step has been updated to take reflect the various
updates to System 7.5.
3.6) Isolate the Problem
I've improved the procedure for finding corrupt fonts.
4.7) Disk Utilities
4.10) Reformatting and partitioning your hard disk
Drive Setup is now mentioned for those Macs that need it.
Table of Contents
=================
General FAQ
-----------
I. I have a question...
1. How do I use this document?
2. What other information is available?
3. Which newsgroup should I post to?
4. How should I answer frequently asked questions?
II. FTP, Gopher and the World Wide Web
1. Where can I FTP Macintosh software?
2. Can I get shareware by email?
3. Where can I find application X?
4. Where can I find an application to do X?
5. Can someone mail me application X?
6. What is .bin? .hqx? .cpt? .image? .etc.?
7. How can I get BinHex? StuffIt? etc.?
8. How can I get BinHex, StuffIt, etc. from a PC?
III. Troubleshooting. What to do when things go wrong
1. Identify the problem.
2. Read the READ ME file.
3. Check for viruses.
4. Reinstall the application and all its support files.
5. Reinstall the system software.
6. Isolate the problem.
7. Contact technical support.
IV. Preventive Maintenance
1. Trash Unneeded Files
2. Reevaluate Your Extensions
3. Rebuild the desktop.
4. Zap the PRAM and Reset the Clock
5. Resize the system heap. (System 6 only)
6. Reinstall the system software.
7. Disk Utilities
8. Backing Up
9. Disk Defragmentation
10. Reformatting and partitioning your hard disk
V. Meta-FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions about the FAQ)
1. There's a mistake in your FAQ.
2. Why don't you include this complicated/payware solution?
3. Would you please include my software in your FAQ?
4. Why don't you post the FAQ more often?
5. Can you help me with this problem I'm having with my Mac?
6. Will you send me the FAQ?
7. Why don't you format the FAQ in Word? Digest? HTML? etc.?
8. Can I repost, revise, publish or otherwise use this document?
comp.sys.mac.system
-------------------
I. Memory
1. Why is my system using so much memory?
2. What is Mode 32? the 32-bit enabler? Do I need them?
3. Cache and Carry (How much memory should I allot to my cache?)
II. System Software
1. Why does Apple charge for system software?
2. What does System 7.5 give me for my $35/$50/$99 that System 7.1 doesn't?
3. Where can I get System 7.5?
4. How can I use System 6 on a System 7 only Mac?
5. Non-US scripts and systems
6. What is System 7 Tuneup? System Update 3.0? etc.? Do I need them?
7. Why do my DA's disappear when I turn on MultiFinder?
8. Do I need System 7.0.1?
9. How can I get System 7.0.1, 7.1 or 7.5 on 800K disks?
10. Is there a Unix for the Mac?
III. Hard Disks, Filesharing, and the File System
1. Help! My folder disappeared!
2. Why can't I throw this folder away?
3. Why can't I share my removable drive?
4. Why can't I eject this SyQuest cartridge? CD-ROM? etc.?
5. Why can't I rename my hard disk?
6. How do I change my hard disk icon?
IV. Fonts
1. How do I convert between Windows fonts and Mac fonts?
TrueType and PostScript?
2. What font will my screen/printer use when different types
are installed?
3. Where should I put my fonts?
V. Miscellaneous:
1. What does System Error XXX mean?
2. What is a Type Y error?
3. What is A/ROSE?
4. Easy Access or One Answer, Many Questions
5. How can I keep multiple system folders on one hard disk?
6. How do I access the programmer's key?
comp.sys.mac.misc
-----------------
I. Viruses
1. Help! I have a virus!
2. Reporting new viruses
II. Printing and PostScript
1. How do I make a PostScript file?
2. How do I print a PostScript file?
3. Why won't my PostScript file print on my mainframe's printer?
4. Why are my PostScript files so big?
5. How can I print PostScript on a non-PostScript printer?
6. How do I make my ImageWriter II print in color?
7. Why doesn't PrintMonitor work with the ImageWriter?
8. Why did my document change when I printed it?
9. How can I preview a PostScript file?
10. Can I use a LaserJet or other PC printer with my Mac?
11. How can I print grey scales on my StyleWriter I?
12. How can I edit a PostScript file?
III. DOS and the Mac
1. How can I move files between a Mac and a PC?
2. How can I translate files to a DOS format?
3. Should I buy SoftPC or a real PC?
IV. Security
1. How can I password protect a Mac?
2. How can I password protect a file?
3. How can I password protect a folder?
4. How can I prevent software piracy?
5. How can I keep a hard drive in a fixed configuration?
V. Sound
1. How can I copy a track from an audio CD onto my Mac?
2. How can I extract a sound from a QuickTime movie?
3. How can I convert/play a mod/wav/etc. file?
VI. No particular place to go (Miscellaneous Miscellanea)
1. Are there any good books about the Mac?
2. How do I take a picture of the screen?
3. How do I use a picture for my desktop?
4. Can I Replace the "Welcome to Macintosh" box with a picture?
5. What is AutoDoubler? SpaceSaver? More Disk Space? Are they safe?
6. How do they compare to TimesTwo, Stacker and eDisk?
7. Where did my icons go?
8. Where can I find a user group?
9. Where can I find the 1984 Quicktime movie?
10. Do RAM Doubler and Optimem work?
11. I'm greedy. Can I triple my RAM?
12. How do I run software that needs an FPU on a Mac that doesn't
have one?
comp.sys.mac.apps
-----------------
I. What's the Best...
1. Text editor
2. Word processor
3. Genealogy software
4. TeX/LaTeX
5. Integrated application
6. Spreadsheet
7. JPEG Viewer
8. Electronic publishing software
9. Drawing application
10. Typing tutor?
11. OCR software?
II. Microsoft Word
1. How can I assign styles to characters?
2. How can I automatically generate cross-references?
3. How can I change a Word document to TeX? and vice-versa?
4. How can I depersonalize Word?
5. Where can I get more information?
III. TeachText
1. How can I change the font in TeachText?
2. How do I place a picture in a TeachText file?
3. How do I make a TeachText document read-only?
comp.sys.mac.wanted
-------------------
I. Buying and Selling Used Equipment
1. Should I buy/sell on Usenet?
2. Where should I buy/sell used equipment?
3. I've decided to completely ignore your excellent advice and
post my ad anyway. What should I do?
4. I've decided to completely ignore your excellent advice and
buy something offered for sale on the net anyway. How can
I avoid being ripped off?
II. Fair Market Value
1. How much is my computer worth?
2. What is used software worth?
3. Going prices?
III. Where Should I Buy a New Mac?
1. Authorized Dealers
2. VAR's
3. Superstores
4. Performas
5. Educational Dealers
6. Direct From Apple
7. Auctions
8. Does anyone know a dealer in New York City?
9. New Equipment Prices
IV. When Should I buy a New Mac?
1. Macrotime
2. Microtime
3. When will I get my Mac?
V. How Should I Buy a New Mac?
1. Know what you want
2. The dealer needs to sell you a mac more than you need to buy one
3. Have a competitor's ad handy
4. Cash on delivery
5. The sales tax game
6. Leasing
7. Be nice to the salesperson.
VI. The Gray Market and Mail Order
1. What is the gray market?
2. Are gray market Macs covered by Apple warranties?
3. Does anyone know a good mail-order company?
comp.sys.mac.hardware
---------------------
I. Maintenance
1. How do I clean a keyboard?
2. How do I clean a screen?
3. How do I clean a mouse?
4. How do I clean a floppy drive?
5. How do I clean the inside of my mac?
II. Problems And Repairs
1. How do I open a compact Mac?
2. Now that I've opened my Mac how might I electrocute myself?
3. Where can I get my Mac fixed?
4. Can you recommend any good books about Mac repair?
5. The screen on my compact Mac is jittering.
III. Upgrades
1. What Macs will be upgradeable to the PowerPC?
2. Can I increase the speed of my Mac by accelerating the clock?
3. Can I add an FPU to my Mac?
4. Can I replace the 68LC040 with a 68040?
IV. Thanks for the Memory
1. What kind of memory should I use in my Mac?
2. Can I use PC SIMM's in my Mac?
3. What vendors have good prices on memory?
4. Do SIMMdoublers work?
V. Video
1. What's VRAM?
2. All monitors are not created equal.
3. There's a horizontal line across my monitor.
VI. Floppy Disks
1. What kind of floppy disks do I need for my Mac?
2. Why can't my Quadra (SE/30, Iici, etc.) read the disks from my Plus?
3. Does punching a hole in a double-density disk make a
high-density disk?
VII. SCSI Troubles
1. How do I put my old internal hard disk in an external case?
2. What's the cheapest/fastest/most reliable/most common
removable drive?
3. What's the best CD-ROM drive?
VIII. Printers
1. What's a good printer?
IX. Miscellaneous hardware FAQ's
1. What power adaptor do I need to use my mac in another country?
2. How can I fix the sound on my IIsi?
A. Models
RETRIEVING THE ENTIRE FAQ
=========================
This is the FIRST part of the this FAQ. The second part is
posted to comp.sys.mac.system and features many questions about
system software. The third part answers miscellaneous questions
about Macs and is posted every two weeks in comp.sys.mac.misc.
The fourth part covers frequently asked questions about Macintosh
application software and appears in comp.sys.mac.apps. The fifth
piece covers buying and selling Macintosh computers, software and
peripherals and is posted in comp.sys.mac.wanted. The sixth part
answers many questions about Macintosh hardware and peripherals
and appears in comp.sys.mac.hardware. Tables of contents for all
pieces are included above. Please familiarize yourself with all
six sections of this document before posting. All pieces are
available for anonymous ftp from
I HAVE A QUESTION... (1.0)
===========================
Congratulations! You've come to the right place. Usenet is
a wonderful resource for information ranging from basic questions
(How do I lock a floppy disk?) to queries that would make Steve
Jobs himself run screaming from the room in terror. (I used
ResEdit to remove resources Init #11, WDEF 34, and nVIR 17 from my
system file and used the Hex Editor to add code string #A67B45 as
a patch to the SFGetFile routine so the Standard File Dialog Box
would be a nice shade of mauve. Everything worked fine until I
installed SuperCDevBlaster, and now when I use the Aldus driver to
print from PageMaker 5.0d4 to a Linotronic 6000 my system hangs.
P.S. I'm running System 6.0.2 on a PowerBook 170.)
Since the Macintosh newsgroups are medium to high volume, we
ask that you first peruse this FAQ list including at least the
table of contents for the other pieces of it, check any other
relevant online resources listed below in question 1.2, especially
the FAQ lists for the other Macintosh newsgroups, and RTFM (Read
the Friendly Manual) before posting your question. We realize that
you are personally incensed that the System is taking up fourteen
of your newly-installed twenty megs of RAM, but this question has
already made its way around the world three hundred times before,
and it's developing tired feet. Finally, before posting to any
newsgroup (Macintosh or otherwise), please familiarize yourself
with the basic etiquette of Usenet as described in the newsgroup
news.announce.newusers. Usenet can be a real nerd-eat-nerd world,
and it's a bad idea to enter it unprepared.
HOW DO I USE THIS DOCUMENT? (1.1)
----------------------------------
comp.sys.mac.faq is currently divided into multiple pieces, a general
introduction which you're reading now, and specific lists for the
newsgroups comp.sys.mac.system, comp.sys.mac.misc, comp.sys.mac.apps,
comp.sys.mac.wanted and the comp.sys.mac.hardware hierarchy. This
introductory document is posted to all of the concerned newsgroups.
The tables of contents for each of the specific FAQ lists are at the
beginning of this file so you should be able to get at least some
idea whether your question is answered anywhere else in the FAQ even
if you don't have the other parts at hand. It's not always obvious,
especially to newcomers, where a particular question or comment
should be posted. Please familiarize yourself with the FAQ lists in
all the major Macintosh newsgroups before posting in any of them.
Which questions appear in which FAQs can serve as a basic guide to
what posts belong where.
To jump to a particular question search for
section-number.question-number enclosed in parentheses. For
example to find "Where can I FTP Macintosh software?" search
for the string "(2.1)". To jump to a section instead of a
question use a zero for the question number.
This document is in "setext" format. Akif Eyler's freeware
application EasyView can parse this document into a hierarchical
outline view that makes for easier browsing. See
Files available by anonymous ftp are listed here in URL
(Uniform Resource Locator) format. To retrieve a file you can
paste the URL into Mosaic's Open URL dialog or Anarchie's Get
dialog or you can retrieve it manually. A typical ftp URL
looks like
If you don't have Mosaic, Netscape, MacWeb or some other World Wide
Web browser this reference is easy to decode for use by regular,
manual ftp. (In fact it's easier to use than the form I used to use
which didn't include directories.) Ignore the "ftp://". The next
part, "ftp.macfaq.com" is the site. The last part, "UUTool.sit.bin"
is the file itself. Everything in between is the directory. Thus to
retrieve this file by ftp you would ftp to ftp.macfaq.com, login as
"anonymous" using your email address as your password, switch to
"binary" mode (since the .bin on the end of the file indicates this
is a binary file), change directory to pub/macfaq and get the file
UUTool2.3.2.sit.bin. Directory URL's are similar except they end
with a / symbol. A typical directory URL looks like
Jon W{tte maintains a public domain FAQ list for
comp.sys.mac.programmer which is posted about every three weeks. See
Among other things this site contains hypertext versions of many
of the above FAQ lists, lists of Macintosh FTP and Web sites, a
directory of vendors doing business in the Macintosh market, many
reviews of hardware and software, and much more. If you only
have a dialup UNIX account and can't use a graphical browser, see
if lynx is installed on your system. If it is, use it. Otherwise
if you can telnet, try telneting to www.njit.edu which offers a
publically accessible text-based browser for the Web.
WHICH NEWSGROUP SHOULD I POST TO? (1.3)
----------------------------------------
There are no stupid questions, but there are misplaced ones.
You wouldn't ask your English teacher how to do the definite
integral of ln x between zero and one, would you? So don't ask
the programmer newsgroup why your system is so slow when Microsoft
Word is in the background. Ignorance of basic netiquette is not an
excuse. If you want people to help you, you need to learn their
ways of communicating.
Posting questions to the proper newsgroup will fill your
mailbox with pearls of wisdom (and maybe a few rotten oysters too
:-) ). Posting to the wrong newsgroup often engenders a thundering
silence. For instance the most common and glaring mispost, one
that seems as incongruous to dwellers in the Macintosh regions of
Usenet as would a purple elephant to Aleuts in the Arctic, asking
a question about networking anywhere except comp.sys.mac.comm,
normally produces no useful responses. Posting the same question
to comp.sys.mac.comm ensures that your post is read and considered
by dozens of experienced network administrators and not a few
network software designers.
Please post to exactly *ONE* newsgroup. Do not cross-post.
If a question isn't important enough for you to take the extra
minute to figure out where it properly belongs, it's not important
enough for several thousand people to spend their time reading.
For the same reason comp.sys.mac.misc should not be used as a
catch-all newsgroup.
The breakdown of questions between different newsgroups in this
document can also serve as a reasonable guide to what belongs where.
Questions about productivity applications (software you bought your
Macintosh to run, not software you bought to make your Macintosh run
better) should go to comp.sys.mac.apps unless the application is
covered in a more specific newsgroup. Communications programs,
games, HyperCard, compilers and databases all have more topical
comp.sys.mac.* newsgroups.
Questions about communications software and some hardware questions
belongs in comp.sys.mac.comm. However detailed questions about
Appletalk belong in comp.protocols.appletalk. Questions about modem
hardware belongs in comp.dcom.modems. Questions about web browsers
belong in comp.infosystems.www.browsers.mac and questions about web
servers should be directed to comp.infosystems.www.servers.mac.
Questions about the Internet in general and not about specific Mac
based software like MacTCP do not belong in comp.sys.mac.comm
at all.
Questions about MacOS system software belong in comp.sys.mac.system
with a few exceptions. Most notably all questions about printing and
printing software belong in comp.sys.mac.printing. Questions about
third party utilities and extensions normally belong in
comp.sys.mac.misc. Questions about A/UX go to comp.unix.aux.
Posts about hardware are split as follows: Anything at all about
printers belongs in comp.sys.mac.printing. Posts about hard drives,
tape drives, removable media like Zip and Syquest drives, and CD-ROM
drives and the driver and utility software required to make these
items work belongs in comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage. Posts about
displays, monitors, video cards and the driver and utility software
necessary to make these items work belongs in
comp.sys.mac.hardware.video. All other hardware related posts
including those about CPU's, memory, scanners and other peripherals
should be directed to comp.sys.mac.hardware.misc. Please try to
restrict posts to comp.sys.mac.hardware to ones that actually involve
the metal and plastic that modern computer hardware is made of. Just
because a game comes on CD-ROM does mean you should review it in
comp.sys.mac.hardware.storage. (On the other hand a review of the
drive itself would be appropriate.) Software questions in
comp.sys.mac.hardware should be restricted to the bare minimum of
non-standard software required to make a device work, e.g. hard disk
drivers, special extensions, and the like.
Programming questions and questions about development environments
belong in the comp.sys.mac.programmer hierarchy. ResEdit questions
may be posted either to comp.sys.mac.misc, comp.sys.mac.system, or
comp.sys.mac.programmer; but generally the netters who inhabit the
darker recesses of comp.sys.mac.programmer are considerably more
practiced at the art of resource hacking.
A general exception to the above rules is that any *very* technical
question about an application that actually begins to delve into the
how's of a program as well as the what's (Recent example: How does
WriteNow which is written entirely in assembly compare to other word
processors written in high level languages?) might be better
addressed to the programmer newsgroups.
For Sale and Want to Buy posts should go to comp.sys.mac.wanted and
the misc.forsale.computers.mac hierarchy *ONLY*. We understand that
you're desperate to sell your upgraded 128K Mac to get the $$ for a
PowerBook 540c; but trust me, anyone who wants to buy it will be
reading comp.sys.mac.wanted and
misc.forsale.computers.mac-specific.portables.
Although comp.sys.mac.wanted is a fairly catch-all group,
misc.forsale.computers.mac is a little more hierarchical.
misc.forsale.computers.mac-specific.cards.video contains for
sale and want-to-buy ads for Macintosh video cards only.
misc.forsale.computers.mac.mac-specific.cards.misc features ads
for other Mac-only cards, audio cards, data acquisition cards.
misc.forsale.computers.mac-specific.portables is for
sale and want-to-buy ads for Macintosh PowerBooks, Portables,
Duos and other complete portable systems.
misc.forsale.computers.mac-specific.software is for all Macintosh
software. misc.forsale.computers.mac-specific.systems is for buying
and selling complete Macintosh systems (no parts). Finally
misc.forsale.computers.mac-specific.misc is for buying and selling
Macintosh specific items not covered in the above newsgroups. All
of these newsgroups are for initial posts only. All inquiries,
discussion and negotiation should be kept in private email.
They're also all intended for individuals selling one or
two systems. Dealers of new or used computers and software should
post to biz.marketplace.computers.mac.
Many items of computer hardware work on multiple platforms,
particularly memory, monitors, external modems, hard drives and other
SCSI devices. If you're selling any of these items please post to the
appropriate cross-platform, peripheral group, i.e.:
* misc.forsale.computers.memory
* misc.forsale.computers.modems
* misc.forsale.computers.monitors
* misc.forsale.computers.printers
* misc.forsale.computers.storage
Posting to these groups will give your message a much broader
distribution than posting it to the Mac specific newsgroups.
Political and religious questions (The Mac is better than Windows! Is
not! Is too! Is not! Is too! Hey! How 'bout the Amiga! What about it?
Is Not! Is too!) belong in comp.sys.mac.advocacy. Anything not
specifically mentioned above probably belongs in comp.sys.mac.misc.
Finally don't be so provincial as to only consider the
comp.sys.mac newsgroups for your questions. Many questions about
modems in comp.sys.mac.comm are much more thoroughly discussed
in comp.dcom.modems. Questions about Mac MIDI are often better
handled in comp.music even though it's not a Macintosh specific
newsgroup. Posts about the Newton belong in the comp.sys.newton
hierarchy, not in *ANY* of the Macintosh newsgroups. Look around.
Usenet's big and not everything relevant to the Macintosh happens
in comp.sys.mac.
HOW SHOULD I ANSWER FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS? (1.4)
------------------------------------------------------
Mostly through private email. Frequent answers are just as
boring and uninteresting as frequent questions. Unless you really
have something new to add to the traditional answers (such as the
recent discovery that fonts in System 7.1 could eat memory in a way
that mimicked the symptoms of not having 32-bit addressing turned on)
private email is a much better medium for answering FAQs. You might
want to add a mention of this FAQ list in your email response and a
polite suggestion that your correspondent read it before posting
future questions.
FTP, GOPHER, AND THE WORLD WIDE WEB (2.0)
==========================================
WHERE CAN I GET MAC SOFTWARE? (2.1)
------------------------------------
The two major North American Internet archives of shareware,
freeware, and demo software are Info-Mac at sumex-aim.stanford.edu
[171.65.4.3], and mac.archive at mac.archive.umich.edu
[141.211.120.11] Unless otherwise noted shareware and freeware
mentioned in this document should be available at the above sites.
Unfortunately these sites are extremely busy and allow very few
connections. Thus you should try to connect to a mirror site
instead.
In the United States Info-Mac's files are available from
grind.isca.uiowa.edu [128.255.21.233] in the directory mac/infomac or
mirrors.aol.com [198.81.1.25] in pub/mac. mac.archive files are
available from mirror.archive.umich.edu and mirrors.aol.com.
Scandinavians should try connecting to ftp.funet.fi (128.214.6.100)
or ftp.lth.se [130.235.20.3] first. In the U.K. look to
src.doc.ic.ac.uk [146.169.2.1]. Continental Europeans can try
nic.switch.ch [130.59.1.40], ezinfo.ethz.ch [129.132.2.72], and
anl.anl.fr [192.54.179.1]. In Australia check out archie.au
[139.130.4.6]. Japanese users will find sumex mirrored at
ftp.center.osaka-u.ac.jp [133.1.4.13] in info-mac. In Israel try
ftp.technion.ac.il [132.68.1.10] in the directory
pub/unsupported/mac. In Taiwan nctuccca.edu.tw [192.83.166.10 or
140.111.1.10] mirrors both sumex and mac.archive.
U.S.:
Two other very useful sites are ftp.info.apple.com [204.96.16.4]
and ftp.support.apple.com [130.43.6.3]. The latter is mirrored at
ftptoo.support.apple.com.
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