Mac common sense, word-processing nostalgia, and mysterious dialog boxes.
Bob LeVitus and Christopher Breen
Mac No-Nos
Question: I desperately need your help! I installed Snitch (a free utility that lets you modify several attributes from within a file's or folder's Get Info window) and selected Get Info on my Games folder. I checked the Invisible box. Now I can't find the folder! How do I get it back?
Name withheld for obvious reasons
via the Internet
Chris: Hmm, how can I put this delicately?
Bob: Watch it. We've got a subscription renewal at stake.
Chris: Fear not. The master of positive spin is on the case. Ya know, Mr. or Ms. Withheld, some of the most valuable experience one can gain comes from making mistakes. Fortunately, we can all learn from them. First we're gonna undo the one you've made, and then we'll go over a few more Mac no-nos, for the benefit of all.
Bob: Before Chris lets loose with the sermon, I'll provide the way out. You need a utility that can make the folder reappear, such as Evan Gross' $20 shareware utility collection, DiskTools (see figure 1). Open DiskTools, locate your Games folder in the scrolling list, click on the second button from the left (it's not labeled), and uncheck the Invisible box. Your folder is now back in business.
figure 1 / DiskTools changes file and folder attributes and restores invisible files and folders with a click on a button.
By the way, DiskTools is worth downloading for the main program alone, but you also get a killer calculator replacement, a wonderful note pad, and a couple of other nifty DAs.
You were saying, Pastor Breen?
Chris: Bob and I -- in our never ending search for truth -- have committed just about every fatheaded sin a person can perpetrate on a Mac. Perhaps we can save our readers a little grief by pointing out areas where we've ventured and where more-cautious beings should fear to tread.
Bob: I'll take software and start with the lesson learned from the experience of our anonymous questioner. Don't flirt with danger! Clicking on boxes marked Invisible or selecting menu options reading Erase, Delete, or Clear without knowing how to restore files or folders to their original state is a bad idea. Memorizing the keyboard shortcut for Undo (Command-Z) is a must. Don't count on its working every time, though.
Leaving yourself an escape hatch is particularly important when using ResEdit. We've said it before, and we'll say it again -- when modifying a file with ResEdit, always work on a backup copy.
Chris: The following hardware tips may seem obvious to some, but ignoring them could land you smack-dab in the chowder.
Don't move a hard drive while it's turned on. Chances are you'll gouge a deep trench into a disk platter and your drive will be trashed. Likewise, plugging and unplugging cables while your Mac is switched on is a formula for disaster, particularly when messing with ADB cables. One pin bent in the wrong place, and kazap! -- your ADB controller is a crispy critter.
And finally -- I know this sounds bizarre, but I swear I've seen it done -- covering your Mac, hard drive, or printer with a blanket to muffle the sound can also apply deep, penetrating heat to the hardware's components. The vents are there for a reason. Keep 'em clear of blankets, external peripherals, and your scrapbook full of old Help Folder columns.
Promised PPC PowerBook
Question: Why can't I find an Apple PowerPC upgrade board for my 500-series PowerBook? Is this another unrealized Apple promise?
Mike Mierau
via AOL
Chris:: Unrealized promise? Well, no and yes.
Bob: No because Apple has supposedly been providing PowerPC upgrades for the 500-series PowerBooks since last December.
Chris: And yes because Apple has kept a very low profile with regard to these upgrades and users have reported great difficulty in tracking them down.
That fading red sticker on your PowerBook that says "Ready for PowerPC Upgrade" isn't false advertising -- the PowerBook 500s are indeed upgradable. If you want your PowerBook to jam, however, the upgrade you get will probably bear the Newer Technology label.
PowerPC upgrades from Apple and Newer consist of a daughterboard with a PowerPC 603e processor. The Newer upgrades start at $600 (estimated street price after you've traded in your old daughterboard). You can get the upgrade with 0, 4, or 8 MB of RAM. Newer's boards contain a 117-MHz processor, and Apple's come with the 100-MHz variety.
Bob: Users of the Duo 200 series haven't been left out -- although they'll have to fork over lots more cash to speed up their portables, since the upgrade consists of a completely new motherboard. The $1,299 Apple board contains a PowerPC 603e processor with 8 MB of RAM soldered on. I know it's expensive, but it does have one significant advantage over the 500-series upgrades: It will run the Copland OS, which Apple plans to release next year.
Chris: I can hear the screams from here. You'd better explain that.
Bob: I hate to be the one to break it to you, but the old motherboard of the 500s is based on 680x0 technology. Even with the PowerPC upgrade, Copland isn't expected to run on those machines. You'll have to stick with Apple's System 7.5 instead.
Really Retro Writing
Question: I would like to locate a font that mimics the type of a 1940s-vintage manual typewriter. I'd also like my Mac to make the sounds of clicks, clatters, rasps, and rings with my keystrokes and carriage returns.
Sheldon Levy
Midland, MI
Bob: No problem, Sheldon, on either count.
Chris: A quick search of America Online's software library for the keywords typewriter and font scored more than 40 files.
Bob: We'll save you the trouble of downloading them all; head straight for the VintageTypewriter font family, created by Susan Townsend (see figure 2). The $20 shareware package includes six fonts. Some of the other typewriter fonts are interesting, but Susan's -- available in your choice of TrueType or Type 1 -- are consistently beautiful.
figure 2 / Susan Townsend's VintageTypewriter font family includes this killer re-creation of a 12-pitch Smith Upright.
Chris: Hey, Bob, what's the name of that noisy program you say is so wonderful in your New & Improved Stupid Mac Tricks book/disk collection (San Diego, California: AP Professional, 1995)?
Bob: You must mean TappyType, a control panel that adds the clickety-clack sound of a manual typewriter -- complete with the kerchunk-ding bell sound of a carriage return -- to your Mac.
Chris: TappyType is "Gumbyware" by Colin Klipsch. Try it for 30 days. If you like it, show your support by wearing a handkerchief on your head, clenching your fists, and strutting around your neighborhood shouting "WOOOH!" at interesting bits of cement. In other words, TappyType is free.
Bob: I'm using Susan's Smith Upright font and Colin's TappyType. There's something perversely wonderful about making thousands of dollars worth of Mac and printer look and sound like $10 worth of '40s pawnshop junk.
Jammin' RAM
Question: Is it true that my Power Mac's RAM will run 10 percent faster if I install DIMMs in pairs?
Simon Y. Chang
Providence, RI
Bob: I had a hunch that what you've heard is true, and upon consulting my expert sources, I learned why. It has to do with interleaving -- a process in which bits of data "ping-pong" between two banks of DRAM to speed things up.
Chris: I might add that interleaving works only if same-sized DIMMs are plugged in at the right locations. So check your manual (it's different for each model).
Bob: Last but not least, not every PCI-based Power Mac and compatible supports memory interleaving. (The Power Mac 7200, for example, does not support RAM interleaving.) Make sure yours does. And even if it doesn't, look on the bright side -- you now have the option of adding RAM one module at a time, something you couldn't do with earlier Mac models, which forced you to add memory modules two at a time.
Righteous Rebuild
Question: Is it true that I could damage my System Folder by not turning off extensions before I rebuild the desktop?
Pam Page
via the Internet
Bob: Yep. Here's how to rebuild it correctly, according to Apple:
1. Before you rebuild your desktop, use the Extensions Manager control panel to save your extensions configuration.
2. To turn off all extensions, click on the Sets pop-up menu in the Extensions Manager and choose All Off.
3. Turn on Macintosh Easy Open, by finding it in the list of control panels and clicking on it to put a check mark beside it.
4. Restart your computer while holding down the Command and Option keys.
5. Release the keys, and click on OK when a dialog box appears asking, "Are you sure you want to rebuild the desktop . . . ."
6. Open the Extensions Manager, and turn your extensions back on, by clicking on the Sets pop-up menu and choosing the set of extensions you saved in step 1.
7. Restart your computer in order to activate the extensions.
Chris: I might mention that the Apple-approved method -- although it works most of the time -- isn't always the best way to rebuild your desktop. If you want a crystal-clean rebuild, try MicroMat's freeware TechTool. This marvelous utility vaporizes the old invisible Desktop file and creates a brand-spanking-new one. The advantage? Desktop files sometimes become corrupted, leading to such ugly manifestations as generic icons and documents that can't find their creator when you double-click on them. An Apple rebuild can't repair that corruption. TechTool starts fresh.
Bob: Either way, it's a good idea to rebuild your Desktop file every month or so, whether you think you've had problems or not.
Know the Code
Question: When my Mac locked up recently, I tried to use the Command-Control-power-key shortcut to restart it. By mistake I used the wrong key sequence, and a blank dialog box with an angle bracket (>) in the top left corner appeared on the screen. What is this dialog box used for?
Cramer51
via the Internet
Bob: Sounds like you missed a keystroke. Command-power-key brings up that white dialog box. Adding the Control key to the sequence restarts the Mac.
That dialog box is the Mini-Debugger. Like the Wizard of Oz pulling levers (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain), it's a part of the Mac you're not supposed to see. It's used for the most part by programmers for testing and debugging parts of their programs.
Chris: In the old days, there was no keyboard sequence for restarting your Mac or bringing up the Mini-Debugger: Almost all Macs came with a plastic doohickey (called a programmer's switch) that you could install and use to rescue a frozen system. It consisted of a plastic switch containing two buttons: the Reset button (usually marked with a triangle) and the Interrupt button (usually marked with a circle or dot).
Bob: Many newer Macs have built-in Reset and Interrupt buttons. Pushing the Reset button restarts your Mac instantly; the perfect cure for a freeze.
Chris: Pushing the Interrupt button, on the other hand, causes the Mini-Debugger dialog box to appear.
Bob: Here's where it gets interesting: Not all Macs have Reset and Interrupt buttons. Instead, keyboard commands are necessary. These commands also work on machines that have Reset and Interrupt buttons.
Chris: To make the Mini-Debugger disappear, press the G key and then Return. Depending on how badly your Mac is hung, crashed, or frozen, this sequence may allow you to exit the Mini-Debugger gracefully.
Bob: If that doesn't work, you'll have to restart. Press the Reset button, or use the Command-Control-power-key shortcut.
Chris: Here's one last thought before we leave this topic: The Reset button is not a substitute for the Restart command on the Special menu. Using Restart is kinder and gentler to your Mac than using keyboard shortcuts or the Reset button. An abrupt reset can damage system files.
Missed Manners
Question: HEY! I CAN'T FIND THE THING YOU GUYS MENTIONED IN LAST MONTH'S COLUMN ANYWHERE!!! YOU KNOW THE ONE I MEAN. WHAT KIND OF IDIOTS ARE YOU!?? I'M PAYING FOR MY TIME ONLINE, AND I CAN'T SPEND ALL DAY LOOKING FOR THIS STINKING FILE!!! WHERE THE HECK IS IT???
A Vocal Minority
via AOL
Bob: Whoa! Did we really get a message like that?
Chris: No, not exactly. I boiled a couple of readers' messages down to their basic components to present this lesson in online manners.
Bob: You mean netiquette?
Chris: Right-o.
Friends, the Internet has swollen with a torrent of new users, many of whom don't understand the proper rules of behavior. Of course, none of our subscribers would be guilty of such atrocious behavior, but I suspect that there are a few ill-mannered nonsubscribers reading this for free in an oral surgeon's office prior to undergoing an agonizingly painful root canal and that these people may be unaware of the proper way to comport themselves online. Yeah, we mean you, Mr. I-Don't-Have-Time-To-Floss.
Let's start with an easy one: Don't type in all capital letters. That's read as shouting and will anger the message's recipient.
Bob: Here's another basic one: Include your name at the end of the message if you're writing to someone for the first time. The user name "hsrgsuzw666@zlo.com" in the message header is the next-best thing to being anonymous. Nobody likes getting anonymous mail.
Chris: Don't send files via e-mail unless the recipient has requested them. That 753K screen dump may look totally gnarly to you, but the person on the other end is paying to download it. Ask first.
Bob: Don't expect others to be your personal librarian. If you want information or a file, try to find it on your own. When you've done your best and have still come up empty, politely ask others for help.
Chris: Try to refrain from using educational FTP sites during business hours. People using these sites are trying to get some work done. Even though many university sites include directories full of fun stuff, downloading a 4-MB game demo in the middle of the day could deny access to people who are doing their jobs.
Bob: Last and probably least, a pet peeve: Avoid participating in chain-mail threads. Honestly, the sky will not cave in because you trash this junk.
Here's a tip: If simply breaking the chain is too passive a way to express your disgust at this waste of bandwidth, try Dr. Bob's patent-pending Chain-Breaking System (infomercial in the works). Test the faith of those who send chain letters by forwarding the letters right back up the chain. Sure it's rude, but you'll ferret out the true believers in a hurry.
Drag and Drop or Not
Question: I used to be able to drag files from the Items Found window in Find File. Not anymore. What did I mess up?
E. Drucker
via the Internet
Bob: I boldly predict that our friend E. (may I call you E.?) has lost or disabled the all-important Clipping Extension (included with System 7.5) or the Macintosh Drag and Drop extension (included with earlier versions of System 7).
Chris: Very good. Now tell the nice person how to fix it.
Bob: Sure. Just reinstall your system software from the original disks, and Drag and Drop will return to Find File and other programs.
Chris: If you've merely disabled the Clipping or Drag and Drop extensions, return them to the active Extensions folder and restart the Mac.
I Mean Really Erase
Question: I must return a borrowed PowerBook 540c. How can I quickly return the hard disk to pristine condition and delete files I don't want the next user to have?
Cate Gable
via the Internet
Bob: You're right to worry. Items dragged into the Trash -- even after the Trash has been emptied -- can be recovered by a clever user, with nothing more sophisticated than a copy of Symantec's Norton Utilities or MacTools Pro. The easy way to avoid such skulduggery is to erase the entire disk, initialize and reformat it, and then reinstall only Apple system software before turning it in.
Chris: I suppose you want me to tell her the hard way?
Bob: Yep. Since you're the junior member of this writing team, I think that's only appropriate.
Chris: OK. The hard way is to grab a program that mangles a trashed file so badly that it is, for all intents and purposes, unrecoverable. This allows you to selectively delete specific files or folders instead of having to erase the entire disk.
You've got a couple of choices: the free way, as represented by Greg Koenig's elegant File Fire, or the pay way, à la Symantec's Norton Utilities.
Now don't discount File Fire just because it was written by a 13-year-old. It overwrites trashed files multiple times and can also change a file's name, size, type and creator codes, and creation date. With a simple drag-and-drop onto File Fire, your file, folder, or volume is toast.
If your utility needs are broader -- or you already own the darned thing -- Norton Utilities' Wipe Info (see figure 3) is the way to go.
figure 3 / Norton Utilities' Wipe Info module will even defeat its sibling, Unerase, permanently and positively eradicating trashed files.
Bob: Not only does Wipe Info permanently delete your data but it's also bundled with the wonderful Norton Utilities package, which includes such gems as the Disk Doctor diagnosis-and-repair utility and Floppier, a fast floppy copier.
Faster! Faster!
Question: Like many other users, I am always in search of ways to increase the speed of my machine. I have a fairly fast Power Mac with 16 MB of RAM, but it's not enough.
What can I do to soup up my Mac?
R. Christian Alperin-Lea
New Orleans, LA
Chris: Buy an old Mac Plus, and work with it exclusively for a couple of weeks. I guarantee you'll be as giddy as a schoolgirl (which you may actually be) when you return to your Power Mac.
Barring that fatuous solution, there are a few tricks for giving the goose to your computer's performance.
Bob: You can speed up your Mac without spending a nickel, just by managing it correctly. For example, you'll get a speed benefit from disabling extensions and control panels that slow down your Mac. Also, try running your Mac in black-and-white and choosing Small Icon from the View menu. And if you have enough memory, try a RAM disk (you can use System 7.5's Memory control panel to set one up).
If you don't have it already, you should consider using Connectix's Speed Doubler. It won't do much for your PowerPC-native applications, but non-native programs will shine when doubled.
Chris: Of course, if you're willing to throw money at the problem, you have plenty of good options:
* Accelerators: Clock chippers, faster processors, and graphics-accelerator cards will zip things up mightily.
* Cache cards: You can see as much as a 40-percent speed increase with one of these plug-in babies.
* Fast SCSI-2 cards with Fast SCSI hard drives: Technically they won't make your Mac faster, but they sure will suck the data off your disk in a hurry.
* Additional RAM: With a ton o' RAM, programs such as Photoshop -- which resort to virtual-memory schemes in low-memory situations -- will perk right up.
Bob: Don't forget those utilities that let you work faster: macro programs, navigation enhancers such as Now's SuperBoomerang, and CD-caching software such as FWB's CD-ROM ToolKit.
Bob LeVitus is director of evangelism for Power Computing. Christopher Breen recently coauthored The Macintosh Bible Guide to Games, published by Peachpit Press.
You can find the shareware and freeware programs referenced in this article on MacUser's Web page (http://www.zdnet.com/macuser/). You can also find them in the MacUser and ZD Net/Mac areas on CompuServe. See How to Reach Us for instructions on accessing ZD Net/Mac.
Tips / Recordable CDs
Choosing Discs
Not all discs are created equal when it comes to protecting your data. To help guarantee a disc's reliability, seek out a brand that offers an optional protective resin layer. This extra layer guards against such hazards as the chemicals from ink and the pressure you apply when you write with a pen on a disc. (Eastman Kodak and Mitsui/MTC are among the companies that make discs with an extra layer.) You should be able to tell if there's an extra protective layer by reading the fine print on a disc's packaging.
Christopher Breen
MacUser contributing editor
Tips / Hidden Keystrokes
Control Strip
When I started using the Control Strip utility, I was unhappy with its position at the bottom left corner of the screen. Applications always seem to open their documents aligned to the left side of the screen, so the documents were being partially obscured by the strip. I recently discovered that pressing the Option key as you select the tab of the Control Strip lets you move the strip not only vertically but also to the other side of the screen.
Chris Connors
via the Internet
Launcher
You can shrink or enlarge the Launcher's buttons by holding down the Command key and clicking anywhere between the buttons. Choose among small, medium, and large buttons for each category. To view the Launcher's secret About box, hold down the Option and Command keys and click anywhere between the Category buttons. To open a Category folder on the desktop, hold down the Option key and click on the Launcher's corresponding Category button.
Marvin Panganiban
via the Internet
Netscape Navigator
For the ichthyologically attuned, Netscape Navigator offers a hidden treat. Pressing Control-Option-F calls up a page on Navigator's server featuring a picture of a fish tank -- updated anywhere from every 30 seconds to every five minutes in JPEG and GIF formats. Look for the image of FishCam creator Lou Montulli in the tank's reflection.
Derek Jacobs
via the Internet
Tips / Saving Money
Graphic Online Expense
AOL has a wonderfully rich graphic environment, but waiting around while the service downloads graphic after graphic may not be the most efficient way to spend your time or money.
Bill Karsh has developed ArtValve, a terrific control panel that allows you to turn off the automatic downloading of AOL graphics. When AOL queries the software to see if you have a particular picture, ArtValve intervenes; responds, "Got it, thanks all the same"; and substitutes a not terribly attractive default graphic in its place. If you can't live without those beautiful graphics after all, you can turn ArtValve off.
Frequent visitors to AOL will find that this $5 shareware program pays for itself in a matter of weeks.
