PowerCheck 2.0 is a utility you can use to find out whether a given file contains 68k code, PPC code, or both (fat). PowerCheck gives you several notification options, and allows you to check files individually or to check an entire folder or volume at once.
Getting Started
1. Rebuild the desktop, if necessary.
One of the features of PowerCheck is that you can drag and drop an item (such as an application or a folder) on it to launch PowerCheck and check the item. If you find that you cannot perform a drag launch, you need to rebuild your Macintosh desktop.
2. Set labels in Finder, if desired.
You can tell PowerCheck to set the labels of the items you check, depending on whether they are 68k, PPC, or Fat. Therefore, it is a good idea to set up these labels in the Labels control panel before you start working with PowerCheck. For more information about this feature, see "Labels", below.
3. Set your preferences.
4. Start PowerChecking!
Setting Preferences
How you want to be notified
Before you start using PowerCheck to check your files, you need to tell it how to notify you of the status of the item(s) you check. You have several options, which can be used separately or in any combination. All of the following options are set in the Preferences dialog box.
･ Labels
Once you have set up the desired labels at the Finder level (see step 2 under "getting Started", above), you can tell PowerCheck to set the label of each checked item, based on whether it is 68k, PPC, or Fat. You cannot use this option on a locked volume, such as a CD-ROM.
In order to prevent confusion when you look at the labels PowerCheck sets, it sets the label for any non-code files to None. Folder labels, however, are not affected.
･ Sounds
You can tell PowerCheck to play a different sound for each checked item, based on whether it is 68k, PPC, or Fat.
･ Info window
You can direct PowerCheck not to display the Information window when you drag-launch PowerCheck. The Information window is always displayed when you check an item by choosing Open from the File menu.
･ Quiet mode
Quiet mode allows you to ignore any issues, such as damaged resource forks or indeterminate code status, that would ordinarily cause PowerCheck to present an alert box. In Quiet mode, PowerCheck will present an alert box only if it cannot continue. Use Quiet mode to run PowerCheck on a large volume unattended. This option is in effect only when you are checking a folder or volume.
How PowerCheck checks folders and volumes
The following preferences determine how PowerCheck checks folders and volumes.
･ Check only apps, extensions and libraries
When this option is on, PowerCheck will check only files with the following file types: APPL, APPE, INIT, cdev, shlb, cfrg, XCOF
For information on changing this list, see "Changing the list of file types to check", below.
･ Check all sub-folders
Using PowerCheck 2.0
How to check something
･ Drag and Drop
You can drag and drop an application, a folder, or a volume onto the PowerCheck application icon. (If this feature is not working, you may need to rebuild your desktop.)
･ Open from PowerCheck
You can check a file by choosing Open from the File menu. You can check a folder or volume by choosing Check Entire Folder from the File menu.
Checking Items on File Servers
PowerCheck 2.0.2. has not been tested on file servers. However, it should work properly if you have the appropriate permissions.
How PowerCheck determines what kind of code is in a file
PowerCheck checks whether or not it has a CODE resource
Yes= 68k, No--> Does it have an INIT? Yes= 68k, No= Not 68k
Does it have a cfrg resource? Yes= PPC, No--> Does it have a data fork? No= Not PPC, Yes--> Do the first 8 bites of the data fork contain "joy!peff"? Yes=PPC, No=Not PPC.
If 68k+notPPC--> 68k
If PPC and not 68k--> PPC
If 68k+PPC-> Is there more than one CODE resource? Yes=FAT, (while checking an entire folder) Quiet mode is on=Fat, Quiet mode if off--> Ask user
If not68k + notPPC --> no code
Changing the list of file types to check
You can change the list of file types that PowerCheck considers to be apps, extensions, and libraries. To do this, you need a resource editor, such as ResEditｨ. Edit PowerCheck's 'TYP#' resource #1000, which contains the list of types to check. You can add or delete items.
Changing the definition of what constitutes 68K "code"
There are many different kinds of resources that can contain 68K code. The two most common are the 'CODE' and 'INIT' resources. Other resources, such as 'CDEF's, may contain 68K code as well, but PowerCheck does not consider these significant. If you wish to change the list of resource types that PowerCheck should consider 68k code, edit the 'TYP#' resource #1001, as described above. If you remove 'CODE' from this list, PowerCheck may produce unexpected results.
