“Quit All Applications”, or “QAA”, provides two primary functions:
• Quits all your applications, clearing RAM, so that you can launch a new application.
• Rebuilds your “DeskTop Database” of several volumes without having to confirm each volume, and without having to restart or quit running applications. It is currently the most convenient tool for rebuilding your DeskTop Database!
Additionally, QAA gives you a few features to:
• Kill all but the most recently launched application (command-R).
• Define applications that you don't wish to kill, such as the “Battery” monitor for PowerBook Macintoshes, 'Stickies', screen saver applications, or whatever application you like to always have running.
• Kill and restart the Finder.
• Kill specific applications.
Installation
Simply drag "Quit All Applications" and the document "Quit All Now" into your Apple Menu Items folder within your System Folder. This will make QAA accessible from any application via the Apple Menu.
Launching QAA
When you launch “Quit All Applications”, you will have the opportunity to exclude applications from being killed and to access QAA's other commands.
When you open the document “Quit All Now”, QAA will send a kill request to all open applications, without requesting your confirmation†. (All system 7 friendly applications will always ask you to save any modified documents). After customizing QAA’s options, you will probably find opening “Quit All Now” is your most convenient way to launch QAA.
You can access QAA’s options when opening “Quit All Now” by holding the control key down as you open “Quit All Now”. Similarly, you can bypass the confirmation dialog when launching QAA by holding down the control key as you launch QAA.
Quick Tips:
R -Kills all processes except the most recently launched application†.
0 -Kill the Finder.
1 -Kill the oldest process (use repeatedly to kill old processes).
In the "Kill All Except" menu, processes marked with a ◊ (diamond) have been excluded, and will not be terminated.
†skips any processes that the user has excluded via QAA's "Options".
Registration
Please see the Document "QAA Registration Form" for complete details.
This software is sold as shareware. The fee is:
US $18 (check drawn on a U.S. bank, traveler's check, money order)
UK £13 (cheque drawn on a U.S. bank, traveler's cheque, or EuroCheque)
Please send payment to:
David Giandomenico, QAA
734 NW 177 Avenue
Pembroke Pines FL 33029-3152
U.S.A.
You will be sent a registration code that will enable the "Save Options" feature of this software.
For fast registration service, you may also send an e-mail to:
D.Giandomenico@IEEE.org
100016.1053@CompuServe.com
with the intent to send payment by mail.
CompuServe Subscribers: Payment can also be made directly onto your CompuServe account using Go SWReg. The SWREG code for QAA is #12294, or search for 'Giandomenico'.
Rebuilding the DeskTop Database
When file and folder icons are not displayed properly, or when applications “can’t be found”, rebuilding the “DeskTop Database” usually solves these problems. The “DeskTop Database” (often referred to as "The DeskTop" as in “rebuild the DeskTop”) contains icons for an application’s files, and the location of the application that created a document. The “DeskTop Database” under System 7 is composed of two invisible files at the root level of each volume.
The “DeskTop Database” may be rebuilt by holding down the option and command keys as the Finder launches. For each mounted volume, the Finder then clears the database and begins rebuilding the “DeskTop Database”. However, you must confirm each volume, and the rebuild is not always effective. Deleting the “DeskTop Database” and rebuilding it from scratch can sometime eliminate more persistent problems of the “DeskTop Database”.
QAA allows you to easily rebuild the “DeskTop Database” on multiple volumes without confirmations between volumes. QAA is the most convenient Desktop Rebuilding tool currently available!
QAA deletes the “DeskTop Database” on each volume the user selects, and then allows the Finder to rebuild it from scratch.
Technical Note:
On system versions prior to 7.5.3, the Finder would not add open files to the “DeskTop Database”, so that even after a rebuild, some files might not regain their icons. Hence, in the past, experienced users recommended that you restart without extensions and background applications, and terminate all running applications before rebuilding the “DeskTop Database”. However, on systems prior to 7.5.3, QAA itself adds all open files to the “DeskTop Database”, eliminating the nuisance of the above recommendation.
Special thanks to my beta testers: Michel Touchot, Moe Rubenzahl, Nathalie Nicoletis, Steve Leonard, and Malcolm Cornelius.
Author’s Comments & Contact Information
Please send any corrections or queries or suggestion you may have regarding this document or Quit All Applications. I strive to maintain a clear and informative instruction manual. Your comments are invaluable.