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- Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!enterpoop.mit.edu!pad-thai.aktis.com!pad-thai.aktis.com!not-for-mail
- From: eharold@sunspot.noao.edu (Elliotte Rusty Harold)
- Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.system,comp.answers,news.answers
- Subject: Macintosh system software frequently asked questions (FAQ)
- Supersedes: <macintosh/system-faq_740203209@GZA.COM>
- Followup-To: comp.sys.mac.system
- Date: 30 Jun 1993 00:00:18 -0400
- Organization: Department of Mathematics, NJIT
- Lines: 563
- Sender: faqserv@GZA.COM
- Approved: news-answer-request@MIT.edu
- Message-ID: <macintosh/system-faq_741412806@GZA.COM>
- References: <macintosh/general-faq_741412806@GZA.COM>
- Reply-To: eharold@sunspot.noao.edu (Elliotte Harold)
- NNTP-Posting-Host: pad-thai.aktis.com
- Summary: This document answers a number of the most frequently asked
- questions about Macintoshes on Usenet. To avoid wasting bandwidth
- and as a matter of politeness please familiarize yourself with this
- document BEFORE posting.
- Keywords: FAQ, system, Macintosh, Mac, macintosh, mac
- X-Last-Updated: 1993/06/29
- Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.sys.mac.system:33254 comp.answers:1153 news.answers:9822
-
-
- Archive-name: macintosh/system-faq
- Version: 2.1.5
- Last-modified: June 26, 1993
-
- Copyright 1993 by Elliotte Harold
-
-
- What's new in version 2.1.5:
-
- 0.0:
-
- The IP address of rtfm.mit.edu has changed yet again. It is
- now [18.70.0.224]
-
- 2.5. Where can I get non-U.S. software and scripts
-
- The Japanese Language kit retails for $249.
-
- 2.6. What is System 7 Tuneup? Do I need it?
-
- Only Tuneup 1.1.1 fixes the disappearing folders bug.
-
- 4.2: What is a Type Y error?
-
- You may be able to avoid some Type 1 errors by turning 32-bit
- addressing and/or the 68040 cache on or off.
-
- And my personal favorite change, my contact address is now:
-
- Elliotte Rusty Harold National Solar Observatory
- eharold@sunspot.noao.edu Sunspot NM 88349
-
- While mail sent to my previous addresses will eventually
- reach me, mail sent here will be responded to much more
- quickly.
-
-
-
- comp.sys.mac.faq
- Part 2: comp.sys.mac.system
-
-
- Table of Contents
-
-
- I. Memory
- 1. Why is my system using so much memory?
- 2. What is MODE32? the 32-bit enabler? Do I need them?
- 3. How much memory should I allot to my cache?
- II. System Software
- 1. Why does Apple charge for System 7.1?
- 2. What does System 7.1 give me for my $35 that System 7.0 doesn't?
- 3. Where can I get System 7.1?
- 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? Do I need it?
- 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 on 800K disks?
- III. Hard Disks, File sharing, 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?
- IV. Miscellaneous:
- 1. What does System Error XXX mean?
- 2. What is a Type Y error?
- 3. What is A/ROSE?
- 4. Easy Access: One Answer, Many Questions
-
-
- This work is Copyright 1993 by Elliotte M. Harold.
- Permission is hereby granted to distribute this unmodified
- document provided that no fee in excess of normal online charges is
- required for such distribution. Portions of this document may be
- extracted and quoted free of charge and without necessity of citation
- in normal online communication provided only that said quotes are not
- represented as the correspondent's original work. Permission for
- quotation of this document in printed material and edited online
- communication (such as the Info-Mac Digest and TidBITS) is given
- subject to normal citation procedures (i.e. you have to say where
- you got it).
-
- Disclaimer: I do my best to ensure that information contained in
- this document is current and accurate, but I can accept no
- responsibility for actions resulting from information contained
- herein. This document is provided as is and with no warranty of
- any kind. All tradenames are trademarks of their respective
- manufacturers. Corrections and suggestions should be addressed
- to erh0362@tesla.njit.edu.
-
- This is the SECOND part of the this FAQ. The first part is also
- posted to this newsgroup under the subject heading "Introductory
- Macintosh frequently asked questions (FAQ)" and includes a complete
- table of contents for the entire document as well as information on
- where to post, ftp, file decompression, trouble-shooting, and
- preventive maintenance. The third part is posted every two weeks in
- comp.sys.mac.misc and features many questions that often erroneously
- appear in comp.sys.mac.system as well. Please familiarize yourself
- with all three sections of this document before posting.
-
- All pieces are available for anonymous ftp from rtfm.mit.edu
- [18.70.0.224] in the directory pub/usenet/news.answers/macintosh.
- Except for the introductory FAQ which appears in multiple newsgroups
- and is stored as general-faq.Z, the name of each file has the format
- of the last part of the group name followed by "-faq.Z", e.g the
- FAQ for comp.sys.mac.system is stored as system-faq.Z and the FAQ
- for comp.sys.mac.misc is stored as misc-faq.Z. RTFM stores files as
- compressed (.Z) BINARY files. If you leave off the .Z at the end
- of the file name when "getting" the file, rtfm will automatically
- decompress the file before sending it to you. You can also have
- these files mailed to you by sending an E-mail message to
- mail-server@rtfm.mit.edu with the line:
- send pub/usenet/news.answers/macintosh/"name"
- in the body text where "name" is the name of the file you want as
- specified above (e.g. general-faq). You can also send this server
- a message with the subject "help" for more detailed instructions.
-
-
-
- ======
- MEMORY (1.0)
- ======
-
- WHY IS MY SYSTEM TAKING UP SO MUCH MEMORY? (1.1)
-
- Under system versions earlier than 7.0 or under System 7.x
- without 32-bit addressing turned on the Mac cannot access more than
- eight megabytes of real memory. If you have more physical RAM
- installed, the Mac knows it's present but can't do anything with it.
- When About the Finder is selected from the Apple menu, the system
- reports all the memory it can't use as part of the system
- memory allocation.
-
- To use the memory you need to get System 7 and turn on 32-bit
- addressing. If you have a Mac with dirty ROMs (a II, IIx, SE/30, or
- IIcx) you also need MODE32 for System 7.0 or 7.0.1 or the 32-bit
- enabler for System 7.1. Both are free from ftp.apple.com
- (/dts/mac/mode32 and /dts/mac/sys.soft/7.1.32.bit.enabler) and from
- the increasingly mythical friendly neighborhood dealer. If you're
- staying with System 6, Maxima from Connectix ($45 street) allows use
- of up to fourteen megabytes of real memory and can allocate anything
- beyond that to a RAM disk.
-
- If you have an LC or an LC II with four megabytes of RAM
- soldered to the motherboard, you still need to add two four-megabyte
- SIMM's to reach the ten megabyte maximum imposed by the LC ROM.
- This means you'll always have two unused megabytes which About this
- Macintosh and About the Finder report as part of the system memory
- allocation. Unfortunately there is no current means of accessing
- this extra memory.
-
- If you've turned on 32-bit addressing or if you have eight
- megabytes or less of RAM, check your disk cache (RAM cache in
- System 6) in the Memory Control Panel (General Control Panel in
- System 6) to make sure it isn't set exceptionally high. All
- memory allotted to the cache comes out of the System's
- memory allocation.
-
- Finally if you recently upgraded to System 7.1 by updating your
- system software rather than by doing a clean reinstall, (See question
- 4.6 in the general FAQ) you should move all fonts out of your system
- file as these can take up an extraordinary amount of memory.
-
-
- WHAT IS MODE32? THE 32-BIT ENABLER? DO I NEED THEM? (1.2)
-
- MODE32 and the 32-bit enabler are system extensions that allow
- Mac II's, IIx's, IIcx's, and SE/30's to access more than eight
- megabytes of real memory under System 7. If you have more than eight
- megabytes of real memory in an SE/30, IIcx, IIx, or a Mac II, you
- need MODE32 if you are running System 7.0 or 7.0.1 or the 32-bit
- enabler if you're running System 7.1. Otherwise you don't need
- either. MODE32 and the 32-bit enabler are free from your local
- Apple dealer and can be ftp'd from ftp.apple.com in the directories
- /dts/mac/mode32 and /dts/mac/sys.soft/7.1.32.bit.enabler.
-
-
- HOW MUCH MEMORY SHOULD I ALLOT TO MY CACHE? (1.3)
-
- One of the Memory Control Panel (or General Control Panel in
- System 6) settings is the mysterious cache, Disk Cache in System 7,
- RAM cache in System 6. This is memory the system sets aside to hold
- frequently accessed data from the disk. The cache acts like a 7-11
- for your hard disk. It's quicker to get a quart of milk at the 7-11,
- but it costs more so you don't do all your shopping there. And the
- 7-11 doesn't have everything you want so sometimes you need to go to
- the A&P (your hard disk) instead.
-
- Unfortunately Apple's cache isn't really all that fast. For
- most people the RAM cache would more appropriately be called the RAM
- thief. Its effect on performance seems to be much like the canals of
- Mars. You have to want to see it before you can. However there are
- a few applications and inits such as Dayna DOSMounter that actually
- make use of the cache and will run much faster when it's turned on
- than when it's off. Thus I recommend setting your cache to 64K,
- turning it on, and forgetting about it. I hope that in 1993 most
- Macintoshes have enough RAM that they don't need to worry about
- losing 64K.
-
- If, however, your Mac is a IIsi running a color monitor from
- the internal video, then you may possibly speed up your Mac with an
- appropriate cache setting. The IIsi and the IIci use system RAM to
- store the video image on your screen. (Other Macs with internal
- video have video RAM separate from the main system RAM so this trick
- doesn't apply to them.) The internal video competes with the System
- for use of this RAM; and that competition slows down your Mac, just
- like two children fighting in the back seat of your car adds an hour
- to the time it takes to get to the beach. To stop the fighting a
- smart parent will put one child in the front seat and one in the back.
- A smart Mac owner will put the internal video in the front seat and
- the system in the back seat. To push the system out of the front seat
- set a IIsi's cache to between 384K and 768K which will take up all
- the space in the front seat not occupied by the internal video and
- force the system to sit in the back. The exact value depends on the
- type of monitor you have installed. Experiment to see what works
- for you. Unfortunately this trick doesn't work when virtual memory
- is turned on, but if you're using virtual memory you're probably more
- concerned about saving memory than gaining speed anyway.
-
-
-
- ===============
- SYSTEM SOFTWARE (2.0)
- ===============
-
- WHY DOES APPLE CHARGE FOR SYSTEM 7.1? (2.1)
-
- Apple is charging for System 7.1 because Apple's policy makers
- suspect they'll make more money by charging for it than by not
- charging for it. Apple is a publicly held corporation in a
- capitalist economy where the law requires corporations to make
- reasonable attempts to maximize profits. To give away something
- Apple could make more money by charging for would be a breach of the
- fiduciary responsibility of Apple's Board of Directors and actionable
- by Apple stockholders in a court of law.
-
-
- WHAT DOES SYSTEM 7.1 GIVE ME FOR MY $35 THAT SYSTEM 7.0 DOESN'T? (2.2)
-
- Not much. System 7.1 provides a base for many planned
- enhancements to the MacOS. These include a new printing
- architecture, an advanced version of QuickDraw, and easy
- localizability into foreign languages. All of these will be
- separate, optional add-ons which may or may not cost more money.
- (Actually most people at Apple and elsewhere say these will be
- free, but that's what they said about system software before 7.1
- was released for $35. After 7.1 was released a lot of them started
- backpedalling and claiming that no promises of free upgrades were
- ever made. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.)
-
- The only added feature of System 7.1 that you can use now is the
- ability to store fonts in a Fonts folder rather than the System file.
- For this Apple wants $35. There are also about a thousand various
- bug fixes over System 7.0. (i.e. 7.1 shipped with only about 400
- known bugs instead of the 1400 known bugs in System 7.0.) Some of
- these fixes were included in the various System 7 tuners. The most
- significant bug fix not present in System 7 Tuneup fixes the Quadra
- 950's SCSI manager. If you have a Quadra 950, you need System 7.1.
- Otherwise you probably shouldn't waste your money.
-
-
- WHERE CAN I GET SYSTEM 7.1? (2.3)
-
- Apple rationalizes its decision to charge for System 7.1 by
- claiming that most people have been unable to get System Software
- updates from online sources or authorized dealers (and of course they
- rationalize their refusal to authorize low-price mail order dealers
- by claiming that Macs require dealer support) and by claiming that
- charging for system software will make software retailers more
- willing to stock Apple system software and thus make it easier to
- obtain. This denies the reality that System 7.0 was in fact readily
- available from the primary sources of payware Mac software as well
- as being freely available online. And I doubt a full-page ad for
- System 7.0 in the software catalogs costs Apple any more than an ad
- for System 7.1. This rationalization also ignores how previously
- in large organizations only one person needed to be able to get the
- system software from a dealer, online, or bundled with a new CPU
- before others could freely and legally copy it. So, despite
- Apple's protests to the contrary, it is now harder to get a current
- copy of the system software thus creating a FAQ where there was none
- before.
-
- If you want the manuals as well as the disks (high density only)
- for System 7.1, you can order the entire package including a copy of
- At Ease for about $79 from the usual mail-order houses such as
- MacConnection (1-800-800-2222) or MacWAREHOUSE (1-800-ALL-MACS). If
- you only want the disks you can upgrade from System 7.0 by calling
- Apple at (800) 769-APPL and asking for the 7.1 upgrade. To "verify"
- that you already own System 7, you'll be asked what's in the right
- hand corner of your menu bar. The answer is of course Balloon Help
- and the application menu. The disk only upgrade costs $34.95 plus $3
- for shipping and handling plus local sales tax.
-
- If you bought a non-bundled copy of System 7.0 on or after
- September 1, 1992 (or if you have a scanner, an old software receipt,
- and some familiarity with a photo retouching program) you can upgrade
- for $3 by sending your dated proof of purchase, a check for $3, and
- your name and address to
- Apple Computer
- Attn: Free Upgrade
- P.O. Box 720
- Buffalo, NY 14207.
- Alternatively you can fax that information and a credit card number
- and expiration date to Apple at (716) 873-0906.
-
-
- HOW CAN I USE SYSTEM 6 ON A MAC THAT REQUIRES SYSTEM 7? (2.4)
-
- The PowerBook 100, Classic II, LCII, Performa 200, and Performa
- 400 all work with System 6.0.8L, a special foreign version of System
- 6.0.8 that was hacked together because these machines beat many of
- the internationalized versions of System 7 to market. System 6.0.8L
- used to be available for anonymous ftp from wuarchive.wustl.edu in the
- mirrors/rascal.ics.utexas.edu/support-of-products/Apple/sys.soft/6.0.8L
- directory but was removed recently. If you find an ftp site for
- 6.0.8L or even a bulletin board that carries it, please contact the
- author of the FAQ so I can include it here.
-
-
- WHERE CAN I GET NON-U.S. SYSTEM SOFTWARE AND SCRIPTS? (2.5)
-
- For a company that's as hip to the international marketplace
- as Apple, it sure has a difficult time comprehending that its
- customers might need to work with more than one language. A recent
- call to the Apple Customer Assistance Center support line revealed
- that system software is available only in the country of origin.
- The support rep was unable even to provide contact information for
- distributors in countries outside the United States. What the support
- rep didn't know (but I do) is that most international versions of
- System 7.0.1 are available for anonymous ftp from ftp.apple.com
- in /dts/mac/sys.soft. Your best chance to get Chinese, Korean or
- Japanese system software or any international version of System 7.1
- is to have a friend in the appropriate country mail you the software.
-
- If you want to work with multiple languages but don't
- necessarily need an entire foreign system, you first need to
- upgrade to System 7.1, the first truly international operating
- system. System 7.1 includes numerous hooks to support multiple
- languages. After installing System 7.1 the first thing you'll want
- are keyboards, fonts, and script systems that let you write in your
- language of choice. A large number of international keyboard layouts
- are included in the file util/organization/manykeyboards.cpt.hqx
- available from mac.archive.umich.edu. A Japanese language kit is
- allegedly available from Apple Authorized Dealers for $249. (Good
- luck finding one that stocks it. In fact let me know if you do.)
- While Apple has plans to release more language kits in the future,
- no others are currently available. So once again if you want to work
- in Arabic, Hebrew, Icelandic or something else, you need to find a
- friend in the appropriate country to mail you the software.
-
- Application software that supports your language of choice is
- also a nice thing to have. Currently the only WorldScript savvy
- word processor is Nisus 3.4 which comes in two versions. The
- limited flag edition supports Roman languages and Japanese. The
- full-flag edition also supports non-Roman languages and is
- copy-protected by an ADB dongle.
-
-
- WHAT IS SYSTEM 7 TUNEUP? DO I NEED IT? (2.6)
-
- If you use System 7.0, 7.0.1, or the System 7.0 printer drivers,
- you need System 7 Tuneup 1.1.1. The tuneup includes a number of fixes
- and enhancements to System 7, including substantially faster printer
- drivers, a StyleWriter driver that supports background printing, a
- fix that saves several hundred kilobytes of memory on non-networked
- Macs, and, most importantly, a vaccine for the disappearing folders
- bug. These fixes and many others have been rolled into System 7.1
- so the tuneup does nothing for Macs running 7.1.
-
-
- WHY DO MY DA'S DISAPPEAR WHEN I TURN ON MULTIFINDER? (2.7)
-
- You need to put the file "DA Handler" in your System Folder. It
- should be on one of your System 6.0.x disks. Under Finder the Desk
- Accessories load into the memory provided by your application. Under
- MultiFinder they load into their own memory space provided by
- DA Handler.
-
-
- DO I NEED SYSTEM 7.0.1? (2.8)
-
- Officially if you don't have a Quadra or PowerBook, you don't
- need System 7.0.1. Unofficially some changes were made that speed
- up SANE (numerics) operations on 32-bit clean Macintoshes with a
- floating-point coprocessor. These include all IIci's and IIfx's plus
- LC's and IIsi's that have had a coprocessor specially installed.
- (Neither of the latter machines ships with a coprocessor.)
-
-
- HOW CAN I GET SYSTEM 7.0.1 ON 800K DISKS? (2.9)
-
- You can't because all machines that gain any benefits from 7.0.1
- come equipped with high density floppy drives. You can however use
- the utility MountImage to mount the images of the 1400K System 7.0.1
- disks (available from ftp.apple.com) on your hard drive and install
- from the image rather than a floppy. Be warned, however, that
- MountImage is notoriously unreliable when doing installs. Be sure
- you make a complete backup of your hard disk and have a set of System
- disks on genuine floppies before attempting to install from
- mounted images.
-
-
-
- =======================================
- HARD DISK PROBLEMS AND THE FILE SYSTEM (3.0)
- =======================================
-
- HELP! THE FOLDER CONTAINING ALL SOURCE CODE FOR MY COMPANY'S BIG
- PROJECT JUST DISAPPEARED FROM OUR SERVER; WE HAVEN'T BACKED UP IN A
- WEEK; AND IF I CAN'T GET IT BACK I'LL BE FIRED AND MY COMPANY WILL
- GO BANKRUPT! (3.1)
-
- Try a Find on the missing filenames; and, if they turn up, move
- them to the desktop. In the meantime grab Disk First Aid 7.1 from
- ftp.apple.com which should be able to fix this problem.
-
-
- WHY CAN'T I THROW AWAY THIS FOLDER? (3.2)
-
- Possibly the folder contains items that are locked or in use and
- can't be thrown away. Turn off file-sharing (if it's on) and quit
- all applications. Then try to throw the folder away. If that
- doesn't work and you're using System 6, hold down the option-key and
- drag the folder into the trash; or, if you're using System 7, hold
- down the option key while selecting "Empty Trash" from the special
- menu. Holding the option key down lets you throw away locked items.
- If that doesn't work restart the computer, hold down the option key,
- and try again. If you still can't throw away the folder, try
- throwing away the items in the folder (if any) one by one until you
- find the ones giving you trouble. Remove them from the folder, and
- then throw the folder away. If you still can't throw the folder
- away, you've discovered a "Folder from Hell." Create an empty folder
- on ANOTHER disk with the same name as the Hell Folder. Then copy the
- new folder onto the same disk in the same folder as the Hell Folder.
- Click "Yes" when asked if you want to replace the Hell Folder. Now
- you should be able to throw the just copied folder away. If that
- doesn't work, get a copy of John Jeppson's HellFolderFix utility,
- available from the usual FTP sites.
-
-
- WHY CAN'T I SHARE MY SYQUEST DRIVE? CD-ROM? BERNOULLI BOX? ETC.? (3.3)
-
- Apple originally planned to treat removables like floppies
- rather than hard disks for file-sharing. At the requests of beta
- testers file-sharing on removables was hacked into System 7.0 at
- the last minute. However, since file-sharing was originally to be
- implemented only on fixed drives, no means were created for the
- host Mac to tell other Macs when a new volume went on or off-line.
- Therefore sharing a removable volume requires that the disc or
- cartridge be inserted and mounted when filesharing is turned
- on. Turn filesharing off and on with the drive powered up and
- the cartridge inserted and you should then be able to share
- the removable.
-
-
- WHY CAN'T I EJECT THIS SYQUEST CARTRIDGE? CD-ROM? FLOPTICAL? ETC.? (3.4)
-
- When file-sharing is turned on it makes all disks larger
- than two megabytes available for remote access by the owner even
- if they aren't specifically shared. This prevents the dismounting
- of removeable media. Turn off file-sharing first. Then drag the
- volume icon to the trash. Apple's recently released free utility
- UnmountIt will do this automagically, i.e. turn off file-sharing,
- eject the disk, and then turn file-sharing back on.
-
-
- WHY CAN'T I RENAME MY HARD DRIVE? (3.5)
-
- Turn off file-sharing as described above. If the disk you can't
- rename is not shared, Kazu Yanagahira's freeware utility Unlock
- Folder will also unlock your hard disk so you can rename it.
-
-
-
- =============
- MISCELLANEOUS (4.0)
- =============
-
- WHAT DOES SYSTEM ERROR XXX MEAN? (4.1)
-
- Typically it means nothing at all of any use to the end user.
- Your time is much more productively spent trying to figure out what
- actions in which application caused the crash so that you can avoid
- them in the future rather than deciphering system error numbers.
- After all, knowing that Error 16 means a math coprocessor is not
- installed doesn't help you much in fixing the problem. Knowing that
- this happens in QuarkXPress 3.0 every time you try to link two text
- boxes on a master page when copies of those text boxes already
- contain text does. (And in this case the error message isn't even
- accurate.) If you really want to know what that number means, get
- Dr. Pete Corless's System Error 7.0.1 utility available in the
- usual places.
-
-
- WHAT IS A TYPE Y ERROR? (4.2)
-
- A Type error is your Macintosh's way of telling you that it's
- sick and plans to take a nice vacation in Belview for a few days.
- Among developers Type errors are officially known as DS errors where
- DS stands for "Deep Spaghetti" though a somewhat more colorful
- expression is often used in place of "Spaghetti." Your
- applications are toast. Any unsaved data is lost. Once you've
- been hit with a Type error there's absolutely nothing you can do
- about it. You'll probably need to restart your Macintosh either
- by hitting the programmer's key or by turning the Mac off and on
- if the programmer's key isn't installed.
-
- The most common type errors are Type 1 and Type 3. Type 1 is
- a bus error. It's most commonly symptomatic of software that isn't
- 32-bit clean. A Type 3 error is an illegal instruction. It's most
- often symptomatic of poorly written software. You may occasionally
- be able to avoid Type 1 errors by turning 32-bit addressing on or off
- or by turning the cache on or off if you have a 68040 Mac. Otherwise
- there is almost nothing you can do about these errors except try to
- find out what actions, applications, and/or extensions cause them
- so you can report them to the programmer and avoid them in the
- future. There is no point posting about Type errors to the net.
-
-
- WHAT IS A/ROSE? (4.3)
-
- Apple's Realtime Operating System Environment is not needed by
- 99.9% of the people who stumble across it. It's only needed if you
- have an MCP NuBus card of which there were about three at last count.
- The only even moderately common one is Apple's TokenTalk NuBus card.
- If you don't have such a card, feel free to trash it.
-
-
- EASY ACCESS: ONE ANSWER, MANY QUESTIONS (4.4)
-
- Easy Access is a WONDERFUL system extension from Apple, useful
- for far more than its intended purpose. Unfortunately it's also the
- source of a lot of confusion and strange behavior on many Macs. It's
- even been suggested that anti-virals should detect and report the
- presence of Easy Access since it produces more false virus reports
- than any other software in Macintosh history. If you're using
- System 7, your Mac will emit an ascending whistle for about two
- seconds when Easy Access is turned on and a descending whistle
- when Easy Access is turned off. You may also hear a beep after
- some keypresses.
-
- Easy Access has two pieces, Sticky Keys, which is turned on by
- hitting the Shift key five times in a row without moving the mouse,
- and Mouse Keys which is turned on by hitting Command-Shift-Clear.
- Sticky Keys lets you type things like Command-Shift-Clear without
- doing the Rose Mary Wood shuffle. Just hit the modifer keys you want
- to use and then hit the regular key. For example if Sticky Keys is
- turned on, you could also turn on Mouse Keys by typing Command, then
- Shift, then Clear rather than by hitting them all at once. When
- Sticky Keys is turned on an icon appears in the menu bar to the right
- of the application icon/menu. Mouse Keys lets the numeric keypad
- substitute for the mouse. This is especially useful for making
- precision, single-pixel adjustments in draw and paint programs and
- for safely shutting down or restarting your computer when the mouse
- is frozen.
-
-
- Elliotte Rusty Harold National Solar Observatory
- eharold@sunspot.noao.edu Sunspot NM 88349
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-