Macanic SnapShot is an application that tracks installations and modifications made by other applications. It works on the simple premise that the files on the hard drive will be different after an install. With a SnapShot you can remove installed files, create backup copies of installed files for reinstallation.
Setting up SnapShot
Before running SnapShot you must configure the preferences.
The General section controls whether the warning dialogs will be shown when you click on a button or choose a menu option. As SnapShot can delete files it just acts as a safety net against accidents. This is set on as default.
The File Info Editor is the application that has been chosen to edit individual files and folders. No editor has been set as default but a typical editor would be Apple’s ResEdit.
The Files section is probably the most important section of the preferences. The SnapShot Location defines the folder that the SnapShots will be stored in.
The option to Store copies of captured files decides whether to store the files it has captured into the SnapShot it self. This allows the application to be verified and reinstalled. It also allows applications to be installed onto other computers from the SnapShot image. It can prove useful in large organisations where the same application needs to be installed onto many computers.
The File Locating section allows you to choose how missing files will be found. Smartsearch will try to find the files for you using a name match system. The manual choice lets you choose.
How do I create a SnapShot Image?
Just click the New button. This will save the state of your hard drive. Now install the application. If it requires you to restart the Mac, do it. You can also run the application once it has been installed. This has the advantage that it will create a preference file, that may have been otherwise missed by the SnapShot.
Then rerun SnapShot to capture any Installed or modified files. The SnapShot will then be listed in the SnapShot list window. The date the SnapShot was created is also listed.
Each one of these SnapShots can be uninstalled and if the Backup option is selected reinstalled.
What Can I do with a SnapShot Image?
You can use SnapShot to remove all the files that were captured and, if you choose to backup the captured files, reinstall at a later date any files that have been deleted since the SnapShot was created.
How do I know what files were captured?
The captured files can be viewed by choosing Edit from either the main window or the SnapShot menu. You can also double click the file in the SnapShot list.
This gives you a list of all the files in the SnapShot image. This window is comprised of three sections.
The Toolbar. This is the available options that you can perform on individual files. These options are Add, Remove, Uninstall, Verify, Find, Reveal and Edit.
The actions the provide are listed below:
Add… allows you to manually add files to the SnapShot. SnapShots that backup files will also backup any added files. To add a file just click the Add… button and select the file from the standard file selection dialog. To add a folder hold down the option key when clicking the Add… button.
Remove performs the opposite function of Add… Just highlight the file you want to remove from the SnapShot Image and then click the Remove button. This will also remove any backup files that the SnapShot may have for the file. The file size may not decrease when removing files. If it doesn’t choose Compact from the SnapShot menu on the main window.
Uninstall individual files. Select the individual file from the list and select Unisntall. The file is then moved to the Trash. It wont actually be deleted until you empty the Trash. These changes will be reflected in the location pane.
Verify is only available if the SnapShot has backups. This will verify that an individual file exists. If it does it will be ignored, if it doesn’t it will be restored from backup.
Find will find missing files. If a files icon is listed as a question mark then the original cannot be found. This could be because the file was deleted or just missing. You can see if the file, or one matching the name, is on the drive but the link in the SnapShot image is missing. Find will try to find the file.
Reveal shows the file in the finder.
Edit will edit the selected file with the chosen file editor that is listed in the preferences. If no editor is chosen this button will be dimmed and unavailable.
Steps for Creating a SnapShot Image
You should firstly decide whether you wish to store the captured files in the SnapShot Image. If you do change the Store captured files option under the Files section of the Preferences. If you don’t want to have these files stored, turn the option off.
Now empty the Trash folder. This ensures that any surplus files will not be captured.
Run SnapShot and click the New button. If you are asked if you want to continue choose yes. A window will appear with a progress bar. This will increase as SnapShot scans through your hard drive, logging information about each file and folder in SnapShots database. You can stop the process at any time by pressing . (Command Period). When SnapShot has finished, quit SnapShot.
Run the installation for the application you wish to capture. If the installer asks you to reboot then do so. Some installers need a reboot to remove old files and move the new ones. Also some files may be ‘in use’ and as such the installer couldn’t move them.
Tip: Run the application once and enter any registration information. This has the benefit that a preferences file will be created for the application.
Rerun SnapShot and choose Rescan. The Rescan button should appear where the New button was before. If it doesn’t you may have a problem. (Look for a file called reference.rdb file in the SnapShot folder). SnapShot will present you with a similar window to that of before, and begin scanning the hard drive for new files. Once SnapShot has finished scanning it will post process the list of files, removing files that should not have been captured. If the Store copies of captured files option is set SnapShot will begin to add the actual files into the captured applications SnapShot Image. This may take some time, but the window should update frequently during the process.
The application has now been captured.
Uninstalling all the files
You can uninstall all the files that are active (Denoted by a check in the checkbox in the File list pane) in a single SnapShot Image by choosing the Uninstall button from the main SnapShot window. Each file that is uninstalled will be moved to the Trash Folder.
This is only available for registered users, though you can uninstall individual files by opening the SnapShot by choosing Edit or double clicking the file in the list.
Verifying a SnapShot Image
Choose a SnapShot from the list and choose Verify. This will check to see if a file exists and if it doesn’t reinstall it from the Image. This is performed for each file that has an active checkmark in the File list pane. This is only available with SnapShots that had the files backed up.
This is also only available for registered users, though you can verify individual files by opening the SnapShot by choosing Edit or double clicking the file in the list.
