NEXTSTEP In Focus, Winter 1994 (Volume 4, Issue 1). 
Copyright ã1994 by NeXT Computer, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

FAQ

This regular department features some of the questions asked most often of NeXT Support.  For a more current list, see NeXTanswers document 1470, ªTech Support Frequently Asked Questions.º 

Broken Mouse After Install

When I reboot my computer and the login window is displayed, everything appears fine except that I can't use the mouseÐthe cursor seems to be frozen or not responding.  I can still type, though.

When you install NEXTSTEP, you tell the operating system about your system's specific hardware, like its mouse, graphics adapters, and SCSI adapters. This tells the system which drivers to use. For example, if you have a serial mouse, you should select and install the serial mouse driver.  If you forget to do this during the installation, when you restart NEXTSTEP after the installation the mouse won't work.  

To fix this problem, you first need to restart the computer using the default configuration.  At the boot: prompt, type this command:

boot: config=Default

This starts up NEXTSTEP with all of the mouse drivers loaded.  Log in as root and start up Configure, which is in /NextAdmin.  Select the mouse and configure it according to your hardware setup.

Note: You can use the boot command config=Default whenever you have a specific hardware-related failure. It causes the computer to start up with a basic default configuration, so that you can modify the hardware configuration with Configure.

See also: NeXTanswers document 1360, ªMouse Support.º

Removing NEXTSTEP Boot Sector

How can I remove the NEXTSTEP boot sector?  I installed NEXTSTEP on my hard drive and removed it, but I still get ªBoot Next: v1.17º when starting up.

NEXTSTEP provides two boot sectors: boot0, which boots a DOS-partitioned disk that might have NEXTSTEP or another operating system on it, and boot1, which boots a virtual NEXTSTEP disk.  If you install a disk that has only NEXTSTEP on it, NEXTSTEP writes only the boot1 sector at the beginning of the disk.  If you then go back and reinstall DOS, DOS finds executable code in the boot sector and doesn't replace it, even though the code it found can't boot DOS.  

The solution is either to remove the boot sector before installing DOS or to rewrite the boot sector from DOS after installing DOS.

To remove the boot sector before installing DOS, in NEXTSTEP type the command 
fdisk /dev/rsd0h -removePartitioning.

To rewrite the boot sector, type fdisk /mbr.

Note: These techniques are useful only if you're adding a DOS partition to a NEXTSTEP-only disk. The NEXTSTEP installation software always writes the boot sectors required for NEXTSTEP, so if you created partitions for other operating systems when you first installed NEXTSTEP, 
you don't need to follow this procedure.  NEXTSTEP's boot0 sector is fully compatible with DOS's and can boot any operating system it finds on a partition.

See also: The fdisk UNIX manual page in NEXTSTEP, and ªSurviving DOS,º NEXTSTEP In Focus 3 (Spring 1993), also available as NeXTanswers document 1130.

Installing DOS 6 with NEXTSTEP

I'm having problems installing DOS 6.x on a disk that has the NEXTSTEP boot sector already installed.

DOS 6.x apparently has a version of fdisk that's incompatible with the fdisks in both DOS 5.0 and NEXTSTEP. If you run into this problem while running DOS 6.x, use fdisk to change the active partition.  Or, reformat the drive with DOS 6.x's fdisk and then reinstall NEXTSTEP. You can then use the boot sector as usual.

See also: The fdisk UNIX manual page in NEXTSTEP, and ªSurviving DOS,º 
NEXTSTEP In Focus 3 (Spring 1993), also available as NeXTanswers document 1130.

Can't Connect to Network

When I start up NEXTSTEP, I get a message indicating ªcannot connect to network, press Control-C to continue.º  I believe this is because NetInfo is improperly configured or corrupted.  

This problem can have a variety of causes.  Two possibilities are that the NetInfo database has been corrupted or the network interface controller has been removed.

If the network interface controller has been removed, you can fix the problem by replacing the controller. If the controller is in place, you'll have to take more steps.

One solution is to rebuild the NetInfo database to a default configuration. However, creating a new NetInfo database is generally a drastic measure. If you've invested a lot of time configuring a NetInfo database, you probably would rebuild it from scratch only as a last resort. If this is your situation, ask NeXT's Support group for help before replacing the NetInfo database.  

A better option is to restore the /etc/hostconfig file and the contents of /etc/netinfo from backups made when the network was functioning properly. (You did make backups, didn't you?)

See also: NEXTSTEP Network and System Administration, page 89, and NeXTanswers document 1295, ªRestoring to Default NetInfo Configuration.º

CD-ROM Drives and CD Player

How do I get the CD Player application to work with my CD-ROM Drive?

CD Player is a demo application, so it isn't officially supported by NeXT.  

To allow CD Player to launch automatically when you insert a music CD in the CD-ROM drive, you need to turn on the Public Window Server in the Preferences application. 

Note:  Not all CD-ROM drives work with the CD Player application. NeXT doesn't maintain a list of compatable players.  However, we do know that CD Player is incompatable with the Toshiba 3401 CD-ROM Drive.

Installing the Developer CD-ROM

I've installed the User Version of NEXTSTEP.  When I try to install the Developer disk, I get 
a ªpermission deniedº error.  

You need to be logged in as the user root to install the Developer disk.  If you're logged in as the user me, set a password for me and log back in as root to continue the installation.

See also: The Here's How book.

PCI Bus Compatibility

Is the PCI bus architecture supported by NEXTSTEP?  If so, which peripherals are supported?

PCI is supported by NEXTSTEP.  Currently, however, there are no supported PCI peripherals, because specific drivers need to be written for each peripheral.

See also: NEXTSTEP Hardware Compatibility Guide, NeXTanswers documents 1002 
and 1157.

Cleanly Rebooting

When something goes wrong with my computerÐfor example, when the cursor is frozen on screen or Workspace Manager doesn't start upÐhow can I restart my computer without performing a hard reset and potentially damaging the disk's file system?  

Hold down the right Alternate key and press Num Lock. NEXTSTEP then asks whether you want to halt the computer or restart it. 

This is an easy way to bypass the normal shutdown and logout procedures and ensure that the disk's file system isn't damaged.  

Faxing in NEXTSTEP

What do I need to fax from NEXTSTEP?  I've installed a modem and tried to fax, but it's 
not faxing.

NEXTSTEP requires an additional fax driver specifically written for your fax modem.  NeXT knows of two products that support a variety of common fax modems, including ZyXEL, SupraFAXmodem, Telebit, and Prometheus. The products are these:

NXFax
Supplier: Black & White Software, Inc.
Phone: (802) 496-8500 
Fax: (802) 496-5112 
E-mail: nxfax@bandw.com

DFax
Supplier: Alembic Systems, Inc.
Phone: 1-800-452-7608 (within the U.S. only)
Fax: (303) 799-1435 
E-mail: robbie@alembic.com

See also: Third-Party Products Guide.

Macintosh Networking and NEXTSTEP

I want to connect a computer running NEXTSTEP with a Macintosh or Macintosh network. What tools are available to help me do this?

Several third-party products are available for doing NEXTSTEP to AppleTalk or Mac to TCP/IP networking, including printer sharing.  Here are two companies that provide such products:

Information PresentationTechnologies, Inc.
Products: Partner, uShare
Phone: 1-800-233-9993 (within the U.S.) 
or (805) 541-3000
Fax: (805) 541-3037
Address: 555 Chorro Street, Suite A, 
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

InterCon Systems Corporation
Products: NFS/Share, InterPrint, Planet X
Phone: (703) 709-5500 or (703) 709-5555
E-mail: info@intercon.com
Address: 950 Herndon Parkway, Suite 420, Herndon, VA 22070

See also: Third-Party Products Guide.