Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't AutoLaunch find my screen saver application?

Either the application doesn't have a BNDL resource (generally these applications don't have their own icon), or your Desktop database file is corrupt.  You can fix the latter problem by holding down the command and option keys while the Finder is launching during the Mac's startup process.  Note that rebuilding the Desktop database this way will destroy any comments you have entered in the Finder's Get Info boxes.

Why does AutoLaunch run the wrong application?

AutoLaunch searches for the screen saver application first by creator type, and then resolves any duplicates by matching the application name to the one it has stored internally.  If you rename the screen saver application and have more than one application with the same creator type, AutoLaunch may pick the wrong one to launch because it can't distinguish between the multiple applications by name.  Use the "Choose" button in the control panel to reselect the application you want to run.

Why does my screen saver application launch and then quit right away?

Some applications send keyboard events to themselves.  This causes AutoLaunch to quit or exit the application (depending upon how you've set up the control panel), thinking that you're using your Mac again.

AutoLaunch has a means of ignoring keyboard events from specific applications - we've already configured it to handle JPEGView and Marathon, which exhibit this problem.  If you discover others, please contact us so we can make the necessary changes and let you know how to fix your copy.

My Mac crashes when I use the "Kill on wake up" option with application XYZ.

Some applications do not respond well to being forcibly quit.  The "Kill on wake up" option has the same effect as pressing command-option-escape to abort an application.  Because of the way they work, the following types of applications may cause problems:

1.  Any application that uses MacTCP.  This includes Eudora, Anarchie, Netscape, MacWeb, Fetch, InterNews, NCSA Telnet, and Newswatcher, to name just a few.  Since MacTCP is part of the system software, leaving it in an inconsistent state by killing the application can cause crashes.

2.  Some AppleScript applets.  This seems to depend upon which scripting extensions you are using.  The fact that AppleScript is part of the system means that if a scripting extension doesn't clean up after itself properly, bad things can happen.

3.  Games such as Marathon which assume that they have complete control of their environment.  They're written under the assumption that they can undo any changes they've made to your system before they let you out.

If you have trouble with the "Kill on wake up" option, we suggest that you use the safer "Quit on wake up" method instead.  Note that for AppleScript applets, you can use an "on quit" handler to perform some action when your applet is asked to quit.